Why We Love the India Community Center

We want to get to know the people of Milpitas better, and what they love about their hometown. So, each week, Milpitas Patch will be out and about in town, meeting people and talking to them about why they love this city.

Do you want to be featured in "People We Meet?" E-mail us a photo of you at one of your favorite spots in Milpitas, and tell us what you love about that place. Send it to Milpitas Patch at milpitas@patch.com.

This week, we caught up with Gopi Godhwani and Sushma Chopra, enjoying time with friends at the , 525 Los Coches St. in Milpitas.

PATCH: What first brought you to the ICC?

GODHWANI: We are seniors; we need company. Especially for seniors whose children are very busy, or grown, sometimes they don't know where to go. So they can get depressed. We have created a real senior family here. It's our home away from home.

CHOPRA: I find it to be a very friendly environment. And I really enjoy all the senior programs we have here. I teach, as well as attend, yoga classes. We also have a dance class for seniors that I really enjoy. I had never tried dance before, but I tried it here, and now I do it all the time and we even perform places.

GODHWANI: Yes, the programs keep us very happy and healthy. I know two people who say it has saved them from having to have heart surgery. Others say the yoga classes and Jollywood dance classes - that's what we call the Bollywood dance classes for seniors - has really helped them reduce their number of doctor visits.

PATCH: How have you seen the ICC make a difference in people's lives?

GODHWANI: Women who have lost their partners come here and find peace. We have lunch every day, and we share our love and affection and even our sorrows with each other. I remember one day a woman came to the ICC for the first time and she was crying. She had just lost her husband two months before. A group of us came up to her and hugged her, and now we are all her friends and she comes here all the time. She said, 'This is the right place for me.'

CHOPRA: This is a great place. Anyone who is not coming here should. I think they'll definitely have fun! And, the ICC is open to anyone who wants a membership. We have Caucasian members, Asian members - anyone who wants to come.

For more information about the India Community Center, visit www.indiacc.org or call 408-934-1130.