Wednesday evening, Dalmia House at 27 Akbar Road became a diplomats’ hub with close to 20 ambassadors pouring in to bid farewell to the very charming US Deputy Chief of Mission MaryKay Carlson and her husband Aubrey, a retired diplomat. MaryKay looked splendid in a red and black cotton sari with matching jewellery.
The mansion with its old paintings and sculptures, delectable hors d’oeuvres and overflowing wine, was a succour after the sudden dust storm. Adding warmth was VN Dalmia’s toast laced with poignance on how he’d miss his movie companions, the Carslons, with whom he’d watched 8-9 movies in last 24 months.
The Director of the Dalmia Continental Private Limited (DCPL) went on to list the movies, starting with Dunkirk on July 22, 2017, then The Darkest Hour, A Star is Born, Mary Poppins Returns, Green Book, thereafter. He marvelled at how MaryKay took to India like a fish out of water and joked saying, “Join politics, and come back as an ambassador!”
MaryKay returned the toast by calling Mr Dalmia “such an engaging person… someone you want to hang around with”, reminiscing how she got him to dress for Halloween and how he was the first to spot the culprit in the Murder Mystery party at her home. Above all, she’d miss the interactions forged here with the Indian community that seemed more meaningful than the US. She also thanked her husband and journalists in the room. “Come visit us in Buenos Aires!” she signed off, inviting all to her next placement in Argentina.
Later in the evening, Carlson confessed that she’d be clocking an all-nighter to start packing, and that she’s most concerned about her saris – approximately 30 now. Jamdanis, tussar silks to even Kanjeevarams. “I don’t have a single designer sari from a fancy showroom. All are beautiful handlooms, including the ones gifted to me.”
The sari she wore for the farewell was a gift on the previous day, which was US Student Visa Day where visa applicants were interviewed, and she was lucky to receive this sari in the colours of her college T-shirt. She had also started the #SareeSearch campaign for Twitterati to help her select saris for her stint in India, sharing the same concerns of a first-time sari wearer.
“I didn’t know how the sari is worn... what if I took a step and the whole thing fell out and I am standing there exposed!” But Carlson managed just fine during her tenure and now plans to surprise her daughters by wearing a sari for a luncheon in the US.