It’s the season of goodbyes as several diplomats are ending their tenure in the city. Recently, a farewell party was hosted for US consul general Melinda Pavek at The Lalit Great Eastern. Hosted by Rajendra Singh, the party saw diplomats rub shoulders with senior bureaucrats and businessmen.
Singh called the occasion “a special celebration of friendship” and delivered a speech in tribute to Pavek’s contribution, ending with a rendition of Kabhi alvida na kehna.
The consul general was visibly touched and spoke of how “three years (in Calcutta) went by in a jiffy”. “My first public appearance was the Independence Day event at Raj Bhavan. As soon as I stepped out of the car, everyone welcomed me with a smile, of course with their masks on. Since that day, I have been lucky to have been at the centre of the beating heart of Calcutta. It is amazing the way artistic expressions and Durga Puja bring everyone together. My sister and parents came to visit me but left with a piece of Calcutta in their hearts and a desire to return,” she said. In Mandarin, she added, the symbol of friendship is two moons. “If one friend looks at the moon from a place and so does another from elsewhere, the two moons mean they are together. When I see the moon in Washington, I will think of my friends in Calcutta.”
Host Rajinder Singh addresses the gathering as Melinda Pavek and others listen
Pavek was accompanied to the party by her partner Brandon Dorsey and friend Gail Brinkmeier. “Every time I have tried visiting Melinda at her earlier postings in Asia, something would happen. In Nepal, they overthrew the king and when my Japan trip was being finalised, Covid broke out. So no matter what people said about this being malaria season and humidity being high, I was bent on coming. People are so amazingly friendly,” she said.
Among the places they visited is Alipore Museum. “The place helped me understand the Indian consciousness and what it took to achieve freedom,” said Dorsey while Gail said she was so moved that she spent four hours there. They also went to Tagore House in Jorasanko and Dorsey was the most impressed with Rabindranath Tagore’s art. “He didn’t start painting till he was 60, did he? Yet he became a world-class artist!”
As Melinda took the mic to sing the Abba hit Dancing Queen over a karaoke track, getting other guests on the dance floor, Dorsey said: “While she likes Japan, I think she has fallen in love with Calcutta and has made life-long friends here.”
Melinda Pavek shakes a leg with her partner Brandon Dorsey
Andrew Fleming, the British deputy high commissioner, also belted out Rhinestone Cowboy and Sweet Caroline. “I have sung a few times after I arrived. Now I get asked to sing everywhere,” he said, as the party rocked on.