So began the invitation to Anjhula Singh Bais and Satish Selvanathan's engagement ceremony. Beneath was a simple request:
"Now that we have found one another, we have everything we could possibly want. In lieu of gifts, a donation to our chosen charities would be greatly appreciated."
Their charities of choice: Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, OCIA Research and Education Inc., and Omaha Zoo Foundation.
People may remember Anjhula Singh Bais as Angela Singh, a Lincoln Southeast High School graduate and classical violinist turned world-class model.
Anjhula's parents, B.B. and Asha, split their time between Lincoln, where he is an agronomist, and their native India.
Anjhula divides her time among the runways in London, Singapore, Hong Kong and other high-fashion destinations with her studies at Columbia University in New York City, where she is pursuing a doctorate in psychology. In between she blogs for Vogue India, models for magazines and other media, volunteers for nonprofit organizations and interns at a psychology clinic. Ultimately, she plans to go into a private psychology practice with an emphasis on Buddhism.
She credits Nebraska for setting her on an international adventure. Her Nebraska roots fueled a desire to not only see the world but also make it a better place.
It is here that she learned "to love animals," "love the environment" and appreciate the work of farmers.
"Farmers are some of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met," Anjhula said. "They are so connected to the Earth. ... They feed the country, and there is nothing more important than food sustainability."
So it made sense to Anjhula and Satish that if they formally announced their engagement in a traditional Indian ceremony in Nebraska, the state should also benefit from their good fortune. After all, Anjhula reasons, if she hadn't grown up in Nebraska, her life would be entirely different, and she and Satish might not have ever fallen in love.
Last weekend, guests from around the world and across the United States attended the ceremony in Omaha's Hindu temple, which Anjhula's father cofounded, and the reception afterward in the Lied Jungle at Henry Doorly Zoo.
The traditional ceremony is filled with gift-giving. But for Anjhula and Satish, it felt right to decline this aspect of the ceremony.
"I have never liked this idea of bridal registry," Anjhula said.
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