The USS Nimitz (CVN-68), a nuclear-powered supercarrier of the United States Navy, berthed at Chennai Port on July 2nd 2007. A lead ship of its class, the crew were here as part of efforts to expand bilateral defense cooperation between India & United States. As part of their community service program they stopped over at The Banyan's Protected Community in Kovalam, a seaside village near Chennai, on July 4th, the US Independence Day.

The Protected Community houses; cottages for the Vizhudugal Women' Self Help Group and Spice Route, a Café that serves everything from Continental to Tandoor and is to be run entirely by the women. The Café intends to display and give a taste of Indian culture. Keeping in line with this aim is a Spa that offers massage therapy, and a Bazaar that showcases Indian Arts & Crafts.Spice Route is all set to take off on August 23rd. Work is progressing rapidly. And the Nimitz crew were there to lend us a hand.

Around 100-159 Naval Officers arrived at 10:30am and were greeted with the traditional Indian welcome ceremony also known as "Aarti." After which they were divided into different groups, each assigned a different task to do; activities ranging from gardening; leveling the ground; cleaning up the ground; to offering any kind of support they could offer to the Banyan.

Three hours were spent putting the pieces of a much waited for project at Kovalam together. Not only was a lot of work completed in the three hours the sailors were present at Kovalam but they also got taste of an Indian seaside experience complete with tender coconut water. The interaction ended on a sweet note with a cross-cultural dance which happened rather spontaneously with speakers cropping out of nowhere and the Banyan team taking centre stage with enthusiastic naval officers shaking a leg to Bollywood numbers.

It was a dance of triumph, as the event can be viewed as an unofficial inauguration of the Protected Community project as they were the community's first guests. It was also an expression of gratitude from The Banyan team towards the NIMITZ sailors for having offered their service towards the Banyan's project at Kovalam.