Leaving home is never easy, but for Jhanvi Santoshkumar Varma, a Mumbai native living in Connecticut, the void left by her family was filled by an unexpected source. In a moving conversation with HT.com, Jhanvi describes how her Japanese landlady, Keiko, stepped in like a second mother, from bringing her “Japanese bhajiya” to carrying a printout of Jhanvi’s resume to help her find a job. It is a story that proves family isn’t always defined by blood, but by the kindness of strangers.
Varma relocated to January 2024 to complete her master’s in data science. She is currently seeking employment after completing her higher education.
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She learned about Keiko’s place after seeing an advertisement. Though the landlady initially told her the property was not available, she later called Varma to offer it for rent.
How much rent does she pay?
“I pay $425 plus utilities, going up to $150. That totals up around $580-$590 (between ₹53,556 to ₹54,479) every month,” Varma told HT.com. Beyond the monthly rent, Jhanvi feels she has gained something far more valuable: a sense of belonging. She shared that Keiko and her husband, Greg, have provided a home filled with respect and kindness, treating her more like family than a tenant.
How did their bond grow?
“So when I shifted here, I went to ask some questions. She welcomed me and also gave me some Japanese food called tempura which was like ‘Japanese bhajiya’. I’m a vegetarian so she gave me sweet potato tempura. I felt loved by her so I made dal-rice and took it to her,” Varma recalled.
She told HT.com that the next day, Keiko told her how she and her husband loved the Indian food and gave her some kimchi tofu stew in return. “Since then, if I cook something good I take it to her. If she does, she brings it to me. We bonded like this. She is a sweetheart.”
Recalling how the elderly Japanese landlady cares for her, Varma shared, “What made me more close to her is that I live alone so one day I woke up and I went to the kitchen and I started feeling uneasy. I felt like I’m gonna pass out. I came to my room and passed out on my bed.”
When Varma opened up about her health scare to her landlady the following morning, the response was one of immediate, protective concern. She recalled, “When I told her this the next day, she seemed concerned and told me if I ever feel that I may call her she will look after me. She also told me to meet her nurse friend because she was scared for me. So I felt really motherly affection from her.”
What is her best memory with Keiko?
“It’s funny, I told her that if you know somebody in the data field please tell them I am looking for jobs. If they can help me out in some way. She messaged one of her and also wrote good things about me to him. She also made sure we met,” Varma told HT.com.
She recalled, “So on the day Roger [Keiko’s friend] and I met. My god when I was talking to him she came and handed out my resume printout, which was shocking to me. I should have been the one to bring the printout of my resume but she was there with my resume. I felt that my mother would have done the same. It was funny and heartwarming at the same time. I loved the moment. I never saw someone so lovely.” She added that Keiko takes care of her life her own mother would have.”
Earlier, a video of Varma and Keiko playing Holi went viral, warming people’s hearts. Expressing her reaction to it, Verma shared, “That was kinda shocking for me. Cause I never thought that video would reach a lot of people. It was so heartwarming and lovely that all the people who saw that video shared cute comments about me and my landlady.”
Recalling Keiko’s reaction to it, she said, “She was really happy. She is shy so she doesn’t talk that much but she said, ‘Nice to know people are loving me from India’.”
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She recounted an incident when she spoke at Keiko’s church about her kindness. In turn, the elderly lady praised Varma and her upbringing, calling her a very “sweet girl”.
How is life living away from family?
“I learned a lot from living alone here. I understood the worth of my parents and my family. Also I understood the worth of every penny that I earned. I became much more confident. But also I miss my parents a lot. It’s so hard to survive here if you don’t know how to ask for things. I learned these things when I came here,” she told HT.com.