After hearing about each other for more than 20 years, Bindi Gandhi ’99 and Hitesh Tolani ’04 finally met, celebrating Diwali together.
“Our Wofford connection cemented a lifelong friendship,” says Gandhi, the community health director for Sutter Health. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, a physician, and their two daughters, ages 16 and 13, and a “not so golden” golden doodle. “We spent countless time thinking about our Wofford experience.”
According to Tolani, he was the only person of Indian heritage on campus while he was a student. He was grateful for the friends with whom he shared his culture, but he still missed having someone who completely understood his traditions. Faculty and friends would tell him about Gandhi, who graduated just before Tolani enrolled, singing her praises and telling him he would have enjoyed knowing her.
“I rolled my eyes because I kept hearing about this woman I’d never met. It didn’t help me that she had already graduated, and just because she also shared an Indian heritage didn’t mean we would get along. India is huge! It has hundreds of cultures and subcultures,” says Tolani. “Honestly, it was sort of frustrating.”
Even after graduation, when he was in dental school then teaching at Harvard and — before COVID-19 — starting the country’s first telemedicine company focused on oral health, Tolani kept hearing about Gandhi.
It took 23 years, but thanks to Roberto d’Erizans ’02, Tolani and Gandhi finally met.
“Bindi — this stranger with whom I had a false familiarity — stood in front of me, and every wonderful thing I had heard about her came to life!” says Tolani. “Like me, she’s American, oozes Southern hospitality, but is very proud to be Indian.
As I spent more time with her, I realized there is so much Wofford in this woman. She’s smart. She’s articulate. She’s an independent thinker and also someone who understands kindness and doing for others.”
For Tolani, the photo he and Gandhi sent to share with other Wofford alumni represents the many layers of Wofford connections, connections that have supported him through successes and challenges. Tolani has sold his company. He’s traveling the country and world with the goal of vising all 63 national parks. He’s partnered with the National Park Service to help underrepresented communities (LGBTQ+ in particular) access nature. A story about this collaboration is included in Outside magazine (linked from wofford.edu/woffordtoday). He also gave a talk to the Public Lands Alliance, giving credit to Wofford as a foundational part of his success and current path.
“For me, this photo shows the concept of the Wofford family. We didn’t even overlap at Wofford, but Wofford still brought us together. It was an instant friendship,” says Tolani. “Remember, I am a pure product of Wofford’s generosity, and I truly believe in the Wofford family. This is another reminder.”