3/31/2014

Yesterday was my second day in India.

Yes. Delhi is everything you might expect. Hot, dusty, dirty, boiling with bodies, heat, and honking…so much honking! Driving in Delhi is like riding a decreped amusement park ride. You close your eyes and pray that the ride ends and you are still alive and breathing. We ate amazing food. We visited the 12 year old child adopted by our Delhi hosts at his boarding school on the outskirts of town. We walked through a busy bazaar in the belly of an ancient fortress in Old Delhi.

And yet. And then. And still. We met Omprakash. Yes- Omprakash. The man that the organization I serve is named after. The legend that Willy speaks of at every event when asked, “What does the name ‘Omprakash’ mean?” After a great day with our humble tour guide Satish (family friend of our hosts, not an actual tour guide~), we were dropped off at the Mother Theresa Home for the Dying and Destitute. At the building that Willy last saw Omprakash at 6 years ago, and met him at 10 years prior. Our expectations were low. So many years had past since Willy was last in India.

And yet. And then. And still. The legend lives on. He is alive. He is very well (despite suffering from a stroke over 40 years ago and harboring lingering disabilities including a strong speech impediment). He is brilliant. He is well read. He has saved every letter sent to him. He is fluent in English. He is amazing.

Omprakash is real. Welcome to India.