Like a Rock Star

Friday was my first day seeing my project site and meeting the young Indian girls I will be working with in Kathputli Nagar, the poorest of all the slums in Jaipur. After a high-stress ride on the back of Suchi's motorcycle (a young Indian woman who arranged for my translator in the slums), I arrived. It is important that you understand exactly where these slums are located. Kathputli Nagar sits across from Jaipur's statuesque parliament building (picture an ornate stone version of the White House),  separated by some shops and a short field that doubles as a massive latrine.

To be honest, I have been dreading writing this post ever since I saw the slums because nothing I say will be enough; there is no way to convey the sense of tragedy that overcomes you when you arrive there. There are families living in tents and impromptu structures that look like something a 4th grader would build to play fort, and all of this exists amidst mountainous piles of garbage. The children are completely covered in dirt, their hands and faces are black from the filth, their bodies are thin as reeds, their clothes are dusty and torn--if they have any clothes at all. Many of these children are blind in one eye or crippled. Babies that are barely old enough to walk crawl around naked and parentless in the dirt and trash while pigs, cows, goats, and dogs comb the streets. I use the word "streets" loosely as it is mostly just alleys with loose slabs of stone which act as stepping blocks over garbage and rivers of sewage water. It is devastating in a way that makes you want to run away but at the same time compels you to look.

Despite all this, in the true spirit of childhood, I found that the slum children were just children: silly and energetic. They all seemed happy and blissfully unaware of their own plight. When Suchi and I arrived it was as though they had just seen Miley Cyrus or the Messiah, they began chasing after our motorcycle like crazed groupies, screaming 'hello my name is...' with their arms fully extended, trying to touch my hands. I have never felt more like a rock star. When I dismounted they swarmed me, all vying to practice their hand shakes and greet me in English. As corny as it sounds, these children were a wonderful reminder that  innocence is a sacred and universal gift.