Mr. Smith Takes a Turn

I took this picture on my way to the office one morning. This wagon was attached to a tractor and it was packed with people - mostly children. This little girl was such a cutie, and she turned just as I was taking the picture so I missed her face. Because I was in my car, we sped off and they were left behind to go heaven-knows-where.

There are so many people here that it is truly difficult to comprehend. 1.1 billion. Soon India will overtake China as the world's most populous country (we thought that might happen when our family arrived and boosted the population...). With so many people in one place, there is a sense of anonymity. Well, for most people. For a 6-foot, 330 pound caucasian man, anonymity is just not a concept to be enjoyed in India. But once you push past the staring, the pointing, and even the occasional laughing, you discover that this truly is a wonderful place filled with warm and wonderful people.

One of our goals while here for the next three years is to travel around India and see what this country has to offer. But with such beautiful children around us (as shown in these photos), and so many amazing things to see, even that thought is overwhelming. I have been to Mumbai (Bombay) twice. I went again yesterday in another whirlwind visit for our business. That is a very different place from Delhi. I had two eunuchs - in this case men dressed in sarees as women - try to get to me in our car so they could extort some money. They were at an intersection waiting for cars to stop. Like I said, I don't exactly cut a concealable figure compared to those around me here, so they came at me fast and furious. Man, eunuchs get angry. You would think that guys with no - um, male "motivation" - wouldn't be so aggressive. But I think they were just dressed that way for the money. And no, I didn't check...