One of the many moving snapshots of life during the trip came on our drive from arriving at the airport to our hotel. I realized, at a certain point, that I was internally waiting for the "other" part of town. There were rundown buildings and trash-covered sidewalks everywhere. The truth, however, was that there was no "other" part of town. This was it. Chennai.The most impacting moment, however, came as Wick was telling us about what we were seeing out the windows of our van. There were people - lots of people - laying on the sidewalks. "They live there," he said. No blankets, no cardboard boxes even. Just laying down on the sidewalk, close to the road, in the filth...sleeping. In that same moment, as I was letting that reality hit me, I saw a person laying on the sidewalk, and then saw a small child come up, lay down and cuddle on top of them. That spot was where he's sleep that night; he had no other home.
This was the situation of life there for countless thousands upon thousands - and that number is only in Chennai. There are MILLIONS orphaned, alone and living on the street in India. The men, women and children represent a hurting population about whom many there do not care. More on this in another post, but the sight of a little boy curling up next to his mom (I assume) in the dirty street was heartbreaking. The fact that there were probably 100 more to be seen on that single drive from the airport to our hotel was even more powerful.
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