We met Babu in Mumbai while we were drinking coconuts. He was selling maps and after talking with him for a few minutes we invited him to have chai. He told us about his village in Rajastan where he grew up and explained that he had only been in Mumbai for a few months. Since he arrived in the city he had been selling maps and sleeping at a church outside the city. In the morning he would take the train to pick up the maps and a cell phone from his boss, then take the train into the touristic city center. He told us that his dream was to buy a shoe shine box so he could start his own business shining shoes. We wanted to help him and we chose to meet with him at least once more before giving him the money to buy the box. The following day we met with Babu and Ajay (who I met at the Forum). Babu guided us on an incredible tour around the city. In the late afternoon we gave him the money for the box and as we headed home he left for the outskirts of town where they build the boxes. The following day, before our departure to Sri Lanka, we had plans to meet Babu to see the box and take a photo of him with it. We spoke with him by phone as we were waiting with our taxi to leave for the airport. The night before, when he arrived to the suburbs, there were no boxes made. He had to return in the morning and they made him a box. Instead of risking missing our plane we left a note with a taxi driver to leave with Babu. On the note we asked him to meet us on February 17th at 3pm in front of Regal Cinema and we left our email. Even though Babu can't read he does have friends that can.
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