When I was a teenager and people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I’d say “I want to save the world.” But at some point along the way I stopped believing that was possible.
The was something about Manoj Gautam that reminded me of the youthful idealism I had lost so long ago.
To satisfy my own curiosity of how one person can create meaningful change, I was compelled to follow Manoj’s story. He is young, wild, and still finding his way, learning diplomacy, fascinated by wild animals and still discovering how he can be of service to them and avoid being their captor. Overwhelmed by problems, pollution, poverty, ignorance, the phrase he said throughout our trip was “slowly, slowly.” He is in it for the long haul.
I hope that Manoj’s story has the power to inspire other’s to pursue their dreams in spite of obstacles, be they poverty, adversity, bureaucracy, or doubt.