For Vishal, son of a labourer, November 7, 2010, was an unforgettable day when he and some other children of construction labourers at Humayun's Tomb, met United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
And surprisingly, Vishal could not believe his luck when he was informed that Obama remembered him from his first trip to India and wanted to meet him again. Vishal was traced by a US Embassy official in South Delhi, where he lives with his parents and sister.
“I was happy to know that the US President would come to Delhi again and was keen to meet him again,” Vishal had said as he sat next to Michelle at the Siri Fort Auditorium where Obama delivered a lecture before concluding his second visit to India.
The US President had also mentioned about Vishal in his speech.
“Just want to tell you a quick story. On our last visit here, we visited Humayun's Tomb. We met some of the labourers who are the backbone of this nation's progress. We met the children's families as well. We saw some wonderful young children with bright smiles and spark in their eyes and one of the children was a boy named Vishal. And today, Vishal is 16-year old and he and his family live in south Delhi in a village,” he said, looking at Vishal.
“Vishal's mother still works at Humayun's Tomb. His sister is in university and she wants to become a teacher. His brother is a construction worker earning his daily wage and his father works as a stone layer so that Vishal can go to school,” the US President had said in his speech amid loud applause from the audience.
An elated Vishal got to interact with Obama and his wife Michelle for about 15 minutes before and after his speech, and said the US president asked him what he wanted to do in future and he said he wanted to join the armed forces. “They motivated me in 2010 and even now,” said a beaming Vishal.
Vishal was among the 14 children, sons and daughters of the artisans involved in the restoration and conservation of the Humayun's Tomb, whom the US President and the First Lady had met when they had taken a walk around the 16th-century World Heritage Site in New Delhi during their last visit to India in November 2010.
