'The Jaipur Foot institution was magical'

As part of an ongoing series, we bring you stories of young Indian Americans who came looking for the Real India and found their real selves instead. Rupak Basu recounts his trip to India.

Rupak Basu is a senior at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he is majoring in business management with a minor in biology. Basu, who lives in Glendale Heights, Illinois, with his parents and two sisters, is applying for summer business internships and conducting an independent study regarding plant growth at a biology research laboratory on campus:

After a 16-hour plane ride from New York to New Delhi, hot, humid and sticky air greeted 14 students from the United States who were going to embark on an eye-opening experience in Rajasthan.

This two-week trip was organised to enhance our thinking of modern India and what it has to offer.

Through this program, we were not only able to fully appreciate our heritage, but also learned a great deal about India as a whole. We were able to experience India's rich history by visiting areas like Mandawa's famous havelis and Pushkar's Brahma and Savitri temples.

We interacted with the locals to see what their daily lives entailed. We also visited impressive schools and hospitals throughout Rajasthan.

One of the most inspiring places we visited was the Jaipur Foot institution where prosthetic limbs are given free of charge to people from different walks of live. It was an unforgettable experience.

When people think about India's advancement, they usually associate it with India's booming economy, rapidly rising information technology industry and improvements in medicine.

On the flip side, thoughts of India also evoke an image of poverty or ever-present corruption. However, the Jaipur Foot institution was magical to see such greatness in person made me proud and amazed.

Being able to walk, for us, is an activity that we had all taken granted for prior to our visit.

Upon entering the institution we came across a man who had not walked in nearly two-and-a-half years due to an amputation of one of his legs.

Tears of joy ran down his face as he slowly hobbled down an incline ready to go home with his new Jaipur leg. That first encounter with the man was very surreal and touching because we got to see how alive the man had become with his first steps on his new leg.

We met another recipient of a prosthetic leg, who displayed how effective the limb was by running a race with us. We lost to him!

Seeing him run touched me so much because he told the group that he had got a second chance at life and he could make a difference in the world.  

We were also amazed with the institution's ethics. As we entered the building, we saw a whole wall designated to the gods of various religions.

That wall symbolised the Jaipur Foot principle -- to treat everyone equally regardless of religious views, caste or wealth. I believe this was the most prominent aspect of the whole building; it illustrated that when people respect each other, many goals can be met to help everyone.

This mural's message resonated within me and inspired me to become a better person.

The Jaipur Foot institution was one of the most inspiring places for multiple reasons. Here they brought hope to all recipients of the prosthetic limbs and the institution made sure that each person was received with open arms and never turned down.

Many of the patients who came to the institution were poor, but their physical condition made their economic situation worse; they were essentially unemployable and unable to afford even a fraction of the cost of the limb.

The institution offers it for free. I found this inspiring because the institution helps bring opportunities to the poor.

Through this institution I saw how the poor were not looked down upon. Here the poor have the chance to improve their status in the world.

The person who couldn't walk before receiving the limb now had a chance to find a job and restore his dignity instead of having to beg.

Having the opportunity to witness such ideals and morals in India was spiritually arousing. This institution is an example of selfless work where they truly wish to help others.

The Jaipur Foot has shown how India has moved forward in the direction of equality for all in addition to instilling hope.