Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 331

"Let me tell you about my son. When Aditya was born, there was a...

"Let me tell you about my son. When Aditya was born, there was a very popular television show on the air, and the main character was named Lord Rama. Lord Rama was known as a revealer of truth. So I joked with my best friend that my son was going to be just like Lord Rama, and he was going to bring a great truth into the world. Sixteen years later, that very same friend called me while I was out of town on vacation. 
'Uptal!' he screamed. 'Uptal! Turn on the TV! Your son is on the TV! He's just like Lord Rama!'
'What channel?' I asked.
'Any channel!' he screamed. So I turned on the television. And there he was. I hadn't known it, but while I was gone, he had started a petition on the internet. He was only sixteen years old at the time, and he had started an online petition calling for the government to reopen an old rape case. The case was nearly ten years old, and it involved the son of a very powerful government official. The son had raped and murdered a girl, and even though the evidence was overwhelming, he was only given three years in prison because of his family's connections. So Aditya started this petition to reopen the case. And soon it had millions of signatures! A sixteen year old boy! I couldn't believe it! I called his mother, and she was very scared. The men he was challenging were very powerful, and had many powerful friends. 
Soon Aditya was on the cover of every newspaper: ‘Young Boy Challenges Mafia,” the newspapers said. TV cameras were lining up in front of our house. His mother and I were very scared for him, and wanted him to lay low, but he insisted on doing every interview. He went on all the TV shows. Soon he started a protest right here at India Gate. He announced: ‘I am going to sit here until the case is reopened.’ Thousands of people joined him. All the famous musicians and Bollywood stars came to join him. The largest magazine in India called him ‘the country’s youngest icon.’ Soon after the protest began, the chief judge of the Supreme Court announced he was reopening the case. When the new trial was finished, the man had been given a life sentence!”

(New Delhi, India)

"What’s your biggest dream for your child?""We’ll...

"What’s your biggest dream for your child?"
"We’ll let him dream for himself."

(New Delhi, India)

"The second date is going much better than the first one."(New...

"The second date is going much better than the first one."

(New Delhi, India)

He told me that he could look at anyone’s face, and tell...

He told me that he could look at anyone’s face, and tell them exactly what they need in life. I asked him to give me a try. He studied my face, looked up at the sky for a few seconds, then said: “You don’t need anything.”

(Jammu, India)

"We’re praying for the souls of our ancestors."(Jammu,...

"We’re praying for the souls of our ancestors."

(Jammu, India)

"In Ukraine, they say that every man must do three things to...

"In Ukraine, they say that every man must do three things to fulfill his duty: plant a tree, have a child, and build a house. I planted a tree in grade school, I had a daughter fourteen years ago, but with how the economy has been, I’m starting to fear that I’ll never have the money to build a house."
"What was the happiest moment you ever spent with your daughter?"
"I taught her to walk on a small playground near our house. I’d hold onto her hands and walk her around slowly. She was laughing so hard, and she was making noises the entire time, I could sense she was trying to tell me something."
"What do you think she was trying to tell you?"
"Just how happy she was to be there with me."

(Kyiv, Ukraine)

"I’m 66, but I bike 55 kilometers every day. I don’t...

"I’m 66, but I bike 55 kilometers every day. I don’t get much from my pension, so I ride along this road and pick up metal scraps to bring to the collection center. I ride my bike everywhere. A few months ago, I rode 170 kilometers to visit my daughter. I left at noon and got there before dark. I wasn’t even rushing!"

(Bila Tserkva, Ukraine)

"Do you remember the happiest moment of your life?""When my...

"Do you remember the happiest moment of your life?"
"When my daughter was born."
"What surprised you the most about parenthood?"
"The teenage years."

(Odessa, Ukraine)

"When I was fifteen, I was raped by three boys while competing...

"When I was fifteen, I was raped by three boys while competing at a gymnastics tournament. I was so ashamed, that I stood on a train track, and waited for the train to come. At the last moment, I tried to jump away. I woke up after a month. It was the middle of the night, and I could immediately tell that something was missing. I started feeling all over my body, and that’s when I realized that I’d lost my arm. Now I counsel teenagers who have been diagnosed with HIV. I’m normally the first to meet with them after they get their results. I try to explain to them that there’s a way out of even the most impossible situations."

(Odessa, Ukraine)

"Ukraine has suffered so much. We’ve lost so many people...

"Ukraine has suffered so much. We’ve lost so many people to war and famines and historical events. Almost seven million Ukrainians were killed in World War II, more than any other country. We don’t need much in this country. We’re not an imperialistic people. We aren’t very warlike. Our land is covered with black soil, so we can grow everything we need. We just need peace."

(Baryshivka, Ukraine)