Letters From Cornell University - 7
- On seeing Barrack H.Obama, the 44th President of the United States -

By Rajkumari Sunita Devi *

Braving the 17 degree Fahrenheit on that chilly day in Baltimore, it was an awe-inspiring experience to be face to face with President – elect Obama. It was all like a dream unfolding in front of me when Obama came out waving with wife Michelle Obama, Vice President-elect Joseph Biden, and his wife Jill arriving in War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore during his train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

Not only was it a historical moment , but to be right in front of him was an experience one can never forget. The crowd was about 150,000 and everything was exactly how it should be, perfect. The euphoria began from the moment I arrived three hours ahead when Obama was to deliver his speech at 4.30 p.m.

Though the cold was almost unbearable, it was amazing how the crowd was there to give the President-elect a warm welcome. The way how the event was managed, was also truly amazing. Nobody realized how the three cold hours passed.

The Podium

There was aerobics going on the stage and everybody joined it. The music that blasted loud on the speakers never lets you forget I was in America. All eyes were glued to the podium and waited for him to come out. And it was truly an astounding moment when they came out all in tow. It was a very mix feeling for me to stand and watch him, thinking to myself how I really managed to reached up to the War Memorial site in Baltimore from being a typical housewife to a Brahmin family in Keishamthong.

The moment was worth every sacrifice I made, leaving home and being here alone in this big, great country for a goal. Never did I forget that my stay here is not forever and there are so many things left to be accomplished back home in Manipur, many a story to tell to my people living in a very difficult and different situation.

But what a story to tell, seeing Barack Obama right in front of my eyes. The guy drips charisma and charm, his voice strong and soothing when America now in a fiscal pain, spoke about a change and every word he spoke oozes the charm and the promises he made.

Everything sounds real and the cheers from the crowd and tears in many eyes tell it all what a change it is going to be and what a hope he delivers, indeed, it is the ultimate hope of deliverance. The America the world will see now is the eventual, when a black is sworn in as the President in the "White House".

The nomenclature of the Presidential house tells it all how the situation was back then. The swearing in ceremony held in Washington D.C. just after Martin Luther King's birthday is another chapter in the history of America. The huge crowd at Washington D.C was overwhelming and the speech that follows was awaited by every American.

Every word he spoke in the swear- in ceremony was the seal of truth and honesty. The promises he made are not just mere words spoken in the moment of excitement but will be true every bit and single unlike what we see and hear in India.

Obama's trip to Baltimore was a trip to memory lane took by none other than Abraham Lincoln. He was following the exact passage to the ceremony in Washington D.C., how the greatest leader of America, Abraham Lincoln did. First a tribute to the place where the first American Declaration of Independence was made, Philadelphia, then to Baltimore, and finally to Washington D.C.

Watching Obama in Baltimore on that fateful day is a memory I am going to cherished in my days to come. I watch him not just for myself but for all my friends and family back home who share a common dream with me, a change for my beloved state, Manipur. That was a moment I can never forget and I had to pinch myself again and again thinking if it's real.

My friend with his "leirum (the tangkhul - manipuri linkage)" muffler did remind me it is real and another Manipuri was witnessing with me. I was in an inaudible distance from my friend when I shouted at that moment "Long live Manipur, Ode to my Loktak, you brought me here".

It sounds funny now but what the heck, that was the truth. It was my dream to save Loktak that brought me here and I repeat this again and again. The moment was worth everything, watching Obama gave me the hope and the will to bring a change for a better land.

Standing among the crowd

The whole credit of that glorious moment goes to a good friend, Hijam Bobo Singh, a Vice-President in the HSDC, in Baltimore and his wife for giving me every tip how to fight the chill and encouraging me to be there for that moment. They were all for me, telling me I shouldn't miss that moment and could have accompanied me too if not for the two small babies.

I tell this story hoping to bring some changes in the daily lives of my own people in Manipur , hoping against hope that if we really want a change, "Yes ,we can".



Read more on Sunita here.

• Catchments characterization of Loktak Lake
• Living with Rock 'n' Roll and my hus-band

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* Rajkumari Sunita Devi (Junior Scientist at Manipur Remote Sensing and Application Centre) is a regular contributor to e-pao.net. She is the recipient of Hubert Humphrey Fellow, 2008-08 at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. She was conferred the "Map Asia Award 2007" at Kuala Lampur. Read more on her here and here. This article was webcasted on January 23, 2009.

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