'World's richest man' in one of the poorest countries
By Satinder Bindra
CNN New Delhi Bureau Chief
Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news around the world.
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- It was a striking scene: The world's richest man meeting with some of the poorest people in India, squatting on the floor and listening patiently to the stories of AIDS activists and those suffering from the disease.
Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates visited young AIDS patients, at a home for children whose parents have died of AIDS run by the Naz Foundation in New Delhi. It was the start of his third tour of India.
Gates was very, very conscious about how rich he is and about how poor some of the people are that he is trying to help. When he drove up to the home in the morning, it was a very low-key affair. There was no crowd there. Nobody knew that the world's richest man was coming. He drove up in a simple, white van. There was just one person on hand to welcome him.
He received a traditional Indian welcome, which is just a small mark on the forehead. He bowed down to get a small, red mark on his forehead. It signifies hospitality and affection. They were welcoming Gates with very open arms -- he came very simply and was very simply greeted.
Then, I was a little surprised when the world's richest man toured an area that was not open to the media. A man worth $44 billion squatted on the floor --no chairs -- and for about the next 30 to 40 minutes heard AIDS activists and those suffering from AIDS recount their personal stories and their challenges.
By the time Gates left this home for HIV-positive children, he announced he will be donating $100 million to fight AIDS in a country where -- according to official Indian figures -- 4 million people are already suffering from the deadly disease.
He ruffled some feathers in India's government when he cited U.S. figures that projected India could have as many as 25 million HIV-positive residents in 2010. Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha quickly questioned the accuracy of those figures, saying that Gates was creating panic unnecessarily.
But Gates has been hailed as a hero by a normally skeptical Indian news media. Later, even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee acknowledged Gates' gift by making time for a meeting with him.
