Nehru's evocative phrase had particular meaning for Om Sharma, as it did for all Indians who longed for Independence. Little did the young boy realize that he would have his own spectacular rendezvous with destiny, and it is that we celebrate in this Festschrift. On Sunday, August 5th, 2012, I realized Om was developing neurological impairment. I sat him down and told him of the Festschrift, until then a secret, as he would have surely objected had he known what I was up to. That afternoon he read every article, sometimes with tears in his eyes, sometimes with a wistful smile. In true Om fashion, he looked up when he had finished reading and said, "They must be talking about someone else." My son-in-law, Tom Carson, characterized Om perfectly in his talk at the memorial service: "I don't think I've ever met anyone so genuinely indifferent to his own successes and delighted by other people's good news - as if it was all part of the Great Project we were somehow involved in together."