Boarding a flight was a distant dream for Anamika M., a Class VII student from Vidhyadhiraja Vidhya Mandir, until this Tuesday.
Anamika is one amongst the 49 participants of Punarjani-2016, the summer camp organised by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW) along with the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for children, who got an opportunity to visit Air India Express Boeing 737-800.
The participants of the camp, all from classes VI, VII and VIII, were chosen from financially backward families in Rajaji Nagar, Karimadam, and Pound colonies in the city.
Delight
As they entered the aircraft, the children could not contain their delight. Looking up and down and touching the knobs of air conditioner, they tried devour in as much as they could from perhaps the once-in-a- lifetime moment. The cabin crew had a difficult time. When District Collector Biju Prabhakar along with other officials arrived, the children got up and shook hands with them, greeting them “good morning.” The children also got the rare opportunity of visiting the cockpit.
“I can’t wait till my school reopens to tell my classmates about this,” says Amalendu R., a class VIII student from Government Higher Secondary School for Girls (GGHSS), Cotton Hill, Vazhuthacaud, standing at the Air India Hangar Facility at Chakkai.
After two hours on the aircraft when they disembarked, the children were given refreshments by the Air India authorities. Mr. Prabhakar, who is also the administrator of KSCCW, took special initiative to seek permission for arranging the visit.
“This is something these children can draw inspiration from to aim high in life,” says Programme Officer P. Sasidharan.
