President of India Lightening fire beneath the wings

Follow the stars to lead us to light, is the maxim followed by AstroKids ELC. The school believes in inculcating and generating experiences in young impressionable minds to absorb the words of wisdom by our great leaders. To ignite the minds of the young children, the school organized a meeting with the President His Excellency APJ Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The children and faculty of AstroKids ELC went and met the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 25, 2003. The President came into the room and greeted the children dressed in their traditional best, very warmly and expressed the fact that his “Inner Child” had been brought out by contact with the little ones. The Chairman’s daughter Adya Katyayani Chopra along with her parents Mr. Rohit Chopra and Mrs. Malthi Chopra presented a bouquet of flowers and a portrait of Dr.Abdul Kalam made by the art teacher. Dr. Abdul Kalam was very appreciative of the portrait and the efforts put in by the teachers. It was a beautiful and enriching experience to watch the President receive flowers from the children. The Director, Mrs. Malti Chopra showed His Excellency the kind of work being done in the school and the different innovative ways of teaching. She also told His Excellency about a part of the fees, which went towards the upliftment of the underprivileged children and the efforts made to give them a better life. He expressed surprise at the intelligence level of the children and wondered how the teachers managed to keep their active young minds absorbed. Then he told everyone the story of the Hare and the Tortoise and extended the story to include cooperation also as the basic theme. He said that the tortoise helped the hare to cross the river by taking him on his back and vice versa when the tortoise lagged behind. He brought in incidents to prove to the children the advantages of cooperation and making maximum use of their inner potential. Then the President talked to Suhani, a student of AstroKids for some time and asked her about her ambitions. He explained the importance of dreaming, as dreams are the first step towards accomplishments. and realizing the need for open spaces for young children, he took the children into the Mughal Gardens and gave them a free run of the place for a short while. He pointed out the presence of young fawns to enchant the children.

The President then made all the children hear a song written by him called “Ignited Minds” which was also the title of a book written by him. Mr. Abdul Kalam signed a copy of his book “Ignited Minds” for the Chairman, Mr. Rohit Chopra. A song by the same name, which was also composed by him, was played and enjoyed by the children and this was followed by the National Anthem to conclude the meeting.
After a brief photo session the President gave refreshments to the children and staff, which they heartily enjoyed before leaving.