15 centenarians feted, receive gifts from children

October 01, 2010 12:50 pm | Updated October 26, 2016 10:43 am IST - VIJAYAWADA:

Students of Akshara International School join with senior citizens in celabrations organised by Vayovruddha Charitable Trust’on the eve of “International Day of Older Persons” in Vijayawada on Thursday. Photo: V. Raju

Students of Akshara International School join with senior citizens in celabrations organised by Vayovruddha Charitable Trust’on the eve of “International Day of Older Persons” in Vijayawada on Thursday. Photo: V. Raju

“Tatayya (grandpa), I love you”. “Bamma (grandma), I love you”. This was the way children of Akshara International School professed their love to the 15 centenarians who congregated on the premises of SRR and CVR Government College on Thursday.

The children of the school came to participate in the special programme organised in association with The Hindu as a part of the larger programme hosted by Vayovruddha Charitable Trust on the eve of International Day of Older Persons.

Trust chairman Challa Harikumar said that only the extremely fortunate could get an opportunity to see so many people who were more than 100 years old on a dais. Even according to the scriptures it was exceptionally auspicious to see ten or more centenarians on a single platform. The life span of those who were lucky to have such an opportunity would increase, Dr. Harikumar said.

Infusing energy into an otherwise sombre programme, the students of Akshara sang and gave gifts to the centenarians who were felicitated by the trust in the presence of several other senior citizens, who are beneficiaries of charitable schemes being undertaken by the trust. The programme began with an invocation dance by Ch. Tanmayi of the school.

It's all about sharing

Akshara International School Principal K. Sarada Anil Kumar lauded the benefactors for giving the elderly walking sticks, but said that the children of her school came to share with them something more “precious”. The children wanted to share with the elderly their and joy and delight, she said. Encouraging the children to join for a song from the hit Hindi film “Three Idiots”, she converted the solemn programme into an evening of lusty cheering and foot-stomping. “It is not easy to live for 100 years. They deserve all the love and affection we can shower on them,” Ms. Sarada said. She struck a chord with the audience and the organisers when she sang a song composed by A.R. Rahman about “inheriting a golden world that does not have selfishness and war.”

Infected by the enthusiasm of the children, a person from among the audience handed over his golden bracelet to the organisers and asked them to use it for the benefit of the elderly. Many septuagenarians and octogenarians participated with gusto in the fancy dress competition and games organised on the occasion.

Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu, Hotel Fortune Murali Park managing director and trustee Muthavarapu Murali Krishna felicitated the centenarians.

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