Her long wait for tricycle ends

Vijayawada-based philanthropist reaches out to the Class V student, who is afflicted by polio in both legs since birth

Priyanka in the brand new tri-cycle presented to her by a Vijayawada-based philanthropist Gowrishankar, at Chintapalli in Khammam district on Saturday.

The long wait of 11-year-old Kancharla Priyanka, a polio afflicted girl of Chintapalli village in Khammam rural mandal, for a tricycle ended on Saturday when she received a brand new tricycle from a Vijayawada-based philanthropist in the village.

A photograph depicting the plight of Priyanka, a Class V student of Government Primary School in Chintapalli, was published in the columns of The Hindu on February 12.

Responding to it, B. Gourishankar, a supervisor of the Vijayawada-based Laila Group of Companies, donated the tricycle to the girl. Moved by her plight, Mr. Gourishankar purchased the tricycle from a shop in Vijayawada in his individual capacity and handed it over to Priyanka in the presence of her parents Pichaiah and Pulamma, sarpanch T. Jagan, and her school teachers in Chintapalli.

The villagers hailed the benevolent act of Mr. Gourishankar, who fulfilled the long-felt need of the girl.

The school teachers apprised Mr. Gourishankar of the determination of the girl, who was afflicted by polio in both her legs since birth, to continue her studies against all odds.

Though a support gadget was sanctioned to her a few years ago, it subsequently turned obsolete.

“She is coming to school by using an improvised support tool with great difficulty,” said Mallikarjuna Rao, a teacher.

Priyanka thanked Mr. Gourishankar for providing her a tricycle, which would ensure her better mobility.

Notebooks

Mr. Gourishankar promised to donate notebooks to the girl, who hailed from an impoverished farm labourers’ family, in the next academic year.