It was a special day for the children of 17 schools in Chintapalli and G. Madugula mandals in the Agency area of the district, who came on a trip to the city.
They would cherish this year’s Children’s Day for the rest of their life as it was for the first time that they had boarded a train. Hailing from remote hilly areas, many of the children had not even seen a train, leave alone boarding it.
The 54 children belong to the Khond tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), who came along with 17 volunteers and their parents, were equally excited to see the beaches and the Kailasagiri. Vantala Lakshman and his sister Tulasi of Kuddangi village in G. Madugula mandal, had no words to express their joy on seeing the beaches and Kailasagiri. Naidu, their father, said: “My children have boarded the train for the first time and they were thrilled. We tell our children that they can enjoy the city life if they study well.”
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The Khond volunteers caught the attention of the visitors to the Ramakrishna Beach, with their traditional dances. Sporting long paper caps and feathers, their rhythmic steps to the beat of drums amused the urban crowd, who hardly have any exposure to the rich tribal culture.