Andhra Pradesh - Nalgonda   

With will power, one can achieve any goal: Kalam

Staff Reporter

First, 10,000th beneficiaries of FRO present memento to the President

AN ENCOURAGING PRESENCE: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam claps while a girl walks with the help of a lightweight caliper he had developed as DRDO chief at a public meeting in NG College grounds in Nalgonda on Monday. PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

NALGONDA: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Monday said will power works wonders in present day lives as schoolchildren made a beeline to NG College grounds to hear the Missile Man. Not only schoolchildren but also leaders of political parties pushed and jostled others to have a close look of the President during his two-hour visit to district headquarters. Even as security personnel were on tenterhooks, the President went around all galleries and interacted with people with a smile.

He met polio-affected people, who were given the lightweight calipers he developed. The President asked a 10th class student, Venkatesh, a physically handicapped person hailing from Narayanapur, as to what was his aim in his life. When he said that he would like to become a doctor, Mr.Kalam said: "You should be cautious in your 10+2 and your effort should be there to achieve your goal."

Natco Trust lauded

Appreciating two physically handicapped children, who drew his portraits and presented to him, he collected their addresses to the surprise of everybody present there. He appreciated the Natco Trust, NIMS doctors and the DRDA staff for making the caliper fitment programmes a grand success in Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts.

The first and 10,000th beneficiaries of the FRO (floor reaction orthosis), a girl and boy respectively, presented a memento to the President as a token of gratitude. The President felicitated people involved in the project.

Mr. Kalam recounted the case of one Indira Patnaik, who bounced back to near-normalcy after being hospitalised for seven years following a road accident. "Now she is working as a teacher in a school for visually challenged in Bhubaneswar and translating literature from Bengali to Oriya. With courage nothing is impossible," he said.

Earlier, four MLAs— N.Uttam Kumar Reddy (Kodad), R.Damodar Reddy (Tungaturthy), V.Venkaiah (Suryapet) and K.Venkat Reddy (Nalgonda)--were peeved when they were not allowed by the security personnel to share the dais with the President. Collector K. Vijayanand's efforts to persuade the President's security staff reportedly proved futile.

Some of the audience raised slogans such as "Kalamji, come towards us" but he could not so owing to security problems. Not to disappoint them, however, Mr. Kalam waved at them. Many students managed to obtain their favourite scientist's autograph.

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With will power, one can achieve any goal: Kalam

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