The Hindu : Front Page : Tiny hands, big heart

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Thursday, Mar 18, 2010
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Tiny hands, big heart

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

—Photo: PTI

President Pratibha Patil with Sarjana at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: Like most six-year-olds, she demands her daily dose of cartoon time on television and loves the capers of Mr. Bean, but what sets her apart from kids of her age is her determination to help.

This class I student has been raising money for those left homeless by Aila, the cyclone that hit West Bengal in May 2009. Disturbed by images of devastation , she has been singing and dancing on railway platforms to collect money from passers-by.

On Wednesday, Sarjana met the President with a cheque for Rs.205 for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. Sarjana earned this money from a programme she did for All India Radio, Kolkata.

“She was deeply moved by the images of people who were suffering and destruction caused by Aila. She said she wanted to do something, but was not satisfied by taking money from us. Since she is learning Odissi, she decided to perform to a song on the plight of victims,” said Sarjana's mother Swati Biswas.

With a song penned by her mother and the grit to do something, Sarjana began her performances. “The first amount she collected was handed over to Haji Noor-ul-Illam, a Member of Parliament. Then she did a performance for Doordarshan and was paid Rs.200 for it, which she gave to the Governor of West Bengal. And today [on Wednesday], the Rs.10,000 that the President gave her, she has decided, will also be given for relief,” said Ms. Biswas.

Skipping around in the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan and proudly showing-off the chocolates that came from the President, this aspiring computer engineer was just a six-year-old talking about her love for singing and dancing, and her fascination for cartoons.

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