Kottayam: Amid the agony of the monsoon in Kerala, the gesture of a class IV student is putting a smile back on people.
Vaishnavi, 9, of St Antony's LP School, Kurumbanadam, Kottayam, decided to help out her less-privileged friends in other schools. And, she ended up getting a bicycle for her kindness.
Little Vaishnavi was moved by the destruction and damage she saw all around after rains started pounding Kerala. Her district, Kottayam, was severely affected with many people, including children, staying put in makeshift relief camps.
Vaishnavi moped up Rs 600, consisting mostly of coins and Rs 10 notes, and handed it over to school head master Binu Joy. "Please buy some books and study materials to the students of the neighbouring government school with this money. I heard many of them lost bags and books in the flood," Vaishnavi told the headmaster.
The headmaster was quick to check with Vaishnavi's parents who told him that she was seen breaking her piggy bank in the morning. She had also visited neighbouring houses seeking aid to help flood-affected students.
"Vaishnavi had been saving money to buy a pink bicycle for a while," Binu Joy said.
Her father works in a hotel where her mother is also a daily wage employee. This Rs 600 is what little Vaishnavi saved, collecting bits and coins from what her parents gave her on various occasions, he said.
Dream fulfilled
A surprise but awaited Vaishnavi. On Monday, she received her first bicycle.
The tale
When the headmaster asked her how she would buy a bicycle if she donated the entire money to flood-affected students, Vaishnavi said she got enough time to save money again. "This is the priority now. How will they score good marks without books and pencils? I'll collect money again to buy my pink bicycle," Vaishnavi reportedly told him.
Malayala Manorama had reported Vaishnavi's gesture. When several people congratulated her, Lucose Joseph, an NRI from Amalagiri, Kottayam, came forward to fulfil Vaishnavi's dream. As Vaishnavi reached her school on Monday, a special assembly was held to congratulate her. After the assembly, Joseph came out of the principal's room with a brand-new pink bicycle, causing jaw-dropping surprise in Vaishnavi.
"I have two sons, both grown up. I am not fortunate enough to be the father of a girl child. When I read Vaishnavi's news in Malayala Manorama, I decided to reward her kind heart. Vaishnavi is a model for all children in today's generation. Very few know the value of sharing, compromising and caring these days," Joseph told Onmanorama. Joseph is a senior executive at Global HSE, Kuwait.
Head master Binu Joy gifted Vaishnavi a new, bigger piggybank to start her savings all over again.
Among the many netizens who congratulated Vaishnavi's broad-minded gesture, was leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala. He posted the photos of little Vaishnavi and her new bicycle on Facebook. "Not only do I congratulate Vaishnavi and her parents but also I admire Lucose Joseph and Binu Joy for inculcating good values in children and rewarding them at the right time," he wrote on FB.
Vaishnavi's brother Vishnu is a high-school student. Their parents Babu and Maheswari said Vaishnavi treasured her new bicycle and was hesitant to park it outside her home.
"She has placed that cycle in the middle of our living room and sits beside it. I'm happy that my child's generosity has been recognised and rewarded. I used to feel sad for not being able to buy her a bicycle but now, I feel proud about her," Babu said.