Guess who tops the popularity charts among schoolchildren. No cine star or cricket idol, but the President and the Prime Minister.
After meeting President APJ Abdul Kalam, the next person on their wish list is Dr Manmohan Singh.
Peristence paid off for two Anand Vidya Vihar School students when they got an unscheduled meeting with the President. They now want to meet the Prime Minister.
Arundhati Sridhar and Mudra Kansara, both Class IX students, though had no appointment with the President at the Circuit House, they camped their with the school principal to meet him.
“Our persistence paid off and the girls were allowed to meet him,” said the principal, Suvarchala Kashyap.
“He made us feel so special. He actually got up when we entered,” said a gushing Arundhati, who rates Manmohan Singh as the next best politician. Mudra intends to frame the prized autographed card she received from the President.
Kalam’s scientific background is one thing that draws students to him. “He is very practical and is always ready to meet youngsters,” said Arundhati.
Mudra is impressed because, “He treats children with respect and listens to them carefully.”
Brothers Vivek and Siddharth Mehta, students of Bright School, managed to have an audience with Kalam through e-mail messages.
“We could shake hands with him. He explained to us how a nuclear bomb is built. I want to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next and then all the film stars,” said Vivek, a Class VII student.
For Vivek, who aspires to be nuclear scientist, Kalam is the right inspiration. Aspiring to be a doctor, Siddharth talked about how the President explained to them how a rocket was launched.
Arundhati, who wants to be an interior designer, plans to read the latest book by the President. Now she is pestering her principal to arrange a meeting with Irfan Pathan.
“He is such a fast learner, bowls good. Coming from a humble family, he has made it big with his grit,” she gushes.