Special kids say ‘you are my hero’ after a day out with NCC cadets’

“The activities will help induce a sense of discipline, the ability to follow commands and the skill to self-analyse, among the children. The programme will also benefit the cadets who get an opportunity to interact with differently abled children,” said Kalpana, Principal, Vidyasagar. 

While students are generally aware of the term NCC, not many know what it is. “As soon as we made aware of such a requirement, we took it as an opportunity. This venture will also provide a platform for the NCC cadets to be exposed to children with special needs and contribute in community development as part of their social service activities,” said Captain Suresh Babu, Commanding Officer of four (TN) Naval Technical Units, NCC. 

After they agreed, it was decided that they would interact with the children every first or third Saturday. “We conducted a demonstration for the children ahead of Independence Day to prepare them for what they are going to be a part of,” he added. The staff, parents and cadets were moved to tears seeing the response of the wheel chair bound children. 

“It was heart-rending to see a few children managing to stand and salute. As one parent exclaimed, it’s a miracle, one child was overheard saying ‘You are my Hero’ to the Parade Commander,” he stated.