He touched her feet and heart, she kissed him

The visually impaired boy was one among 10 lakh students who participated in the essay writing competition organised as part of the 150th birthday celebrations of Swami Vivekananda. He was the only boy who wrote in Braille and was among the 10 persons to get the prize from the Chief Minister in Chennai on February 23, 2013. “There was a rehearsal and I was supposed to be the fourth person to get the prize. But on the day of the event, I wanted her blessings and fell on her feet before she gave the prize,” he said.  “No, no, vendam, vendam ” she protested and lifted me,” he recalled. “My act created a flutter as policemen on security rushed to me,” he added.   

The master of the ceremony then announced that he was the only Braille participant in the competition. “The Chief Minister then embraced me after handing over the prize and kissed me on my forehead. She blessed me. As I held the prize wrongly, she even corrected me,” he reminisced. “It is sad. I am among the many who came to know about her death through television channels,” the boy said.  A motivational speaker, Sabari Venkat wants to speak on her along with his two other role models Swami Vivekananda and APJ Abdul Kalam.