Chennai: Sand arts, rallies and knowledge based competitions marked the 85th birth anniversary of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Saturday.
Observed as youth awakening day, district administrations along with educational institutions organized social and environmental events.
Sri RKM Sarada Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Exnora Greater Chennai and Lions Club of Central Madras organized a tree sapling programme in the neighbourhood to commemorate Kalam's dream of Green India.
Tiruvallur Collector E. Sundaravalli kickstarted the rally in which students from six schools participated. In order to inculcate the values of Kalam among the children, quiz and story writing competitions were conducted. Chief Education Officer Seetha Lakshmi along with other government officials participated.
ICAT Design and Media College organized a Sand Art Event at Marina beach with the theme 'Spreading your wings of Fire' inspired from Dr. Kalam's Autobiography. As many as 100 students worked as a team to create a 3D image of satellite wings with Kalam's portrait.
“The youth of today are the sunbeams of change. As we stand at the brink of a New India, it is very essential for the youth to be mentored and moulded, in order to bring out their best. Dr Kalam has always been a huge source of inspiration, not just for the youth, but for anybody who wants to be inspired,” said K. Kumar, chairperson of ICAT Design and Media College.
“The sand art event is to get the youth of today to come together and work as a team, because our strength lies in our unity. As a responsible citizen, I believe that quality education is the first step to creating a better India,” he added.
