Kalam’s heart feels for children in distress

By Akshaya Kumar Sahoo

Bhubaneswar, July 4: President of India A.P.J Abdul Kalam’s heart seems to be really bleeding for the children in distress. He thinks for them and tries to do whatever possible.On Monday, the president, while inaugurating the Bhubaneswar Eye Institute here, Mr Kalam remembered a newspaper story on the plight of a scholar student of Balasore –based Fakir Mohan College and asked the doctors to see that the boy’s eye problem is taken care of.Master J. Sonal, son a bank officer, secured 10th rank in the annual Class 12 state examination this year despite having an eye disorder that prevents him from studying for more than two hours a day. He managed to secure 780 out of 800 marks in the arts stream.Sonal cannot study more than two hours a day because of pigment problems in his both eyes, which doctors say cannot be cured. His father Asim Jena says if Sonal studies more than two hours, he suffers from irritation and his eyes start watering. So, he used to study continuously for half-an-hour with regular intervals.Speaking about his success, Sonal said he used to give more importance to class room teaching. “I attend all the classes and stay alert while absorbing lectures,” the boy was quoted as saying soon after the examinations results were out. Sonal’s father is worried that there is no remedy for the defect in his eyes. He has consulted doctors in Hyderabad and Chennai, but to no avail.“Sonal's father while being happy to see the extraordinary performance of his son in spite of pigment problems in both his eyes is a worried person. Sonal suffers from irritation and his eyes start watering, if he studies continuously for more than twenty minutes and two hours a day. However, he concentrated on his studies when he sat down to read and was extremely attentive in his class. He could not study science because of the eye disorder. I am sure the doctors of Bhubaneswar Eye Institute will take this challenge and find a cure for the pigment problem experienced by Master Sonal. The financial support required for the treatment can be arranged. This treatment may definitely be helpful to many other patients having similar problems across the country,” the president said.A few months ago, Kalam had sent some money for the two children of a couple in Kendrapara district of Orissa who died of AIDS.In yet another case, the President – responding to an e-mail of a poor student of Batatoda village of Kendrapara district who wanted to study a professional course - had asked the State Bank of India authorities to provide him a loan.