Open to teach coding at juvenile home now
Deepika Pasham
Hyderabad
An eleven-year-old girl student of Hyderabad has created history of sorts by establishing libraries at various places, including a Police Station. A book lover herself, the girl, Aakarshana, has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to help set up libraries.
After establishing two libraries, she is now trying to connect with a home for juvenile girls located at Bhoiguda for setting up a library. In addition, Aakarshana wants to teach coding to the inmates.
The sixth-grade student aspires to become a space scientist.
She has received accolades from PM Narendra Modi, Governor TamilisaiSoundararajan, VP Venkaiah Naidu, and Minister KT Rama Rao, apart fromsenior police officers in the state.
Recalling her journey, her father Sathish Kumar J says: “The habit of reading a lot of books since childhood made her understand the necessity of every child. During Covid-19, when the members of our apartment were out distributing food for cancer-affected children at MNJ Institute, she would accompany them and make friendly communications with everybody. Then she knew that children wished for coloring books.”
The girl’s parents encouraged her to buy and share books.
Once, while passing by the Sanathnagar Police Station, the girl asked her father: “Why don’t we set up one shelf with books in the Police Station so that public can come pick up a book to read and leave it later?” He agreed.
Later, when they approached the Inspector of Sanathnagar PS, they were asked to interact with the Commissioner of Cyberabad Police. The girl posted a letter and received a call after three weeks. Then she donated 829 books, comprising fiction and nonfiction.
As for her plans, the girl is willing to write a letter to the Commissioner of Women Development and Child Welfare for permission to set up a library in the Home for juvenilesat Bhoiguda. She learned that there are 47 girls in the home. She has offered to teach coding to those interested in computers there. Having completed 250 classes on WhiteHat Jr, she says she would love to teach them coding.
Overall, the student has collected nearly 4,000 books from relatives, friends, apartment residents, seniors from school and other sources. She has donated money also to flood victims from her savings.
