VIJAYAWADA: Age is no bar to be a responsible citizen. Two members of AWARA, a group engaged in cleaning of the Krishna river bed and giving fitness training to youths, have proved the above statement correct.
Ninety-four-year-old Annavarapu Ramaswami and nine-year-old Vikas are the oldest and youngest members of Amaravati Walkers and Runners Association (AWARA), and who have religiously kept themselves busy in the initiatives taken up by the group.
“It’s never too late or too early to start caring for mother Earth,” they said. Vikas, who hails from Kodada in Suryapet, said he is considered a dull boy in school as he has learning difficulties.
He was admitted to Aravinda School in Kunchanapalle, where he undergoes a vertical education process of alternative education stream. After joining the association, he took keen interest in the weekend nature camps organised by AWARA. “I like to pick up waste with my school friends. We enjoy the work as our elders appreciate us in the end,” he added. Today, Vikas is able to run a 5K marathon and has grown great sensitivity towards the environment.
Meanwhile, Ramaswami, an acclaimed violinist, proudly said he was the oldest person known to him working for the cause of the environment.
“Even after being highly-decorated and at the age of 94, Ramaswami does not hesitate to come on Sunday evenings to pick a garbage stick and clean the waste, and does so with the same speed as his younger peers,” Ajay Katragadda, AWARA founder, said.