THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a unique Valentine’s Day celebration for 14 visually challenged students who gathered at Veli beach to experience the beauty of the sea through their inner eyes. For most of them, it was a memorable experience as it was their first visit to the beach.
The students’ visit to Veli beach and the Tourist Village nearby on Valentine’s Day was facilitated by ‘Koottu’, a former students’ association of University College.The group comprised students mainly from University College, Arts College and Women’s College. Their first stop was a leading FM station in the city where they shared their experiences with the RJs and listeners.
The students later visited Veli Tourist village and relished home-made food arranged by ‘Koottu’ volunteers. Members of youth organisation Anybody Can Do (ABCD) also joined the students and entertained them with a musical performance.
“For most of the students, their daily routine is just home to college and back. The programme was organised with the aim of bringing them closer to nature and to strengthen the bond among them,” said Kaikasi V S, faculty member of University College who is associated with activities of ‘Koottu’.
As part of its activities, ‘Koottu’ had created a network of students who are willing to voluntarily work as exam scribes for visually challenged college students. At present, there are 600 volunteers under ‘Koottu’ spread over four colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and two in Kottayam.