COIMBATORE: That big bird-like thing that flies in the sky without flapping its wings has always been a marvel for S Kayalvizhi, a Class VI student in a Chennai school.
But, not anymore as she had her first-time flight experience when she flew from Chennai to Coimbatore on Friday, which was organised by 'Raindrops', a Chennai-based social foundation.
A recent survey that was conducted by the organisation found that many children desired to fly on an aircraft in their lifetime. Hence, the foundation organised a trip and took nearly 25 orphaned children on their first flight experience to some iconic places in the city. These children were from four different orphanages and among them was one a visually-challenged girl and a transgender.
“The first-hand experience in a flight is really amazing. As we have heard, an air hostess made an announcement that we must follow during our journey. They also told us to fasten our seatbelt and never unclip till we reach Coimbatore,” said Kayalvizhi.
For Class XI student S Manoj, the experience was entirely different. He said, “I had some feeling in my stomach when the flight took off the ground Chennai Airport. The whole city appears to be a miniature from the sky was a pleasant scene to watch.”
After arriving at the Coimbatore International Airport, the children were taken to Park Institutions in Karumathampatti for a campus tour, where they were guided on the higher education opportunities. The students were also offered motivational talks by the experts and entertainment at the institution. They also visited the GD Naidu Museum, followed by a tour of the Isha Yoga Foundation.
Aravind Jayabal, founder and creative head of Raindrops said, “The journey helps the children to fulfil their experience for first flying on an aircraft. The first edition of the similar initiative was organised three years ago when the children in Chennai were taken to Madurai in a flight."
VGP World Tamil Sangam, Park Institutions, and Hotel Annapoorna bore the expenses incurred during the journey on Friday. Goodwill ambassadors of Raindrops and music director AR Rahman, playback singer Velmurugan accompanied the children during their journey.