The day began on a celebratory mood but ended on a sad note for child
rights activist and Nobel Peace prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi, who
came to his ancestral home in Vidisha for the first time after receiving
the coveted prize to international applause.
He arrived at the Vidisha railway station by train from Delhi on Tuesday
morning. The train was late by two hours due to thick fog en-route.
But, still people were waiting at the station and outside to give him a
rousing welcome.
Apart from his brothers and other relatives, a large number of men,
women and children from the town had turned up to receive him.
Celebrations started the moment he stepped out of the B2 compartment of
Dakshin Express and it continued till he reached his house.
Homecoming
It was just a two km drive. But, it took nearly three hours to cover the
distance as every now and then, the convoys would be stopped to let
individuals and representatives of traders and other associations to
welcome his homecoming with garlands and sweets.
At several places, large weighing balances were kept ready in flower
bedecked pandals and the ``son of the soil’’ had no option but to get
down from the jeep and get himself weighed against eatables like ladoos
and apples, which were then distributed among the crowd.
At several places, residents also stationed themselves on balconies and
terraces and showered flower petals as Mr. Satyavarthi’s convoy passed
by.
Besides his family members, Rajya Sabha MP and an old associate, Munawar
Saleem, ex MLA Prathap Banu Sharma accompanied him on the jeep as it
wound its way through lanes and by lanes of the town with a music party
leading the procession. A horse-drawn buggy had also been brought to the
station to take him around the town. But, he chose to travel by the
jeep.
Children particularly had a gala time as he stopped the convoy several
times to either hoist them on to his shoulder or to shake hands with
them or for posing for photographs.
The celebration could, however, not go on for ever as news about the killing of school children in Pakistan broke out.
Sombre moments
The celebratory mood gave way to sombre moments at a public function
organised by the residents of the town to felicitate him in the
afternoon. The programme began with the observance of two-minute silence
to condole the death of the children.
Strongly condemning the attack, Mr. Satyarthi termed the perpetrators as
enemies of Allah. "The terrorists who have committed this heinous crime
are the enemies of humanity. They are the enemies of Allah, they are
the enemies of society and they are the enemies of Islam. I pray that
somewhere in their hearts, their conscience awakens," he said.
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