“Do not sell arms. Spread peace...not arms...,” Paramjit Kaur – a sixth grade student from a remote village in Amritsar in Punjab – said in her letter to President Barack Obama.
When she met Michelle Obama, Paramjit made sure to hand over the letter written in Punjabi requesting her for a reply. Paramjit was one of the 15 girls who met the US First Lady in Delhi.
From the time Michelle Obama touched down, she made it a point to have a date with every Indian girl child — the US First Lady has shown concern about the growing numbers of female foeticide in both India and China. The two Asian neighbours reportedly have two milloin cases of female foeticide every year — more than the number of girls born in US every year.
Paramjit and Manprit – the two schoolmates from Qila Jivan Singh village, representing Punjab as part of the Nanhi Chhaah initiative of the Fortis health care foundation – wanted to know who took the first step towards reconciliation, when the Obamas quarrelled. Prompt came the reply from the First Lady: Mr Obama.
Two NGOs that were shortlisted for the meeting were foundations dedicated to promoting the cause of the girl child, while the other two were working on the right to education.
Nanhi Kali of the K C Mahindra Foundation has been sponsoring education for 60,000 poor girls in its rural and urban centres through material aid and private tuitions in collaboration with Nandi Foundation.
On the other hand, Nanhi Chhaah has been running awareness campaigns about the girl child through planting of saplings at the birth of girl children and by collaborating with temple and gurudwara committees.
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When the children asked Michelle Obama about her favourite food, hobbies, dreams, her husband and their children, she showed extreme care to answer every query. She told them that her favourite Indian food was the mutton and the dal she had at the Prime Minister's house and her dream was to see every child got a good education.
Charu Sharma, a teacher who accompanied the children, said that Mrs Obama, when asked about gender discrimination in the US, said it was a thing of the past.
The children were thrilled with the gifts they received from Michelle Obama — White House bags signed by President Obama and filled with chocolates, boxes of colours, picture books and puzzles. “The boys in our school are jealous,” said one of the girls.