PATNA: She might have lost one leg to a tragic accident two years ago, but passion to study spurs 10-year-old Seema to hop down to school 1km away from home in Jamui district every day. The class IV student of Middle School in Fatehpur, also encourages other girls of the village to get educated.
After her video went viral on social media, Seema of Fatehpur village under Khaira block of Maoist-affected Jamui district has won the heart of the netizens all over the country. While Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to support the braveheart, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood extended his help to Seema.
Jamui DM Avaneesh Kumar Singh on Wednesday visited the girl's 'kutcha' (mud) house and gifted her a tricycle. "The district administration salutes the girl's courage and willpower. She is setting an example to promote education of girls in her village. We have also taken the measurement to provide her a prosthetic leg, which we will give her within a week. We have given incentives collected from the community to Seema," he said and also promised her a pucca house. "We are going to organize camps for divyang kids in other villages as well to provide medical support, housing, ration card and other schemes. After Khaira block, we will cover the villages in Laxmipur block," Singh told TOI.
Seema's family members are so poor that they could not afford to provide her even a tricycle or crutches. Seema's mother Baby Devi, who works in a brick kiln, said she does not have enough money to buy books for her daughter.
"Schoolteachers are providing everything," she said. Seema's father Kheeran Manjhi works as a labourer out of the state. Seema is the second eldest among the six siblings.
The video of Seema moved many. Kejriwal tweeted: "10-year-old Seema's enthusiasm had made me emotional. Every child of the country wants good education...I know that every government has enough resources. It should be the mission of every true patriot to provide the best possible education to children like Seema, that is real patriotism (sic)."
Actor Sood also tweeted: "Now she will go to school by jumping on not one but both feet. I am sending the ticket, the time has come to walk on both feet (sic)."
Seema said she wants to be a teacher and educate all the kids in her village and the neighbourhood. Her schoolteachers also praise her for never missing a single lesson or class.
Her grandmother Laxmi Devi recalled how Seema exhibited courage after losing her left leg in a road accident.
"She was unable to move outside after the accident. But one day she told me that she wished to study and will go to school. It is because of her courage that she overcame the trauma and started going to the school on one leg," Laxmi said.
