She soared in the sky on Wings of Vision

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: For little Sharada, Wednesday was the brightest day in her life, an early bath, getting into her Sunday best and a quick <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">darshan </span>at the Krishna temple. She was excited, so were her friends. Born visually-impaired, she was setting out of her world of darkness on her first flight. <br /><br />Sharada soared to the sky from the airstrip at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in a twin-seater microlite piloted by Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Ajith Lamba. <br /><br />The world was beneath her feet as her friends waved to the skies, not knowing where the airplane was. Because, like Sharada, they too cannot see.<br /><br />"People tell me that while flying, one can see the whole of Bangalore. Though it was not possible for me, I enjoyed going up and coming down. Ajit uncle (pilot) said there were lots of birds," Sharada told The Times of India soon after touchdown.<br /><br />Sharada, a student of Rakum School for the Blind, was the first child selected for the ‘Wings of Vision’ under ‘Project i2eye’ launched in Bangalore on Wednesday. <br /><br />The project, with a two-pronged strategy, aims to give 100 visually-impaired children a flying experience in 2004. <br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />As the children ran on to the airstrip, they quickly performed a pooja for the aircraft. "We cannot see how Sharada will fly, but we can hear the noise of the aeroplane," said Geetha (9). <br /><br />The pilot lifted the spirits of the children with some stunning stories from the skies. The German-made microlite, a Savannah owned by K.A. Vasan, who lent his aircraft especially for i2eye said: "For less than Rs 200, we can make these children happy, and give them the joy of flying." <br /><br />For Ajit Lamba, flying a visually-impaired child was an equally moving experience. "I have been flying for nearly 50 years now. But today is perhaps my happiest day," he said.<br /><br />For Rakum, who has sacrificed everything for blind children, Wings of Vision brought a different hope. "It is not just old clothes and material support that these children are looking for. They need love and tonnes of confidence to help them come out of darkness," Rakum said.<br /><br />As the children left the IISc campus, they sang in chorus: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..." Which left many present at the airstrip wondering if other children like Sharada could touch the sky one day...<br /><br />And if you too are left wondering and want to help these children, contact: AVM Ajit Lamba (Retd), Project i2eye, C/o Rakum School for the Blind at 421, Krishna Temple Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560 038. Phone: 5215253/5215705. </div> </div>