Small feet, big steps: Children honoured on their day

Becoming an artist may not be an unusual dream for a 9-year-old, but for Bikram Bhattarai from Manipur, it's an extraordinary achievement. One of the winners of the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement, Bikram is a painter, a good student and a football player with a difference -- he was born without hands.

Asked how he felt about winning the award, he gives a naughty smile. “Good,” he says shyly.

“He used to see his elder sister do things with her hands, he picked it up and started doing it with his feet,” says Bikram's mother Jhumpa.

“He saw her writing, using pen and pencils with her hands, and he picked it up,” she says.

Bikram's elder sister Anjali is 12 years old. Their father N.P. Bhattarai is the sarpanch of Samalingdum village in Manipur.

The boy now paints, writes and eats using his feet.

Asked what his hobbies are, the boy, shy of the strangers surrounding him, looks at his parents, who translate his answer.

“Playing...,” comes the reply from his mother.

“We are proud of him, he never thought he lacked something, and he does not,” says the father.

Bikram is among the 27 children who were felicitated with National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement here on the occasion of Children's Day.

Another young talent is five-year-old Akshita, who won the award as an artist and blogger.

Perhaps one of the youngest bloggers of the country, Akshita's blog is called Pakhi ki Duniya, a place where her pictures, photos and thoughts are updated, with the help of her parents.

“She used to make drawings since she was very young. Earlier, we used to throw them away. But then we realised her perception was different,” says Akanksha, Akshita's mother.

“Her imagination is different, she will draw a fish in the sky, and interpret things differently. So we started updating her drawings, photos and other things on her blog,” says her father Krishna Kumar Yadav, who is a director in the Postal Department.

He adds that her blog has views from more than 70 countries, and over 400 people are following the little girl's Facebook page.

Adding to the list of extraordinary children are Haris Imtiaz Khan, a 13-year-old who holds the record for being world's youngest live portrait artist; 15-year-old Mohit, who has to his credit more than 200 awards in art and painting and Shubha Tatiya, 11, who has been awarded for her talent in skating.