Last year's cyclone 'Aila' had devastated many villages in West Bengal, one of which was that of Sarjana. The destruction moved her so much that she decided to earn and contribute towards humanitarian causes in her own little way. With no other available avenue to generate funds, she decided to exploit her passion - singing and dancing.
The little girl started singing compositions of her mother in trains running between between Basirhat and Hridayapur stations and collected alms for 'Alia' victims.
She donated the money earned from singing to the West Bengal Governor as her contribution to relief efforts.
The arduous efforts of this young girl were enough to move President Pratibha Patil who invited Sarjana to meet her in person.
During the meeting she presented a cheque of Rs 205 to Patil, which she got through an interview with the All India Radio, Kolkata, for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
The President gifted the girl a cash of Rs 10,000 towards her education.
"I felt very bad when I saw what happened during Cyclone (Aila). I like singing and then I collected money from many people," Sarjana said in her tender voice after she met the President.
She (President) told me to do good. She even gifted me chocolates, she said.
The President told my daughter 'Keep it Up', Sarjana's mother Swati Biswas said.
I composed some songs for her and she used to sing and dance on them on trains and ask for donations from the passengers.
Sarjana's father is a small time supplier of hosiery goods in Kolkata and her mother is a housewife.
