Principal of Rajasthan govt school bears Rs 1 lakh to give chopper ride to 3 meritorious students

Jaipur: Three meritorious girl students of a government school in Rajasthan were given a helicopter ride by their principal, who bore the entire expense himself to fulfil their wish after they performed well in a class test.

The students of the Government Mahatma Gandhi School in Kerap village of Didwana-Kuchaman district took the helicopter ride in Jaipur on Friday along with school principal Rajendra Dhaka. During the nearly 30-minute flight, the students got an aerial view of the state capital.

Dhaka told PTI that he personally arranged and funded the helicopter ride, which cost him about Rs 1 lakh. He said the three students of Class 8 -- Khushi Meghwal, Ranjana Nayak and Jyoti -- had secured first, second and third positions respectively in a recent class test held ahead of the board examinations.

He had asked the students what they would like as a reward for their performance and they jokingly said they wanted to take a helicopter ride, he said, adding that for the students from a remote village, such an experience was unimaginable and they initially thought he was joking.

However, the principal kept his promise and booked a private helicopter. On Friday, he brought the students to Chomu near Jaipur from where they boarded the helicopter and enjoyed a flight over Jaipur.

One of the students, Jyoti, said they had thought the principal was joking when he asked about their wish but were surprised when he later came to their home and told them that the helicopter ride had been arranged.