Social media power: Teen's pic studying on road goes viral, UP CM steps in for help

Noida, Sept 28: In yet another instance that proves the power of social media and how it makes a difference in common peoples' lives, a teenager Harendra Singh Chauhan received a much needed help for his education.

When 13-year-old Harendra's pic of studying outside Noida City Centre metro station went viral on Facebook, it caught Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's attention and in no time, he stepped in to lend a helping hand.

On Sunday, Sept 27, Yadav handed Chauhan, a student of Class 9th, a cheque of Rs 5 lakh for his education, after inviting him to Lucknow to felicitate him.

Harendra, a native of Nagla village in Etawah, is a resident of Hoshiyarpur village near Noida sector 51 and studies in Sri Krishna Inter College. He lives with his parents and two brothers at a rented house.

Yadav also felicitated child prodigy Sushma Verma who recently became India's youngest PhD holder, 65-year old typist Kishan Kumar who was brutally thrashed by a cop and other citizens who shone despite struggles and overcame hardships in their lives.

Thanks to Vikas Sharda, a Noida resident who spotted Harendra and highlighted his struggle by posting his pic on Facebook.

He posted on his Facebook page, "I saw this boy sitting on the pavement outside Noida city centre metro station deeply engrossed in his books. He had this weighing scale with which he was trying to earn some quick bucks. It was evident he wants to study despite his poor upbringing. It is a rare sight. I want you people who travel from noida metro after 7 pm to use his services and somehow help him get back to studies. And PLEASE don't make him feel like a beggar. This is an original post, not forwarded."

Little Harendra, whose father suffers from polio, walks 5 kms daily to reach his school. Then, he attends his computer classes, after which he sits at metro station till 9 pm with a weighting machine, to make both ends meet. Surprisingly, Harendra who has so much to struggle, always ranks among top 3 students of his class!

Besides UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, many NGOs, business houses, entrepreneurs, politicians and people from across India came forward to help Harendra.

OneIndia News