US sailors attend community work, meets 107-year-old woman

Chennai, July 2 (UNI) The crew members of nuclear-powered US warship ''USS Nimitz'' and ''USS Pinckney,'' which accompanied the world's largest aircraft carrier, participated in various community service events in the city and interacted with a 107-year-old woman.

Immediately, after both the ships were docked two nautical miles off Chennai harbour, the crew members took part in community work at the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), the Madras Institute to Habilitate Retarded Afflicted, Vishranthi and the Madrasa-i-Azam.

The high point of the programme was the interaction the sailors had with a grand old lady at Visharanthi, a home founded in 1978 for aged and destitute women. The woman impressed them with her stories of India's Independence movement and the five languages she spoks.

Sailors also cleaned and painted the dining room, the living area and the garden at Visharanthi.

During their visit to the ICCW, an orphanage and child rescue centre, sailors cleaned and painted the dormitory and day care centre. They also refurbished the playground and planted tree saplings.

The sailors donated school items and other supplies to the school and orphanage. U S Ambassador David C Mulford and Commodore Adam Levitt, accompanied the sailors and interacted with the children, exchanging and sharing anecdotes with them about their lives in the US.

At the Madras Institute to Habilitate Retarded Afflicted, a non-profit hospital and school for mentally and physically handicapped children, sailors spent the day painting the first floor classrooms.

The children and sailors sang together during a special cultural programme organised for the sailors by the children, during which several sailors played guitars and other musical instruments they had brought with them.

At Madrasa-i-Azam, a school and orphanage for disadvantaged Muslim boys, sailors painted classrooms and refurbished a playground. The orphanage houses 200 orphans and 350 additional boys come to attend school.

Sailors took pictures with young boys, distributed candy bars and shared stories about their own children living in the US.

UNI