Not blindness alone, 12-yr old boy fights tides in Periyar river to set a record

Thiruvananthapuram, June 23: When blindness could not bog him down, high tides meant nothing to him. 12-year old visually impaired Navaneeth M S set a record by crossing the Periyar river without any aid.

100 per cent blind due to retinal detachment at a very young age, the courageous boy dived into the Periyar river near Aluva Ashramam and crossed the river.

Although a recent learner, his teacher Saji Valasherril applauded his courage and said,"Though there was strong current in the river following the monsoon showers, we decided to go ahead with the programme as he was confident enough to take up the challenge with ease. He finished the task in just 15 minutes, and I had given him directions and the details of the destination, Manappuram."

Aluva (Kochi): 12-year-old visually impaired boy crosses Periyar River in Kerala (22.6.15) pic.twitter.com/9Qjk7cVLfS

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2015

Call it the true spirit of an inspiring human being, Navaneeth said that he did not want his visual impairment to become a shortcoming for him in any field. Open to challenges and adventures in future, the boy has already started taking the full taste of life.

The class 8 student of SNDP Higher Secondary School, Aluva, he is also learning various musical instruments like tabla and keyboard, apart from taking training in blind cricket and swimming.

Indeed an inspiration!

OneIndia News