It was meant to be their day under the sun, having got a chance to interact with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.





They had prepared for five days to ask him, in English, questions they thought were relevant. But, when they finally got a chance to pose the queries to him, it was a damp squib.



Nearly 50 students of Maidur Government Higher Primary School had been selected to pose some ‘tough’ questions to Gandhi.



When this reporter asked the students whether they understood the replies of Gandhi, almost all of them said ‘No’.



They were disappointed with the answers, the students said.

The first question came from Vinayak Giriyamanavar, a class six student. He asked, “If you were the prime minister of India, what would you do to improve rural areas?”

For this, he said, “Let us think about it, when time comes.”



He asked the students and elders present to keep dreaming and work towards fulfilling the dreams.



“These dreams are not to be sowed from the prime minister’s office. However, the government should help every citizen realise his dreams.”



“What will you do to improve the education system in India,” was the poser from Chitra, Vinayak’s classmate. To this, Gandhi replied that the dreams of every child and parent were important. The government should create opportunities for their realisation. “To fulfil these dreams, education is very important. I shall work towards providing this information to children,” he said.



When Suma Anishettar asked how he would address the power crisis in rural areas and how best renewable energy could be utilised, Gandhi replied that people were the real resources of the country. “By improving their lives, I will address the power crisis,” he said.



The only good thing to happen for the school was that it got an overhaul for Saturday’s event.



Also, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announcing a grant of Rs 50 lakh for the overall development of the school.

