Autograph - Devarapalli Prakash Rao - (Padma Shri)

 

Devarapalli Prakash Rao, a tea seller at Cuttack Bakshi Bazar was conferred with Padma Shri award in 2019. The reason is that despite being from a poor background, he teaches 80 children. His sole income comes from selling tea. He has been selling tea for the past 50 years. His meagre income did not stop him from imparting education to poor children.
He opened a small school ‘Asha O Ashwasana’ and asked slum parents to send their children to the school. His school is upto class three and after that, he takes the effort to get them admitted into a government school.

                                          GIFTED BY - SAROJ RANJAN KAR, ODISHA

Autograph - Dutee Chand - (Athlete)


Dutee Chand (born 3 February 1996) is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres event. She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women's 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games. In 2018, Chand clinched silver in women's 100m at the Jakarta Asian Games. It was India's first medal in this event since 1998. In 2019, she became the first Indian sprinter to win gold at the Universiade, clocking 10.89 seconds in the 100m race.

Dutee is also India's first athlete to openly come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, when she spoke about being in a same-sex relationship in 2019.


GIFTED BY - SAROJ RANJAN KAR, ODISHA