Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23: In a rare and heartwarming moment, President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a visit to Kerala, stepped out of her convoy on Thursday to personally greet a group of schoolchildren who had gathered along the roadside to catch her glimpse near the famed Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala.

The students, dressed smartly in their NCC uniforms and holding yellow flowers, were waving enthusiastically as the presidential motorcade passed.

To their astonishment, the convoy suddenly came to a halt.

Security personnel quickly stepped out, signalling that the President herself would alight from her vehicle.

What followed was an unexpected yet touching scene. President Murmu walked towards the group of children, smiling and waving as she interacted with them.

She accepted the yellow flowers offered by the students, pausing to exchange a few words.

The spontaneous gesture brought visible joy to the young onlookers and their teachers.

“We never imagined that the President would actually get out of the car and walk towards us. We were waiting with flowers which we had grown in our school garden,” said one teacher, visibly moved by the encounter.

A student echoed the excitement, “We were thrilled and caught completely by surprise when she came over and collected the flowers from us. It’s something we’ll never forget.”

Another student added that the President told them, “We will meet again.”

The brief interaction lasted only a few minutes but left a lasting impression on everyone present.

Local residents and officials accompanying the convoy described it as a genuine, unscripted moment that reflected President Murmu’s humility and warmth.

Her visit to Sivagiri Mutt, a significant spiritual centre founded by social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, continued after the impromptu interaction, but for the children, it was a day that would be remembered for a lifetime.

Murmu’s stay in the state capital ended on Thursday evening after being here for the past two days.

She has a function in Kottayam in the evening and will spend the night at the famed tourist destination at Kumarakom. Her visit ends on Friday, when she flies back to Delhi from Kochi after another function.

--IANS