When President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Shri Award on Nanda Prusty for his contribution to the field of education, the 102-year-old raised his hands to bless the head of state. President Kovind, in turn, bowed his head and folded his hands in a Namaste as he received the blessing. It was a moment that has won hearts on social media.
In a post on Twitter, the Rashtrapati Bhavan gave a special mention to the touching moment as it announced Nanda Prusty's Padma honour on Tuesday.
"President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Nanda Prusty for Literature and Education. 102-yr-old 'Nanda sir', who provided free education to children and adults at Jajpur, Odisha for decades, raised his hands in a gesture of blessing the President," the official account of the President's office tweeted while sharing photos from the awards ceremony, which took place Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
A picture of the teacher, who walked barefoot to receive India's fourth-highest civilian honour, has been widely circulated on social media, earning much praise and appreciation.
"Speechless...! It's so moving," wrote senior IFS officer Ramesh Pandey.
IFS Parveen Kaswan remarked "Teachers are above everything."
"This is India... where the awardee does not kneel for a knighthood but instead blesses the head of state," said a Twitter user.
One Twitter user called it her favourite moment from the Padma awards ceremony
For some, it was a picture worth the proverbial 1,000 words
Nanda Prusty - or "Nanda Sir", as he is known in his village - has been teaching children and adults free of charge for seven decades.
"I don't remember the exact year when I started teaching. But, it was really long ago, before India got independence. Everyone in my village was illiterate. So, I was sent to my maternal uncle's place in Jajpur district to get an education. After I returned, I started teaching others," he told The Better India in an interview last year.
This year the Padma awards included 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri awards.
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