Snehal Thakkar, a customer adviser at the Santanders bank, Hatfield, UK is an inspiration for the community.
17 year old Thakkar had met President Abdul Kalam when he visited Anandalaya school in Anand on 12 April 2002. When Mr Kalam reached Anand by road in the evening, it was under curfew following communal disturbances. The next day, at the school, Dr Kalam refused to give a speech and chose to interact with students. While talking to the students, a question came up: 'Who is our enemy?'
There were many answers, but Snehal's answer had struck a chord with the former President. She said: “Our enemy is poverty. It is the root cause of our problems and should be the object of our fight'."
Dr Kalam thereafter had dedicated his book 'Ignited Minds' to Thakkar. He wrote: "I dedicate this book to a child who is studying in class 12. Her name is Snehal Thakkar.”
This book, meant for Indian youngsters, is regarded as a highly motivating book for young Indians, as also to anyone interested in understanding the reasons for remaining behind in the march of human civilization. The small book of 205 pages contains dynamic and original ideas, examines attitudes afflicting the Indians, and present prescriptions for rapid growth of India to enable the country to emerge as a developed country.
She was later invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan by Dr Kalam to attend the President's oath taking ceremony and had lunch with him at the Ashok Hall.
When Dr Kalam visited Gujarat in later years, he had asked Narendra Modi about Snehal's whereabouts and had presented the CM with the book Ignited Minds, dedicated to her.
Snehal attended a diabetes seminar hosted by Asian Voice in Harrow on Saturday 1 August and addressed a small gathering, where she shared her story.
