Odisha girl waxes eloquent on Mahatma, amazes audience in Parliament 

Her eloquent but short deliberation in English on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, drew loud applause from a packed audience in the Parliament recently. 

The audience was quite amazed while listening to the in-depth speech made by Afiya Basheer, a girl from the remote Therubali area of Rayagada district in Odisha.  She was invited to the Parliament to make her observation of one of the great men of India.

Afiya participated in this programme while she was in New Delhi to take part in a national-level science exhibition. The state is proud of Afiya, who has been now the center of attention for her eloquent speech. 
Afiya, who studies at Imfal Campus High School in Therubali, rose to the dais after being invited by the anchor to the programme amid a big hand from the eager audience. 

“A beautiful morning to all!  Gandhiji preached what he practiced… Today, I am deeply honoured to speak about a man whose life has been an inspiration for millions worldwide.”

She waxed eloquent by giving an insight into the initial life of Mahatma Gandhi in Porbandar in Gujarat. She observed that Mahatma Gandhi, who was an advocate of truth and non-violence, was a simple man who believed in simple living and high thinking.  As part of this belief, he used to live a life devoid of luxury, she noted.

Talking to the media, Afiya said, "I along with my friend V Soniya attended a national level science exhibition and later Indian Science Congress where only one project from Odisha was selected. Then, we got an offer from the Central government to make a speech in the Parliament. I was one of the 15 participants selected for this.”

As soon as Afiya completed her speech, she got a huge applause from the audience. Later, she along with others met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who interacted with them.