Mammootty’s birthday: Actor gifts travel experiences to Kerala’s tribal hamlet kids

Children who live in a small village inside the forest, approximately 20 kilometres away from Kerala's Attapadi, had only a small wish for Onam. They wanted to ride on a bus and see Palakkad city. However, mega star Mammootty, who celebrates his birthday today, invited the children to the metro city of Kochi and turned their wish into a magical experience. They rode the metro train, watched an aeroplane take off and even got the chance to touch it.

19 students and 11 teachers of Anavayi Government LP School in Attapadi, Palakkad, visited Kochi metro, the Cochin International Airport and the Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva as special guests of screen icon Mammootty. The trip was organised by the actor’s Care and Share Foundation and Rajagiri Hospital. It was Mammootty who suggested bringing the children, who wished to see Palakkad, to Kochi, arranging a metro ride and even visiting the airport. The group that reached Ernakulam at night stayed at Jyothir Bhavan in Kalamassery and reached the metro station by 7 am the next morning. The children and the teachers were mesmerised by the escalators in the station and the metro train.

The group took the metro train from Kalamassery to Aluva and travelled to Rajagiri Hospital in a tourist bus. They enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast there before seeing the modern medical equipment and treatment facilities offered at the hospital. Children who have only seen basic healthcare facilities in Attapadi were awed by the most modern surgical methods using robots. Dr R Ravikant, head of robotic general surgery in Rajagiri, explained how intricate surgeries were done using robotic technology. The children were thrilled when the robot moved its arms following the instructions of the robot. After visiting Rajagiri Hospital, the group took the metro feeder bus to the airport. From the gallery, they saw aeroplanes taking off and landing on the runway. They were also invited to the restricted maintenance area, where they learned about the technical details of an aeroplane.

At the airport, children celebrated Mammootty’s birthday by cutting a special themed cake. Rajagiri executive director Fr. Johnson Vazhappilli, Care and Share managing director Fr. Thomas Kurian and the children cut the cake to share their happiness. Meanwhile, Mammootty had sent his close aide S George from Chennai to join the celebrations on his behalf. He was accompanied by Care and Share International director Robert Kuriakose. The children who were excited by the unique experiences wished their favourite superstar a happy birthday. Meanwhile, Mammootty promised to arrange an aeroplane ride when they visit Kochi next time.    
'Mammootty' has more than 5K search volume on Google Trends in the past 14 hours.