Akash Das Nayak and wife Shreya celebrate the actor’s birthday with blind schoolchildren in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 17: For 12-year old Bapi, it was a special day at school on Monday. Not only was he treated to chocolates and a lavish lunch, but also got to meet his favourite actor Akash Das Nayak, who celebrated his birthday at Bhima Bhoi School for Blind.

Akash and his wife Shreya paid a surprise visit to the school to celebrate the actor’s birthday. The bright smile on the kids’ faces was the perfect gift for Akash.

“I had always wanted to visit this school where many blind students of the city and other parts of the state come to study. Though I had planned to surprise them, the children surprised me and left me in awe with their talent and sharp memory,” said Akash.

When they were told that the actor was amid them, the students surrounded Akash and sang songs and recited dialogues from his films.

“I was stunned when an eight-year-old recited a dialogue from my film Sapath. They may not be able to watch us act, but they definitely enjoy films. I was touched by their love and affection for me,” said the actor.

The kids were happy to have an actor celebrating his birthday with them.

“We played games with Akash such as padyanta (antakshari) and talked a lot about films. It was so good to know about his childhood. He gave us chocolates and then had lunch with us. It was a happy day,” said Bapi.

Teachers at the school were also glad to see the students interact with Akash. “We hope more personalities from different fields make such effort to interact with our students. They get encouraged and inspired this way,” said a teacher.

Last year, Akash had chosen to celebrate his birthday with kids of an orphanage in the city. “He always avoids parties and prefers to celebrate with kids. We visit schools or orphanages even when there is no special occasion. The happiness of the kids is refreshing,” said the actor’s wife Shreya.

Akash, who turned 29 today, spent the rest of the day with his family.