When child actress Sweta prepared to leave for Delhi recently, the thought of collecting her second National Award was less exciting than the prospect of meeting her hero.

She had decided in Chennai that she would get an autograph from him. No, Sweta was not excited about meeting Aamir Khan or Shobhana or Tabu or taking photographs with them. Nor was she interested in collecting their autographs.

She only wanted to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam and get his autograph. "There is nobody like Kalam Uncle in the whole world. He loves children and we also love him a lot. He is a great person and a great scientist," gushes Sweta.

Sweta won her first National Award for her realistic portrayal of Malli in Santosh Sivan's Malli in 1999. She could not stop herself from discussing the difference between the two award events. "This year, it was so informal and casual compared to the last which was very formal. Kalam Uncle was very informal while distributing the awards. He didn't act like a President; he was so nice!"

When Sweta's turn came to go up on stage, she took a pen with her.What surprised those who watched the event was the amount of time Sweta spent with the President and the long conversation they had.

The first question the President asked Sweta was about her ambition. "All I had in my mind was to get an autograph from him. I did not expect him to ask me so many questions. So his question took me by surprise. I told him I wanted to be a doctor. Then he asked me, 'Which class are you studying?' I said, Std 8. He congratulated me and went on asking me questions. He was genuinely interested in my answers. Before I left, I told him, 'I want to meet you when you come to Chennai next.' He said, with a smile, 'Sure. I will inform you when I come to Chennai next.'"

Since she did not have any paper with her, she showed him the back of the certificate envelope and asked for his autograph. "He signed on the cover. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. It was great to collect the award from such a great man who loves children."

Back at school, Sweta is a celebrity because she spoke to the President and got his autograph. "My friends and other students were only interested hearing about Kalam Uncle and not any film star. Now, all of them want a copy of his autograph. The most popular book in our library is Kalam Uncle's autobiography, Wings Of Fire."

About the role in Janaki Viswanathan's Kutty that fetched her the National award, Sweta says, "I played a child labourer. The whole unit, especially Janaki Aunty, was very informal, friendly and free while shooting. That is why I could act well. I didn't feel I was shooting for a film. It was like a picnic. Janaki Aunty, like Santosh (Sivan) Uncle, anted me to be very natural and realistic. Both used to tell me not to act but be myself.."

Sweta, who knows the difference between commercial and art films even when this correspondent met her in 2000, still maintains she prefers art films to commercial films. "Which commercial film gives importance to child artistes? That is why I don't like commercial films. I want to act in films where I can show my talent."

She also stresses she is not interested in the money that came from films. "Had I been interested in money," she declares, "I would have accepted all the offers I got from commercial films. I am not interested. I acted in Kutty because it was against child labour. If I act for money, I also will become a child labourer!"