15 kids to get bravery awards on R-Day

15 kids to get bravery awards on R-Day
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, JAN 19: Twelve-year-old Harsh Shrivastava wasted no time in thinking and simply flung himself in front of a raging bull who was about to gore a child by his powerful horns. His sister, 15-year-old Rashmi also joined her brother in saving a life.

No, these are not amateur matadors, but ordinary children who have been awarded the Bapu Gayadhani and Geeta Chopra Awards respectively for showing exemplary courage.

Harsh and Rashmi, along with 13 other children, will have the privilege of riding on bedecked elephants on the Rajpath on Republic Day.

Harsh was quite amused to be in media glare with so many "didis and bhaiyas" vying with each other to interview him at a function organised to introduce this year's children's bravery award winners here today.

While Rashmi wants to be a doctor, her brother is emphatic about his choice, "I want to be a fighter pilot or a lieutenant," the VII Standard student from Gwalior says.

R Kuppuraman, who earned his award by saving three girls from drowning inan overflowing river at his village in Pondicherry, is finding everything about Delhi and his first trip outside home "great, except for the wretched cold"."Back in my village, it is not so cold," the cherubic 14-year-old, whose standard answer to all queries is "No Hindi, no English", says through his interpreter and guardian his teacher S Sriram.

Of the 15 awardees, the only child missing is Rupesh Mansukhlal Punjani, who was killed while trying to foil a robbery attempt at his house in Ghatkopar in Mumbai.

Rupesh was stabbed in the chest and abdomen as he grappled with robbers who broke into his home and were trying to take his sister Divya's earrings in the wee hours of August 1, 1998. The fearless child succumbed to his injuries and has been awarded the prestigious Sanjay Chopra Award.

Another Bapu Gayadhani awardee, Jitendra Kumar Sharma (15) showed remarkable presence of mind and bravery when he saved the jewelled crown of the deity of renowned Kalyanji temple at Diggi in Tonk district ofRajasthan from robbers.

Jitendra not only grabbed the crown and clung on to it, but also snatched a revolver from one of the miscreants. He was hit by a bullet in his back, but did not let go of the gun and the crown till help came. Yumnam Jayadev Singh (11) saved a three-year-old child from drowning in Nambol river at Bishnupur district of Manipur.

Similarly, Sunil Singh Thakur (16), the son of a professional lifeguard, saved two children from drowning in the Narmada near his village in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

In all, 15 children, including five girls, have been conferred the prestigious National Bravery Award for Children for 1999.

The 15 will get their awards from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on January 24 and participate in the Republic Day parade.

The other recepients are Pisli Suting (Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya), S Suguna and S Kavitha (Vellore, Tamil Nadu), Nem Chand Nirmalkar (Durg, Madhya Pradesh), Ayswarya and Sreejesh (Thiruvananthapuram), Kartikeya S Jain (Bhopal) andGisha John (Kollam, Kerala).

The selection was made by a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of Rear Admiral (Retd) M M Chopra, according to an official release.

The awardees will receive a silver medal, a certificate besides a cash award and would be granted financial assistance until they complete their schooling.

The National Bravery Awards scheme was initiated by the Indian Council of Child Welfare in 1957 and since then, 555 children -- 415 boys and 140 girls have been given the awards, the release added.