Nation salutes 22 young bravehearts

Mebin Cyriac

A 16-year-old boy from Kerala, Mebin Cyriac, is also among the 22 recipients of the National Bravery Award this year. When he saw his teacher, Bijin Thomas, falling into the Pampa river while getting off a boat, Mebin dived into the waters and searched for him. He dragged Thomas to the shore and revived him.

Lalrinhlua

On August 17, 2011, 12-year-old Lalrinhlua and his friends were going to a neighbourhood pond for a swim when they heard the screams of a child. Rushing to the pond, they saw a boy drowning. With no one around to rescue the child, Lalrinhlua jumped into the waters and pulled the unconscious boy to safety. He then administered first-aid to revive the boy.

Gajendra Ram

Ten-year-old Gajendra Ram, a student of a primary school in a village in Chhattisgarh, saw his fellow student, Gayatri, fall into 22-foot well. Immediately, he jumped into the well to save her. He put Gayatri on his back and tried to climb out of the well. When he could do not this, he stood her up against the wall of the well and kept her afloat. Later, villagers rescued both children from the well. For his bravery, Gajendra Ram has been conferred with the Sanjay Chopra Award.

Devansh Tiwari

On June 3, 2011, 8-year-old Devansh Tiwari had gone to his relative’s place in Chhattisgarh when he saw 14-year-old Shikhar fall into a septic tank near a construction site. The tank had been covered but had a hole, about two feet wide, on the top.

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