By Anindita Mukhopadhyay
The National Bravery Awards 2017 will be presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just prior to Republic Day on the 24th of January 2018. Eighteen children of our country will be honoured for their outstanding acts of bravery over this past year. The children will then participate in the Republic Day parade. The Awards offer national recognition, in addition to medals, certificates, and cash prizes. In addition, financial assistance for higher education is also offered to the winners through the Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme.
Origins of the National Bravery Awards
The National Bravery Awards were instituted under the patronage of the Government of India and the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW). It is an annual programme to recognise children for “meritorious acts of bravery against all odds.” The awards are given to children who distinguish themselves by performing outstanding deeds of bravery. The aim is to inspire other children to emulate the example of the winners.
On Gandhi Jayanti in 1957, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was watching a performance at the Red Fort when a short circuit caused a fire to break out in a shamiana (decorated tent). Harishchandra Mehra, a 14-year-old scout, promptly ripped open the burning tent with a knife, saving the lives of hundreds of trapped people. This instance of courage was the genesis of the National Bravery Awards. On the 4th of February 1958, Prime Minister Nehru presented the very first awards for courage and service to two children. The ICCW has continued this tradition, by setting up a committee including government representatives and NGOs to review applications for suggested recipients from government bodies and organisations across the country.
In addition to the General National Bravery Award itself, the event includes four other awards—the Bharat award, established in 1987, the Geeta Chopra and Sanjay Chopra Awards, created in 1978, and the Bapu Gaidhani Award, started in 1988. The Sanjay Chopra Award and the Geeta Chopra Award were established in the memory of two children who lost their lives while confronting their kidnappers. These awards are presented to one boy and one girl for acts of bravery.
The awardees of 2017
The highest honour, the Bharat Award, is being bestowed on 18-year-old Nazia of Uttar Pradesh, for her ongoing struggle against the rampant illegal gambling in her neighbourhood. The aspiring IAS officer was previously recognised with the ‘Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award’ in 2016 for rescuing a six-year-old girl from being kidnapped. Nazia is already well on her way to achieving her goal of making society safer for girls.
Netravati Chavan (14) of Karnataka, will be posthumously awarded the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award for attempting to save two boys from drowning. She managed to rescue one of the boys but drowned while trying to save the younger one. The Sanjay Chopra Award is being presented to Karanbeer Singh (17) of Punjab, who displayed indomitable courage in rescuing fifteen children from a school bus that had plunged into a drain. Singh, also on board the bus, smashed a window to help the other children escape.
The Bapu Giadhani Awards are jointly being bestowed upon three children—Betshwajohn Peinlang (14) of Meghalaya, Mamata Dalai (7) of Odisha, and Sebastian Vincent (13) of Kerala—for outstanding acts of bravery. Betshwajohn Peinlang fearlessly saved his 3-year-old brother from being burned alive, while the very young Mamata Dalai displayed great courage as she rescued her friend from a crocodile’s jaws, and Sebastian Vincent heroically risked his life to save a friend who had fallen onto a rail track.
The General Bravery Awards will be presented to children across 8 States: Laxmi Yadav from Chhattisgarh, Pankaj Kumar Mahanta from Odisha, Nadaf Ejaj Abdul Rauf from Maharashtra, Samridhi Sushil Sharma from Gujarat, and Pankaj Semwal from Uttarakhand. Most awardees hail from the Northeast—Mansha N, N Shangpon Konyak, Yoaknei, and Chingai Wangsa, all from Nagaland, and Zonuntluanga of Mizoram. Posthumus awards are also being given to F Lalchhandama of Mizoram, and Loukrakpam Rajeshwori Chanu of Manipur. Since the inception of the programme in 1957 the ICCW has honoured 963 brave children—680 boys and 283 girls. These children continue to inspire their country every day.
Featured Image Source: Flickr
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