15 kids to get bravery awards on R-Day

Harsh and Rashmi, along with 13 other children, will have the privilege ofriding 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 introducethis 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 studentfrom Gwalior says.

R Kuppuraman, who earned his award by saving three girls from drowning in anoverflowing river at his village in Pondicherry, is finding everything aboutDelhi 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, whosestandard answer to all queries is "No Hindi, no English", says through hisinterpreter and guardian his teacher S Sriram.

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

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

Another Bapu Gayadhani awardee, Jitendra Kumar Sharma (15) showed remarkablepresence of mind and bravery when he saved the jewelled crown of the deityof renowned Kalyanji temple at Diggi in Tonk district of Rajasthan fromrobbers.

Jitendra not only grabbed the crown and clung on to it, but also snatched arevolver 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 JayadevSingh (11) saved a three-year-old child from drowning in Nambol river atBishnupur 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 inJabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

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

The 15 will get their awards from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee onJanuary 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 SJain (Bhopal) and Gisha John (Kollam, Kerala).

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

The awardees will receive a silver medal, a certificate besides a cash awardand would be granted financial assistance until they complete theirschooling.

The National Bravery Awards scheme was initiated by the Indian Council ofChild Welfare in 1957 and since then, 555 children — 415 boys and 140 girlshave been given the awards, the release added.