A trip to the Capital with her family turned out to be the worst memory of the city for 10-year-old Joena Chakraborty, whose father's phone was snatched by two men on a busy Paharganj Road in 2014.
She ran after the snatchers, held on to the leg of one of the men and took the phone back without caring that the snatcher had a knife. Joena is one of the winners of this year’s National Bravery Award.
Some who saved their friends from drowning, some who braved fire to save lives and others who fought snatchers are among the 25 kids who have been selected for the award. Twenty-two boys and three girls will be conferred the award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on January 24. The children will also participate in the Republic Day parade on January 26. The awardees will receive a medal, a certificate and cash prize.
The awards, initiated by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) in 1957, gives recognition to children who distinguish themselves by performing outstanding acts of bravery.
This year, two children have been awarded posthumously.
Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe, 15, from Maharashtra, who sacrificed his life while saving his four friends will be awarded with ‘Bharat Award’, the highest of the National Bravery awards, which his parents will receive on his behalf along with the parents of Shivansh Singh, 13, also to be awarded posthumously for sacrificing his life to save his friend from drowning in Saryu river. Unfortunately, he could not save his friend and lost his life too.
The prestigious Geeta Chopra award will be given to 8-year-old Shivampet Ruchitha of Telangana who displayed exemplary valour in saving two lives when a train hit her school bus, while 16-year-old Arjun Singh, from Uttarakhand, will be awarded with Sanjay Chopra Award for displaying outstanding bravery in fighting off a tiger to save his mother.
Ruchitha is the youngest of the 25 children to receive the bravery award.
Eligible awardees will be granted financial assistance until they complete their schooling. Some State governments also provide financial assistance to them. In addition, ICCW provides financial assistance under its Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme to those undertaking professional courses such as engineering and medicine.
Since the inception of the scheme, 920 children including 656 boys and 246 girls have received the award.
