When M. Santhanalakshmi, a class VIII student, saw two of her friends struggling to stay afloat in a river, she instinctively jumped in to save them.
“They were crying for help and there was no one around. When I saw them begin to drown, I just jumped in. I pulled Kavya out, but Gnanamozhi could not move as her legs were stuck in slush. I had to go under water for several minutes to move the sand and save her,” she recalled
Santhanalakshmi, a native of Tiruchi district, was one of the nine children honoured with the Hope Hero Awards on Friday. Ironically, it were her friends who taught her to swim and she is glad she could help them.
Every child honoured by Tripura Foundation, an NGO, had a tale of bravery to narrate. Be it V. Rakesh and D. Abinesh of Tiruttani district or G. Kesavan from Kumbakonam, they knew no fear when it came to rescuing people. “I was probably the only one in the vicinity who knew swimming when a small boy was struggling in a temple tank,” said Abhinesh.
Others like B. Sabareesh Kumar, M. Bhuvaneshwari and K. Pothiraja were no less brave as they overcame adversity to help others. Despite his ill-health owing to cancer, Sabareesh of Pannaikadu near Kodaikanal, took a sick elderly woman to hospital and helped her reach home.
These children attend the Hope Learning Centre, an after-school educational initiative of Tripura Foundation, that aims at improving the living conditions of rural students from underprivileged backgrounds. Yadeesh Balasubramaniam of the foundation said this was the second consecutive year that the awards were being given.