“Bravery is a state of mind. A healthy body helps, but the prime moving force is the mind.

Therefore, we need to make the mind strong,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he
presented the National Bravery Awards to some of India’s most courageous children on January
23, 2016.

From a 15-year-old who saved his cousin from a leopard attack to a 9-year-old who lost
her life trying to save two of her friends from drowning – these 25 children showed
incredible bravery in the face of some very dangerous situations.

The National Bravery Award scheme, initiated by the Indian Council for Child Welfare
(ICCW), was started to award children in the age group of 6-18 years who display
outstanding bravery and inspire other children with their actions. The awards consist of
five categories, including the Bharat Award, Sanjay Chopra Award, Geeta Chopra Award,
Bapu Gaidhani Award, and the General National Bravery Awards. The awardees receive a
medal, a certificate, and a cash prize. Bharat Award winners get a gold medal, while the
others receive silver. As a part of ICCW’s sponsorship program under the Indira Gandhi
scholarship scheme, each child also receives financial assistance to complete
schooling.
Here are the astounding stories of this year’s winners.

1. Tarh Peeju, Arunachal Pradesh

On May 19, 2016, 9-year-old Tarh Peeju drowned while saving her friends Phassang
Marry and Tarh Charu when they attempted to cross the Pachin River in Naharlagun. A
Class IV student at Alphabet Public School in Nirjuli, Tarh jumped into the turbulent river
and dragged both Marry and Charu to safety. However, she was submerged and swept
downstream by the strong current of the river. Displaying unbelievable courage, Tarh
sacrificed her life in saving her friends and was posthumously conferred the Bharat
Award (the top honor at the National Bravery Awards).
2. Tushar Verma, Chhattisgarh

Tushar Verma of Chhattisgarh was presented the Bapu Gaidhani Award for exhibiting
dauntless valor when his elderly neighbor’s house caught fire. Tushar didn’t just try to
douse the flames, he risked his life and braved the raging inferno to rescue the elderly
couple as well as their three cows and two bulls.
3. Roluahpuii, Mizoram

Roluahpuii, a 13-year-old girl of Mizoram was given the Bapu Gaidhani Award
posthumously for her timely and valorous act that saved two of her schoolmates from
drowning. The incident occurred on the morning of March 3, 2016, when the teaching
staff and students of a government school had gone to the Tuivawl river for a picnic.
Roluahpuii was playing with her friends when she heard the panicked screams of her
schoolmates caught in a whirlpool in the 18-feet-deep river. Immediately diving in,
Roluahpuii rescued two of her friends and was helping others when she was herself
entrapped by the strong current and dragged inside the whirlpool.
4. Payal Devi, Jammu and Kashmir

A Class 8 student from Jammu and Kashmir, Payal Devi lost her life in an unsuccessful
bid to save her 6-year-old niece Shefali and a 14-year-old boy, Rakesh Kumar, from
drowning. The incident occurred on the afternoon of 12 May 2016, in the district
Ramban of Jammu & Kashmir. Due to the cloud burst, all the drains were overflowing.
Payal was returning from school when she saw Shefali and Rakesh being washed away
in the turbulent Ladhwal nallah near her house. Sensing danger, Payal immediately
jumped into the 17-20 feet deep water to save them but eventually, all of them were
washed away by the flash flood.
5. Sumit Mamgain, Uttarakhand

When 15-year-old Sumit Mamgain’s older cousin Ritesh was being dragged away by a
leopard at Manoharpur in Uttarakhand, he told Sumit to run away and save his life. But
the brave lad decided to fight the leopard and save his cousin’s life. Holding its tail, he
hit it with a sickle. When the leopard charged toward him, he kept pelting stones at the
animal till it finally ran away. For his exemplary courage, Mamgain was awarded the
Sanjay Chopra Award.
6. H. Lalhriatpuii, Mizoram

Another brave young girl from Mizoram, H. Lalhriatpuii won the Bapu Gaidhani Award
posthumously for sacrificing her life to save her cousin. On the morning of March 18,
2016, Lalhriatpuii and her elder brother were unloading goods from the car when,
accidentally, the car slid downward on the steep road with her 2-year-old cousin inside.
Failing in his attempt to stop the hurtling car, Lalhriatpuii’s brother moved back and
advised her to do the same as it had become dangerous. However, the determined girl
continued in her attempts to stop the car. While she managed to safely pull her cousin
out of the car, Lalhriatpuii was run over by the car and succumbed to her injuries.
7. Sonu Mali, Rajasthan

Nine-year-old Sonu Mali had never seen a cobra until September 21 last year, but on that
day, as the snake sat prepared to attack Mali’s classmate, he held the reptile with both
his hands and took it to a field nearby. His mother said that she was initially furious with
him for risking his life but later realized how courageous her son had been in his effort
to save his friend’s life.
8. Badarunnisa KP, Kerala

A Class 12 student from the village of Kalathumpadi in Kerala, Badarunnisa KP valiantly

risked her life to save her friend and her mother who were drowning in a pond. On May 4,
2015, 15-year-old Vismaya and her mother had gone to a pond to take a bath. The girl
slipped into the water and started drowning. Her mother Raji jumped to rescue her but
failed in her attempt and started drowning too. Seeing this, Badarunnisa immediately
jumped into the 20-feet-deep pond to rescue her friend and her mother and pulled them
to safety.
9. Mohan Sethy, Odisha

A Class 7 student from Cuttack, Mohan Sethy was recognized for saving his friend from
drowning in a river. On June 28, 2015, Mohan and his friend Sabyasachi had gone to the
Genguti river to take a bath. While frolicking in the river, Sabyasachi accidentally slipped
into deep waters. Seeing his friend drowning, Mohan shouted for help but to no avail. He
then desperately dived into the water and dragged his friend to safety with the help of a
cloth.
10. Siya Vamansa Khode, Karnataka

Fourteen-year-old Siya Vamansa Khode from Dharwad risked her own life to save her
2-year-old brother from certain death due to electrocution. In April 2015, Siya was
playing hide and seek with her cousins when she decided to go to the rooftop. The
toddler followed her, but after playing for a while she suddenly realized that her brother
was nowhere to be seen. Horrified to find him in contact with a live wire, she held him by
his shirt (she knew touching him directly meant risking her Own death) and pulled him
away to safety.

11. Thanghilmang Lunkim, Nagaland

Thanghilmang Lunkim, a Class 6 student, was recognized for saving the life of another
student after the latter had fallen into a river while crossing a river bridge. On the
afternoon of September 15, 2015, two students, who were brothers, were walking on the
Mezoma bridge. As the bridge was slippery, one of them fell off it and was swept away
by the raging current. His helpless brother screamed for help. Thanghilmang, who was
returning from school, heard his screams and rushed to the spot. He jumped into the
5-feet-deep river and swam almost 120 meters to reach the student. Getting a hold of
the drowning boy, he returned to the shore and pulled him out safely.
12. Praful Sharma, Himachal Pradesh

Hailing from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, 9-year-old Praful Sharma won a bravery award
for saving his school bus from rolling into a ditch. The incident occurred on December
13, 2015, when children of a school were on an educational tour. While returning from
Dharamshala, they stopped for a short break and alighted from the bus. However, one
child fiddled with the brakes and the bus started moving down the hill. Praful, who was
on the bus, rushed and jumpedd into the driver’s seat, applied the brakes, and stopped
the bus. His prompt action and sense of duty averted a major accident.
13. Tankeswar Pegu, Assam

Tankeswar Pegu, who hails from Rongamati Doital Gaon in Assam’s Golaghat district,
saved a woman from drowning in the Dhansiri river. On June 20, 2016, Tankeshwar was
going to tuition classes when he was startled by a voice from the river, screaming for
help. When he looked around, he saw a woman being swept away by the river.
Immediately jumping in, he managed to catch hold of her by the hair and pull her to the
bank, saving her.
14. Adithyan MP Pillai, Kerala

Adithyan Pillai’s courageous and selfless act saved three children from drowning in a
river. On May 19, 2016, three children, Jaibal, Abel, and Maleesha, had gone to the
Pamba river. While bathing, one of them accidentally slipped into the deep side of the
river and started crying loudly. Seeing this, the other two children jumped into the water
to save him but both started drowning. Adithyan, who saw them, immediately jumped
into the 11-feet-deep river and caught Abel, and pushed him towards the bank. Then, he
asked Maleesha to hold on to Jaibal, and catching hold of Jaibal’s hair, he pulled both of
them towards the shore.
15. Anshika Pandey, Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow girl Anshika Pandey has conferred the bravery award for fearlessly fighting her
kidnappers on September 14, 2015. A Class 11 student, Anshika was on her way to
school when she was attacked by goons. They tried to pull her inside the car and before
she could scream for help, one of the goons gagged her and tried to throw acid into her
eyes. Not one to give up, Anshika somehow shielded her face and fought back valiantly,
forcing the goons to flee the scene. Anshika was found in a pool of blood by her friend
Garima, who immediately wrapped her hand in a handkerchief and took her home.
16. Naman Beniwal, New Delhi

A talented child actor from New Delhi, Naman Beniwal set a wonderful example when
he saved a child from drowning in a 12-feet-deep canal. While holidaying with his family
in Sonipat, Naman noticed a child being washed away by strong currents in the Bawana
canal while trying to rescue his drifting footwear. He jumped in, swam up to the child,
and brought him up to the shore, thus saving his life.
17. Binil Manjaly, Kerala

Binil Manjaly from Kerala was returning home from a movie when his sister Merin saw a
10-year-old boy wailing and calling out for help. Three of the boy’s family members were
drowning in Periyar Canal after the auto they were traveling in accidentally fell into the
20-feet-deep water body. Binil instantly took off his clothes and jumped into the water.
Catching hold of the boy’s mother, he brought her to the bank before returning to search
for the other two. However, despite his frantic search, he couldn’t find them. Their
bodies were later recovered by the police.
18. Nisha Dilip Patil, Maharashtra

Nisha Patil, a student from Bhadgaon village in Jalgaon district in Maharashtra, was
conferred the bravery award for saving the life of a 6-month-old infant Purvi, who was
trapped inside a room that was on fire on January 14, 2015. A Class 12 student, Nisha
was on her way back from college when she saw smoke coming out from her neighbor’s
house. Realizing that the infant was inside the burning house, she immediately entered
the house and brought the baby out.
19. Akhil K Shibu, Kerala
Akhil K Shibu’s swift actions and presence of mind ensured that a man did not drown in
a 12-meter-deep river. When Harinarayanan was taking a bath at Ramapuram ghat of
river Pampa, he accidentally got entangled in the strong current and was swept away
into the deep water. Akhil and his friends were playing football at the river banks when
he heard the drowning man’s panicked screams. Akhil promptly jumped in and swam to
rescue Harinarayan, who desperately grabbed the boy. Realizing that they were both
going underwater due to this, Akhil released him, went under the water, and started
pushing him towards the shore and safety.

20. Neelam Dhruv, Chhattisgarh

A native of Mujgahan village in Chhattisgarh, Neelam Dhruv had gone to the nearby
Sheetla pond on May 19 last year with her friend, 4-year-old Tikeshwari. When the
4-year-old suddenly slipped and fell into the deep side of the pond, Neelam jumped in,
caught hold of her hair, and pulled her out. Her uncle Sitaram Dhruv said that having lost
her father at an early age, Neelam had always wanted to help others in whichever way
she could.
21. Moirangthem Sadananda Singh, Manipur

Moirangthem Sadananda Singh, a 14-year-old from Manipur, was recognized for

rescuing his mother from severe electrocution. It was raining incessantly on May 6,
2016, when an electric water pump (connected by an extension cord to the socket in the
kitchen) short-circuited and exploded in a burst of sparks. When Moirangthem’s mother
tried to unplug the pin, she got a shock. Hearing her cries, Moirangthem rushed to the
kitchen and found his mother in the grip of an electric current. He immediately broke the
wooden curtain rod and used it to loosen his mother’s hand before rushing her to the
hospital.

22. Akshit and Akshita Sharma, New Delhi

Akshita Sharma (16) and Akshit Sharma (13) were recognized for fearlessly confronting
two miscreants who had broken into their house and capturing one of them. The brother
and sister duo were returning from school on December 8 last year to their home in
Malviya Nagar when they found the iron door of their ground floor home open. They
peeped through the window and saw two burglars. When they entered, the burglars tried
to escape but the duo managed to catch one of them. Taking the bag from him, they
raised an alarm, following which some neighbors came and called the police.
23. Tejasweeta Pradhan and Shivani Gond, West
Bengal

Tejasweeta Pradhan (18) and Shivani Gond (17) from Darjeeling, West Bengal, helped
the police and NGO MARG in uncovering an international sex racket that led to the arrest
of the mastermind in Delhi. The minor girls befriended the traffickers on Facebook in
May 2016. They then spent days communicating with them by telephone, convincing the
traffickers that they were willing to run away from home before leading them to the trap
laid by the police. For showing immense courage in the face of danger and fearlessly
helping the police, the duo was awarded the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award.