They are a proud part of the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in Delhi each 26th January or Republic Day – wearing their characteristic maroon blazers and perched atop festooned vehicles or elephants and so on. This year will be the 69th Republic Day celebrations and this year as well, children below 16 years of age; chosen from all across their country for acts of extraordinary bravery, will be honoured.
It was on 2nd October 1957 when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was attending a performance at the Ramlila Grounds. There was a short circuit and fire at the location when Scout Harish Chandra Mehra showed great courage and presence of mind to use his penknife. He cut open the burning tent and saved people trapped there, including the PM. It was this incident that inspired that the idea of presenting the National Bravery Awards. Mehra was awarded along with one other braveheart in the year, 1958.
The national bravery awards actually consist of 5 different awards: The Bharat Award which was established in 1987 and The Bapu Gaidhani Award which was established in 1988 and The General National Bravery Award. The Geeta Chopra Award and The Sanjay Chopra Awards were established in 1978 in memory of the two Chopra children who died when they confronted their kidnappers.
Children who have received the awards over the years have performed all sorts of brave and heroic feats. Some saved people from drowning or from floods, some have rescued people from fires. Some have confronted armed robbers and have foiled robbery attempts. Many children have themselves sustained grievous injuries trying to save others.
Om Prakash Yadav still bears the mark of the burn injuries he suffered when pulling children out of a burning van. Dungar Singh from Pokhran is one of the youngest to ever have received a bravery award. He got out of a burning house but went back in when he found that 5-year-old Mahendra was still inside.
Master Vanlalhruaia of Mizoram lost his life fighting dacoits and received the award posthumously in 2003. Kapil Singh Negi (2011) and Rarah Peju (2016) saved others from drowning but lost their own lives in the process. Several others have also received awards posthumously.
The Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) invites applications from all over India each year before 30 September. Various schools, district authorities and councils for child welfare send in applications which are scrutinized by representatives from diverse fields. Up to 25 children are then selected for the awards and are a part of the RD parade each year.
The actual awards are presented before the parade. This year the awards were presented on 18th January 2018. The 11 boys and seven girls will then be a part of the RD parade. The children receive a cash prize, certificate and medal as well as educational assistance.
UP's Nazia helped the local police crack a betting and gambling cartel and is continuing her work despite threats. Netravati M Chavan from Karnataka will receive the award posthumously for her attempt to save a ten-year-old from drowning. Betshwajohn Peinlang of Meghalaya saved his brother from a burning house while Mamata Dalai saved a friend from the jaws of a crocodile. Karanbeer Singh of Punjab was on a school bus that plunged into a drain but managed to help save others get out of the water-filled bus.
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