The story of India's bravehearts who saved lives putting themselves in danger

New Delhi: They are young, energetic, brave and are even willing to risk their lives to save that of others.

They are the special 25 brave sons and daughters of India, who saved several lives while putting themselves in life-threatening situations and not worrying about their own well-being. Hailing from different parts of the country, they received the National Bravery Awards for 2015 from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan on Friday evening for showing exemplary courage without expecting anything in return.

On Tuesday, these bravehearts were part of the Republic Day parade on the magnificent Rajpath, with the president taking the salute and his French counterpart Francois Hollande the chief guest.

Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe (15), Shivampet Ruchitha (8), Arjun Singh (16), Aromal S.M. (12), Ramdinthara (15), Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel (13), Nilesh Revaram Bhil (9), Joena Chakraborty (10), Bhimsen alias Sonu (10), Kashish Dhanani (10), Vaibhav Rameshwar (9), Dishant Mehndiratta (12), Chongtham Kuber Meitei (12), Angelica Tynsong (13), Mohit Mahendra Dalvi (14), Nithin Philip Mathew (13), Sarwanand Saha (15), Beedhhovan (14), Anandu Dileep (14), Maurice Yengkhom (14), Abhijith K.V. (15), Sai Krishna Akhil Kilambi (14), Muhammad Shamnad (14), Abinash Mishra (17) and Shivansh Singh (13) are the courageous children who saved lives of others without fearing for their own.

Two of them - Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe of Maharashtra and Shivansh Singh of Uttar Pradesh - were honoured posthumously as they died while helping others in trouble.

Sahastrabuddhe died on June 3, 2014 while trying to save four boys from drowning in a lake. They were playing near Ambazari lake in Nagpur district when one of them slipped and fell into it.

On seeing this, the other three dived into the water to rescue him but they too started drowning. Sahastrabuddhe then jumped into the lake and saved them one by one but he himself got so tired in the process that he could not save himself and died.

Similarly, Shivansh Singh died while trying to save his friend Vivek, who fell in the Saryu river while bathing.

Vivek was in deep water and was drowning when Shivansh Singh reached there to help him. He tried his best and brought Vivek near the shore. However, Vivek had died by that time and Shivansh Singh also died after a while as he got very tried in the process.

Their mothers received the award from the president on behalf of their brave sons.

The bravehearts, who looked cheerful after receiving their awards, had one sentiment in common that they would serve the country or would continue helping people in need as they grow up.

"I would like to serve the nation as I grow up," Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel told IANS, adding: "We all should help each other in whatever way we can."

"Serving the nation is my dream. I think we should continue to serve our country in whatever way we can," he said.

Patel had saved a boy from drowning. He struggled for over 35 minutes in a well that the boy had fallen into while playing.

Joena Chakraborty helped her father retreive his mobile phone from a miscreant as she caught him the leg while he was trying to run away after snatching the device. "Anybody
who has done something wrong is to be challenged," Chakraborty told IANS.

"The moment I realised that my father's mobile phone was snatched by a man, I, without loosing a second, started chasing him. He had a blade in his hand but it did not deter me to grab him by his legs," she said. Passers-by caught the snatcher and handed him to the police.

Sarwanand Saha of Chhattisgarh, who saved a man from drowning in flood water, said that helping others in difficult situations should come naturally to people.

"I was returning from school when I saw a man drowning. I immediatelyjumped into the water and pulled him out of it," he told IANS, adding that he did not fear for his own life as "it all happened without any warning".

On what he would like to do after completing his education, Saha said serving the nation was his dream and he will try to join the defence forces.

He, however, also believed that one can serve the country even without being in the forces as "serving the less privileged could also be very satisfying".