A programme to honour those children who have distinguished themselves by displaying exceptional Bravery.
What is the programme about ?
The “National Bravery Award” programme honours children who have distinguished themselves by displaying exceptional Bravery and aims to inspire other youngsters to follow in their footsteps.
The act should be “an act of spontaneous unselfish service in the face of imminent bodily harm and an act of courage and daring in the face of a social evil/ crime”. The National Bravery Awards were founded in 19575 in response to an act of Bravery.
On February 4, 1958, Prime Minister Nehru honoured two children with the first awards for Courage and Service. Since then, the Indian Council for Children Welfare (ICCW) has given national prizes to children.
Award Categories :
The National Bravery Awards can be called a set of honours bestowed on roughly 25 Indian youngsters under 16 each year.
The National Bravery Awards are divided into 5 categories:
- The Bharat Award is one of the most prestigious awards in India.
- The Geeta Chopra Award is given to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the nation with her act of Bravery.
- The Sanjay Chopra Award is given to a person who has made a significant contribution to the nation with her act of Bravery.
- The Bapu Gaidhani.
- The National Bravery Award in General
The prizes are customarily announced on Children’s Day, November 14, or in January of the following year, and then delivered by the prime minister on the eve of Republic Day, with the President hosting a banquet in their honour before that, where the children meet the media.
The awardees march in the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in New Delhi on January 26.
How did it all start ?
On Gandhi Jayanti Day, October 2, 1957, India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was in the Red Fort in Delhi, watching a performance at the Ramlila stadium. A fire broke out in a shamiana during the performance due to a short circuit (decorated tent).
Harish Chandra Mehra, a 14-year-old scout, quickly drew his knife and broke open the flaming tent, saving the lives of hundreds of people who were trapped within. This incident prompted Nehru to request that an award be established to honour brave children from across the country.
Prime Minister Nehru awarded the first official National Bravery Awards to Harish Chandra and one other kid on February 4, 1958. The Indian Council for Child Welfare has perpetuated the practice ever since.
In 1978, the Sanjay Chopra Award and the Geeta Chopra Award were established in honour of two Chopra children who died defending themselves from kidnappers. For deeds of Bravery, the Sanjay and Geeta awards are given to a boy and a girl. The Bapu Gaidhani Award was founded in 1980, while the Bharat Award was established in 1987.
Brave Hearts, a commemorative book featuring the 1999 National Bravery Awards winners, was released by Scholastic in 2001.
Award winners of 2021 :
The Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) has honoured three youngsters with the National Bravery Award and Special Award.
The Special Award went to Ummer Mukthar of Malappuram, and the General Awards went to Jayakrishnan Babu of Wayanad and Muhammed Hamras K. of Malappuram for 2020.
Aside from medals, the Special Award comes with a monetary component of $75,000, while the General Award comes with a cash component of 40,000. The council will also cover the costs of the children’s education, from elementary school to post-secondary and professional education.
Ummer, a sixth-grader at Al-Ehsan English School in Vengara, Malappuram, saved two of his younger relatives from drowning. Anchukandan Abbas and Semira have a son named Ummer.
The act of Bravery :
In Pathirichal, Wayanad, Jayakrishnan also saved two youngsters from drowning in a granite quarry. Babu and Sarada of Pathirachal are his parents.
Muhammed Hamas, a student at GVHSS in Aripra, Malappuram, saved a farmer who had fallen into a pond by accident. He is the son of Valluvambaram’s Hamsa and Haseena.
The prizes will be awarded to the children at a ceremony in New Delhi in March, according to Shijukhan J.S., general secretary of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare.
The bravery awards for 2020 will be handed to twenty-five students around the country.
