The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Bravery awards for children presented

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Bravery awards for children presented

Staff Reporter

Kerala State Council for Child Welfare’s awards for six children

— Photo: S. Mahinsha

BRAVEHEARTS: Recipients of the bravery awards with Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “It is a loss that will haunt us throughout life. But in our grief, we are happy for the recognition bestowed on our daughter.”

Holding back his emotions, P.P. Balan, along with his wife, Pushpa, on Wednesday received the bravery award instituted by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare from Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on behalf of their daughter P.B. Vishalu. The award was conferred posthumously on Vishalu who sacrificed her life while saving her friends from drowning in an abandoned quarry near her house at Cheekkilode in Kozhikode.

“Her three friends had come to visit us. They went for a bath in the quarry in the evening. My daughter died while trying to save two of them from drowning,” said Mr Balan. Though Vishalu knew swimming and used to bathe in the abandoned quarry regularly, she was unlucky on that day.

“She saved the lives of her friends who were as big as her. She may have got trapped in the slush. There was nothing we could do,” said Mr. Balan who works as a labourer.

Vishalu had taken her Plus Two examinations before the accident. When the results were out, she was not there to savour her victory.

This is the first time that the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare is conferring its bravery award posthumously.

Five other children also received the bravery awards instituted by the Council on Wednesday. Manjusha A of Malappuram, Dinu K.G. of Palakkad, Johnson V. Sunny of Idukki, Ajmal K.A. of Ernakulam and Vineeth Kumar M.U. of Palakkad were the young bravehearts who received the award. Vineeth’s father Vijay Kumar received the award on his behalf.

Manjusha and Dinu are also the recipients of this year’s President’s Bravery Award.

Mr. Balakrishnan congratulated the award winners and said they would be an inspiration to their peers.

Inspector-General of Police B. Sandhya, who was the jury member, said children should be taught swimming early. She suggested that the council take the initiative for a programme to impart swimming lessons to children.

Council general secretary P. Krishnan, vice-president P. Prabhavathy and joint secretary C. Sathyapalan were present.

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