Big courage on little shoulders: The 24 children who have been selected for the National Bravery Awards 2012

By Neetu Chandra and Praveen Negi

One is only seven years old. The others are not much older. But all of them put their own lives in danger to save others.

This year, 24 children - eight girls and 16 boys - have been selected for the National Bravery Awards.

Five awards have been given posthumously. Mail Today profiles some of the bravehearts.

Om Prakash Yadav pulled children out of a burning van

Name: Om Prakash Yadav Age: 11 Feat: Pulled children out of burning van



He received burn injuries on his face, back and arms, is still recuperating, hasn't received proper medical treatment and lost one year of school.

But ask him would he put his life in danger once again if caught in a similar situation? 'Everytime,' Om Prakash says.

The boy, a Class VII student and the son of a Uttar Pradesh farmer, pulled out several of his friends alive out of a burning van, caring little about his own safety.

On September 4, 2010, Om Prakash was going to school along with other students in a Maruti van. But all of a sudden, the van caught fire because of a short circuit in the gas kit.

The driver immediately opened his door and fled. But not Om Prakash.

He broke open the van door and pulled out the others, caring little about the flames that had spread to his face, back and arms.

He saved eight children. For his bravery, he has won the Sanjay Chopra Award.

Name: Mittal Patadiya Age: 12 Feat: Fought assailants



Name: Mittal Patadiya fought off assailants including one who stabbed her

Ask her to recount the incident that won her the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award, the girl from Ahmedabad doesn't talk about the 351 stitches on her wound but how she regrets the fact that one of the assailants managed to escape.



On November 3, 2010, Tahiliani (Mittal's foster mother) answered the door after the bell rang.



Standing outside was Ajit Singh, a driver she knew, and two other men.



He asked for water. Mittal went to fetch it. The men then pushed Tahiliani inside and shut the door.



They started beating her, demanding money. Mittal immediately caught one of the men by his hair.



The miscreant stabbed her in the neck repeatedly.



Blood oozing out of her neck, she held on to the man and managed to open the door.



Neighbours caught Singh and one of the accomplices. Mittal is now called 'Jhansi ki Rani'.

Name: Prasannata Shandilya Age: 11 Feat: Fought off robbers



One jar contained chilli powder, the other turmeric.



Prasannta Shandilya fought off robbers who attacked her parents

But in the dark, the girl from Odisha couldn't see which jar had the chilli powder.



So she mixed both the powders, carried it to the bedroom and threw it into the eyes of five thieves brutally beating up his parents.



The miscreants fled. Though Prasannata's parents suffered serious injuries, they survived, thanks to their brave daughter.



The incident took place on April 12, 2011. After breaking into their bedroom, the five men started beating up her parents with an iron rod.



They also attacked her father with a sharp weapon. Prasannata woke up hearing his father's screams.



She saw her father bleeding profusely and mother writhing in pain. But without losing composure, she tiptoed into the kitchen. 'I couldn't watch my parents in pain. I saw the two jars containing turmeric and chill powder.



'I didn't know which was what, so I mixed both and rushed back to the bedroom. It threw the powder in the eyes of three of the intruders,' she says. Panic-stricken, the miscreants fled. Studying in Class VI, the braveheart wants to become an IPS officer.

Uma Shankar rescued children trapped under a van

Name: Uma Shankar Age: 12 Feat: Saved children trapped under van



In a city where people seldom stop to help accident victims, Uma Shankar did.



And he is only a boy, 12 years old. The day was July 12, 2010.



The boy from Delhi was on way to school in a bus. Just ahead was an overcrowded minibus. Unable to negotiate a curve, the minibus suddenly overturned.



Trapped under it were mostly schoolchildren like him, bleeding. Shankar jumped out of his bus to rescue the children.



Asking the passengers who escaped unhurt to lift the bus, the boy crawled underneath and pulled out the kids. Now, they had to be rushed to hospital.



Shankar flagged down motorists but nobody would stop.



So he lunged in front of two moving cars. The cars stopped. Six of the injured were rushed to hospital, five of whom survived. He has won the Bapu Gaidhani Award.

Name: Dungar Singh Age: 7 Feat: Jumped into fire to save brother



Dungar Singh jumped into a fire to save his brother

Dungar loves his brother so much that he didn't think twice about jumping into a fire to save his disabled brother when their father Haathi Singh wasn't at home.



The youngest among the awardees knows no fear.



Dungar jumped into flames to save his disabled brother on March 27, 2011.



A fire had broken out at their hut in Rajasthan. Their father was away. Dungar and his brother Mahendra tried to run outside.



While Dungar managed to run to safety, Mahendra got caught in the fire.



Hearing his cries, Dungar immediately jumped into the flames and brought him out safely.



Villagers then informed the police and called an ambulance.

