Bagalkot girl who died trying to save boy gets honour

Fourteen-year-old Netravati M Chavan from Bagalkot district, who died while trying to save two young boys from drowning, was chosen for the National Bravery Award.

While she managed to rescue 16-year-old Muthu from a stone quarry pond, she died in a failed attempt to save 10-year-old Ganesh.

Netravati was the only child from Karnataka to get the National Bravery Awards 2017 announced ahead of Republic Day. She  will be posthumously given the Geeta Chopra Award, Indian Council for Child Welfare president Gita Siddhartha, said.  

Her father Mahantesh Chavan will receive the award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 24.

Netravati's family, from Vaddarahosur in Hungund taluk in Bagalkot, migrated to Kannar near Udupi for work. Mahantesh worked at a quarry while his wife and two daughters joined a nursery. Though she was a brilliant student, Netravati couldn't continue her studies after her Class 7 as her father asked her to care for her two ailing brothers.

The family returned to Vaddarahosur in May 2017 to attend a car festival. On May 13, Netravati went to a quarry in her village to wash clothes. Due to heavy rain, the 30-feet-deep quarry was filled to the brim and her two relatives Muthu (16) and Ganesh were swimming in it. When Netravati noticed the boys drowning, she dived in to save them. Netravati dragged Muthu to safety. She then tried to rescue Ganesh, who panicked and grabbed Netravati's neck and choked her. Both of them died, said Mahantesh. Prasanna Prasad, the owner of the nursery informed officials about the girl's feat and said the government is yet to compensate the family.