No Rajpath ride for brave kids who live tough lives

Some 25 children have been conferred bravery awards by the Prime Minister on the eve of Republic Day and these kids participated in this year’s R-Day parade.

There is, however, another set of children who live in some of the toughest situations, battling their way through difficulties and hardships. The valour and bravery of these children went unnoticed.

Through their selfless actions, facing circumstances that could make even the strongest men cower, these children rise above the riff-raff to become heroes.
Eleven-year-old Rahul from Noida was eating berries with his friends when he heard a girl screaming and pounding at the tin walls of an improvised house. Rahul rushed to the spot and saved the girl from the clutches of the assailant. The person tried to escape but Rahul and his friend chased him down, nabbed him and took him to the police station.

In another incident, 14-year-old Dheeraj from Nizamuddin station saved the life of a child who was oblivious of an approaching train and was busy picking rags from the railway tracks.

Dheeraj was standing on the platform, and he realised that the child was not moving from the track. He ran towards the child and pushed him away from the tracks seconds before the train came.

Chandini, National secretary of Badte Kadam, a federation of street children, said, “It makes me feel happy to see street children realising their moral duties and performing them but at the same time I feel sad about the situation that leads these incidents to happen.”

“We work with these kids and I have come across many such incidents. These kids like others are also special and need attention like others. Their inclusion in the nominees would have been a huge step towards their recognition,” said Sanjay Gupta, Director, Childhood Enhancement through Training and Action (Chetna). We hope that the authorities take note of this and do whatever is in their ambit to realise the rights of these underprivileged children, added Gupta.