When nine-year-old Sumithkumar Sindagi received the Hoysala Keladi Chennamma Bravery Award on Friday, on Children’s Day, he didn’t know whether to smile or weep.
A teary-eyed Sindagi was honoured for saving his eight-month-old brother, but could not save his mother from a suicide pact.
A native of Bagalkot, Sindagi’s father had committed suicide. In apparent dejection, his mother too wanted to commit suicide with her two sons.
On March 26, she went to Almatti dam, but the water level was very low. She then went to the railway tracks nearby and made her children lie down near the tracks.
However, her sari got entangled in the wheels of a moving train and she died on the spot.
But the children survived. Sindagi, showing exemplary courage, carried his brother, crossed the dam and informed the locals about the incident.
Like Sindagi, eight other children—Deekshith G P from Shivamogga, Kishan G K from Tumakuru, Poornima Edave from Vijayapura, Anoop K R, Swaroop K R and B Appu from Chamarajanagar, Shanthi K M from Kodagu and Sahanesh R from Ramanagar, aged between 6 and 15—were honoured for saving many lives in difficult times.
The programme was organised by the Department of Women and Child Welfare and the Karnataka State Council for Child Welfare, Bengaluru.
The awards were conferred by Governor Vajubhai Vala, Women and Child Development Minister Umashree and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Besides, 13 other children—Apeksha Pai from Bengaluru (Art), H B Anil Kumar from Raichur (Art), Aditi Chintamani Khandegal from Bagalkot (Culture), Anil Kumar V from Bengaluru (Culture), Akshatha Shetty B from Puttur (Culture), Varudhini Sadananda Patki from Shivamogga (Academic), Pradeep A R S from Tumakuru (Academic), Ananya G M from Bengaluru (Academic), Nagashree M J from Siddapura (Academic), Syeda Sumaiya from Chitradurga (Sports), Abhishek S Navale from Belagavi (Sports), Shamanth Rao Kidiyoor from Udupi (Sports) and V Varsha from Bidar (Sports)—were honoured with Exceptional Achievement Award for Children for 2014-15.
These children were also nominated by the State government for the National Award for talent in the field of academics, sports, arts and culture for the year 2014-15.
Anil Kumar V, Ananya G M and Syeda Sumaiya were not present at the function as they were in New Delhi accepting the President’s award.
D Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala, Jaheda Khan from Kalaburagi, Akhila Karnataka Makkala Koota and Mahesh Foundation from Belagavi were conferred the Child Welfare Awards for their commendable service in the field of children’s education.
Vishalakshi T S, working with Association for Promoting Social Action, was awarded the Social Worker Award-2014 for her contribution to the rehabilitation of street children and children addicted to drugs.