15-year-old boy to be honoured with Bravery Award posthumously

Gaurav Sahastrabuddhe, 15, one of the two children, who will posthumously be honoured with the National Bravery Awards on January 24 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence here.

Sahastrabuddhe from Nagpur sacrificed his life while saving his four friends, and would be presented with 'Bharat Award'- the highest of the National Bravery awards.

Friends and family of Sahastrabuddhe were glad to find his name on the list of the children to be presented with the award.

"Gaurav saved the children who were drowning and in order to save the other kids, he himself got drowned in the water," said Manoj Siria, a relative.

The award will be accepted by the parents of the boy.

"We started drowning as we entered deep waters. When we saw Gaurav after half an hour, we called out for his help. Then he dived into the water keeping his mobile phone and slippers outside and saved us from drowning," said Triratn Gedam, a friend.

The Indian Council for Child Welfare on Tuesday announced that apart from the two children, the National Bravery Awards will also be given to 23 others across the country.

The awards are usually announced on November 14 (Children's Day) or in the month of January the following year, and later presented by the Prime Minister of India on the eve of the Republic Day.

On January 26, the awardees take part in the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath, New Delhi.