Abhay Das, Stephen Joseph and Tijo Joseph met at Kavalam in Kuttanad.Kuttanad: It was a meeting of two brave boys of Kuttanad, both winners of the Jeevan Raksha Padhak presented by the President of India. Also in attendance was the young brother of one of the boys whose life was saved.
Innocence prevailed all around when Abhay Das, Stephen Joseph and Tijo Joseph met at Kavalam in Kuttanad. Stephen asked Abhay, “What made you jump into the well?”
Abhay’s reply was in the same vein: “What made you jump into the river?”
Stephen wrapped his arms around Tijo and held his brother close to him. “He jumped into the river to save me,” it was Tijo who responded. Instead of a proud expression, Stephen displayed a bit of shyness and covered his face with his hands.
Abhay, meanwhile, won the president’s honor for saving a neighbor, a boy studying in fifth standard, from drowning in a well.
Stephen and Tijo are sons of Sibichan and Jomol of Kallupathra, Chennamkary, while Abhay is the son of Shaji and Rajani of Abhay Bhavan, Kavumpady, Kavalam.
During the meeting, Stephen was all excited to reveal how he had brought his brother, an LKG student, back to life. “It was on November 8, 2016. Both of us were playing near the river when Tijo suddenly fell into the water. I shouted for help, but my parents were not within earshot. Also, nobody else was around. Meanwhile, Tijo was being swept away by the current. Wasting no time, I jumped into the river, emboldened by the swimming lessons Pappa had given me,” said Stephen.
“I swam to Tijo, grabbed him and pulled him to the river bank. By then, some people, hearing my shouts, had gathered on the shore and helped us get back on land,” said Stephen, while Tijo added the missing links.
Hearing Stephen’s adventure, Abhay Das also recalled his act of courage. On the fateful day, Abhay was heading home from school when he heard cries for help from a well adjacent to a cricket ground on the way. He ran to the spot, and saw that a boy had fallen into the well. Giving no further thought, Abhay jumped into deep water and ended up saving the boy’s life.
Stephen and Tijo listened intently when Abhay described his moment of glory. When they parted after the meeting, Abhay, Stephen and Tijo had become friends for a lifetime.
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