Two children from Kerala on bravery award list

The two on the list are Ashwin, a class IV student of SKMH School, Kumarakom; and Sikhil, a class IX student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Areekode.

New Delhi: Two young bravehearts from Kerala have found their names on the national bravery awards list. The awards are annually given to 25 children under 16 years of age for 'meritorious acts of bravery against odds.'

The two on the list are Ashwin, a class IV student of SKMH School, Kumarakom; and Sikhil, a class IX student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Areekode. Both of them reached Delhi on Friday.

Sikhil,13, was chosen for the award for reaching a family from the raging Chaliyar at Keezhuparambu in 2017. He managed to rescue three of the four who were drowning. He is still despondent over being unable to rescue the fourth one, a senior student at his school. Sikhil had also saved his mother from drowning when he was in class V. Sikhil's parents are Surendran and Beena.

Shibin and Surabhi are his siblings.

Ashwin's moment of grit was in May 26, 2018, when he rescued a friend who had fallen into the waters while they were cycling. Ashwin leaped into the 20-foot-deep water body and rescued his friend. Sajeev and Anila are his parents.

The awards, instituted in 1957, are given by the government of India and the Indian Council for Child Welfare.