Thursday, April 05, 2012

Salute to Brave Hearts - Simple folks.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photo: G.N. Rao

"In a heart-rending tragedy, eight children between the ages of five and ten years, were killed and 20 others seriously injured when the school bus in which they were returning home plunged into a stream in Khammam district on Tuesday afternoon.
Around 40 students of L.V. Reddy Memorial School were packed into the bus after the driver picked them up from Vepalagadda village in Kothagudam mandal. The bus suddenly fell off a narrow bridge which had no parapet wall across Peddavagu stream, eyewitness in Tungaram village in Chandrugonda mandal said. The driver fled the scene after the accident, but was allegedly assaulted by some irate villagers near Malabanjara village in Kothagudem mandal late in the night.
Six students died instantaneously while two others succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Kothagudem. Local shepherds rushed to the rescue of the children and saved many of them from drowning.
Rash and negligent driving, the narrow road abutting the stream and the poor condition of the vehicle proved fatal for the hapless children, all of whom belonged to families of weaker section."
Courtesy The Hindu


You would wonder why should anyone reproduce the newspaper item as a blog post.

This is a tragedy,yet brave people have made a difference.

I was reminded once again about this, today in my mail. Another person  forwarded this item , which I thought is fit enough to be commended and brought to the notice of all my blog friends.




"Dharma Seethya Nayak, a shepherd, saved 25 children by pulling them out of the water.12- year-old displayed alacrity by hanging onto the window with one arm and pulling six of his friends.The little boy was drowned in applause, appreciation and recognition of his selfless act in saving six children when the school bus in which they were travelling in Khammam district plunged into a stream on the afternoon of March 20. Eight students lost their lives in the accident.
But for someone as young, the praise did not go to Praveen Prakash's head and he remembered his conversation with the cleaner, who was driving the ill-fated bus of the L.V. Reddy Memorial School packed with 40 children. “When I asked him why he was behind the wheel, he threatened to hit me and asked me to keep quiet. Minutes later, our bus nosedived off the bridge into the Peddavagu near Tungaram,” he recalled.
At a felicitation organised by the Andhra Pradesh Balaka Hakula Sangham (APBHS) here on Sunday, he said that after going through the harrowing experience, his only thought was that such an accident should not recur, anywhere in the world.
Soon after the swirling waters enveloped the bus, the 12- year-old displayed alacrity by hanging onto the window with one arm and pulling six of his friends, one after the other onto the top of the bus.
Dharma Seethya Nayak, a shepherd who was watching over his animals grazing nearby, saved 25 children by pulling them out of the water. His initially thought that a plane had come crashing down.
“Such was the noise and once I saw it was a bus, I did what I could, to save the students,” said the brave man who incidentally lost his grandson in the accident.
They were felicitated by Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan in the presence of APBHS president Achyuta Rao and others.
Mr. Khan said he would ensure that proposals are sent to Central government, recommending Praveen Prakash and Seethya Nayak for award of the Prime Minister's Life-Saving Medal saying their act deserved recognition at the national-level."

The humane , selfless help by Dharma Seethya Nayak and  Praveen Prakash , needs to be appreciated, this day, when we doubt humanity is dying in our collective psyche.

Here, these innocent people have proved again, that good hearts are alive and kicking.

I salute them.






21 comments:

  1. One of the noblest things human beings can display is genuine and selfless altruism. It is wonderful to see people risking everything to save their fellow human beings in need. This restores faith in the human race...

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  2. Heart rending tragedy, so many young lives snuffed out due to the gross negligence of one straw brained ass.Yes there are still angels around in whose veins milk of human kindness flows which propels them to take risks to save lives.Salute those bravehearts!

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  3. Anonymous4:09 PM

    Happy to see such people also around ...

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  4. What an inspirational post ... Vertimagal thank you for sharing this post .. There is still hope that this world could turn out to be better thanks to such heroes !!

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  5. Such a tragic yet inspiring story. It makes me very angry to know a cleaner who was obviously not fit enough to drive that bus was driving the bus risking the lives of innocent children. How in the hell did he even get the licence and how was a vehicle which was in a poor condition was given a go ahead to get the licence? Its a really sad state of affairs.

    Btw I subscribed to your posts via e-mail, so I somehow solved the feed issue. :)

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  6. very unfortunate incident and we have noticed everytime that the reasons behind such accidents are more or less the same.

    salute to that boy and the other person for doing what many people will not have the courage to do.

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  7. Nick, Thanks. Sometimes , I feels, being hugely populated has dulled our senses, to value human life. We just feel helpless.

    But, looking at the kind of reaction that poured in , from the youngsters, by e-mails, chain mails, and the good recognition by our police force, I feel there still hope.

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  8. @Theaterbalcony:
    Thanks for you comment. Those people bring good deeds to the country!

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  9. Hi Sangeetha,

    Initially I was feeling a little hesitant to write about this topic. This is a news item, and I should not get attention.

    But that boy ,and that gentleman, changed my mind. Unless we do our bit to bring this to the notice of at least one person, outside our state, how can I expect others to do the same?

    These are the real sons of the soil.

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  10. Akshay,

    Thanks , that the issue is solved, and you will read my pages. I am touched.

    I too was angry when I read the remark that the cleaner was angry with him for asking about his act!

    The children's vehicles are the worst in our state. This is not the first time. even in the city, they ply in such rush hour, and put those kids to risk. This has happened before too, and lot of usual noises were made. I do not know whether laws are strictly implemented.

    Ultimately, it the parents who have to ensure that the transport provided , is fit for their children, along with the escorts.

    In the present case, it was in the Districts, and I gather that the children were from not so well to do backgrounds.

    There lies the hitch!

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  11. Hi Debhajyoti,

    It is sad to see the apathy of the govt. in allowing such awful incidents. Where else lies the blame? It is a chain of people who man various posts who need to answer to those parents!

    All over the country the situation is the same.:-(

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  12. These unsung heros's are really the ones that keep the humanity alive. Wish there were more awards and recognitions for these heros.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Absolutely, mankind lives at good heats! And hats off to these prime heroes… their quick brave act can’t be commendable with words... we all need to wish them heartily for good health and wealth.

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  14. @Orchestra of life Thanks.

    @Jeevan: yes, In these days and times, when glamour and wealth is the power, these simple people just live by example!

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  15. A story of caring amidst tragedy. Thank you for sharing.

    http://rachnaparmar.com

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  16. Such tragedy! How sad.

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  17. Thanks Rachna and JM!

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  18. I salute them. Also thanks for sharing as I have not come across this news.

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  19. Hi Subramanian sir,

    Though I was hesitant to post this news, I thought let me share it with people who do not get access to local area news.

    I am happy I went ahead. So many responses , and blessing for the brave ones. This inspires lot of people.

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  20. Uppalji, Thanks for your appropriate kudos and condemnation of the people involved.

    This comment too was lying in Spam and I just checked it. I cannot understand why it is going to Spam?

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