Tuesday, January 18 2005 17:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: They may still be years away from attaining adulthood, but their acts can serve as examples to even the bravest of the land.

From battling Naxalites to wild animals and saving others from drowning and fire, the 19 children, who have been selected for the National Bravery Awards (NBA) 2004 and will participate in the Republic Day parade on caparisoned elephants, have done it all.

Five girls and a physically challenged boy are among the awardees. One of them has been honoured posthumously.

"These brave children are the future of the country," said Vidyaben Sah, Chairperson of the NBA Selection Sub-Committee, after introducing the children to media persons in New Delhi today (Jan 18, 2005).

The prestigious Sanjay Chopra Award for 2004 has been given to 14-year-old Harry Chaudhury of Delhi who hit the headlines in July last year because of his valiant but futile attempts to save his sister Ritika from a knife-wielding assailant.

Boya Geetanjali (12) of Andhra Pradesh, who fought armed Naxalites when they came to kidnap a woman MLA, has won the Geeta Chopra Award.

N Kandha Kumar of Tamil Nadu has been posthumously chosen for the Bapu Gayadhani Award for saving two of his schoolmates from an approaching train when their school-van broke down at an unmanned crossing.

Kumar, however, was killed along with three other children and the conductor of the van.

Two other children also won the Bapu Gayadhani Award - 15-year-old Kumari Majda of Hardwar in Uttaranchal and Lalthanzawna (16) of Mizoram.

Majda rescued six children between three and six years from drowning in the Ganga near her house by repeatedly jumping into the river.

Lalthanzawna rushed into towering flames to save his aunt when his house about 180 kilometres from Aizawl caught fire.

B Sai Kushal of Andhra Pradesh, who is yet to turn nine, is the youngest to receive the National Bravery Award.

When a wild boar attacked an old woman on Independence Day last year, Kushal continuously hurled stones at it until the animal ran away.

One awardee, however, stood apart from all the others. Mentally and physically challenged Hotilal (15) of Mathura pulled out a woman and a girl from the Yamuna River near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The woman did not survive.

The other children chosen for the award are Khiangdingliana (Mizoram), Priyanka (Haryana), Mahima Tiwari (Uttar Pradesh), Ramandeep Singh and Pawan Kumar (Punjab), Vinod R Jain (Karnataka), R K Rahul Singh (Manipur), Gopal Singh Sondia (Madhya Pradesh), Johncy Samuel, Sajan Antony, Shiney T A and T P Krishna Prasad (all from Kerala).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the awards to the children on January 26.

The deserving awardees will be given financial assistance until they complete schooling and possibly even later, said Gita Siddhartha, Secretary General of Indian Council for Child Welfare, the nodal agency for selecting the children.

Vidyaben Shah said no child met the criteria for the 'Bharat Award', the highest National Bravery Award.