Bravo! Spunky kids show the way

Bengaluru: He is barely 9, but Sumit Manjunath Sindagi of Mudhol in Bagalkot has seen a lot in life already. In March this year, his father committed suicide, then his mother tried to kill herself, tagging him and his eight-month-old brother along.
The boys escaped death on the railway tracks, thanks to Sumit’s presence of mind, but not their mother. Little Sumit then carried his baby brother, crossed Almatti dam and reached the next village 4km away, to narrate his story.The boy’s remarkable courage in the face of tragedy won him this year’s bravery award.
On Friday, he was conferred the state government’s Hoysala bravery award, with Rs 13,500 as the cash award.
Sumit’s life changed on March 26 this year when his father Manjunath Sindagi, 28, a cable operator, committed suicide after a domestic tiff. Distressed, Sumit’s mother Siddamma too decided to end her life. On the evening of March 29, she took Sumit and his infant brother and headed to the Almatti railway bridge to end their lives on the track. While she fell before a train and her body was thrown away, the kids miraculously escaped. As trains continued to zip past on the dark railway bridge, Sumit held on to his brother tightly.
Sumit then walked 4km along the lonely tracks, carrying his brother, crossing a dam and reaching Sitimani village. The little boy then knocked on the door of a farmhouse where he narrated his story to the residents. The next day, the villagers took the children to their grandfather’s house in Muddebihal taluk in Vijayapura district.
Eight months since the incident, the once chirpy Sumit talks very little but is happy he saved his brother’s life.
BRAVEHEARTS ALL
Eight other young bravehearts under the age of 15 were also honoured as part of Children’s Day celebrations, with two girls among them receiving the Keladi Chennamma bravery award.
Some of them have achieved improbable feats. B Appu, 13, from Gundlupet taluk in Chamarajanagar district, showed remarkable presence of mind in the face of a cheetah attack while playing. Appu didn’t run away; he picked up some stones and began hurling them at the big cat, which fled, injured. This happened on October 15 near his village Kundakere, and friends Doreswamy and Bellayaa thank him to this day.
Sahanesh R, 14, pulled out at least 15 children from their school bus that met with an accident. The kids were returning from a trip in Magadi taluk.
Swaroop KR, 13, and his brother Anoop, 11, saved the life of their schoolmate who had slipped off a hill during an adventure camp in Mandya.
Shanthi KM, 13, helped rescue a three-year-old boy who accidentally fell into a pond, by drawing the attention of people around, while Kishan GK, 15, saved two friends from drowning in a river by jumping in and dragging them out.
Deekshith GP, 9, won the award for saving his uncle from a fiery dog while Poornima Edave, 15, ensured timely help for victims after a tractor accident.
Thirteen others got a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for their excellence in arts, sports and academics. TS Vishalakshi got the distinguished social worker award for her work in rehabilitating street children and drug addicts, besides programmes under the child labour eradication project sponsored by Unicef. Four institutions were also given the child welfare awards.