KOCHI: It was at the age of 12 that Neyyattinkara-native Aromal S M saved two women from drowning. He was recognised with the Bapu Gaidhani Award during the National Bravery awards in 2016. The award was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Now 14, Aromal recollects the incident. “One of them fell into the water and another immediately jumped in to save her. It was a 14-feet deep pond. Both of them were struggling. I did not think twice when I saw them drowning. I wanted to save their lives. Without a second thought, I jumped into the pond,” says Aromal. He learned swimming at a young age from his father and the ability came in handy in a very crucial situation.
The young brave heart was honoured by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare the other day. A student of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Neyyattinkara, Aromal is now awaiting his Class X results. His favourite subject is science and his ambition is to become a scientist.
“I am happy and proud of my son. I never thought that he would do such a brave act by risking his life,” says G Sunil Kumar, an NCC Officer. He further adds, “It’s nearly three years since he got the bravery award. I feel the state government should have honoured these brave kids a bit earlier,” adds Kumar.