THRISSUR: Aiming correctly and felling a mango from the branch with just one stone’s throw make a boy a hero among his peers, but 13-year-old Adwaith’s throw literally saved the lives of his mother and grandmother. Hailing from Kanjani, Adwaith Rajeesh, Class 8 student of Government High School at Manalur village in Thrissur, along with his sister Bhadra and mother Dhanya had come for a short stay with his grandmother Usha at Puthenpeedika. On Monday, Adwaith was playing when he suddenly heard screams from the backyard of the house.
“When I went there, I saw my mother remaining motionless with an aluminium pole in hand. My grandmother was holding on to her. I tried to grab them, but experienced slight electric shock. Then, I noticed that the pole had come in contact with an overhead power cable. Instinctively, I picked up a piece of tile from the ground and threw it. Luckily, it hit the cable and the pole came off it and my mother fell down,” he said.
Before Adwaith arrived, Dhanya’s sister Subha and neighbour Rosy had also suffered electric shock while trying to save Dhanya, who got the shock as she was trying to pluck a jackfruit with the pole. “It was Adwaith’s presence of mind that saved my sister and niece,” said Sugunan, Usha’s brother. Dhanya, who fell unconscious, was given first aid by Subha and later taken to a nearby hospital where she spent 24 hours under observation.
“I am just happy that my mother is there with me today. Several people called us and appreciated me. It is the lesson I learnt in my class that helped me act at the right moment,” said Adwaith with pride. He now waits for the school to reopen so that he could share the experience with his friends.