In the midst of Karnataka’s struggle with the devastating flood last year, a heartwarming story surfaced. A video of a heroic boy went viral for all the right reasons as he ran across the submerged bridge in August 2019 to save many lives.
This video captured 12-year-old Venkatesh from Hirerayanakumpi village. This real hero risked his life as he ran over 100m in the pouring rain to guide an ambulance carrying six children and a woman’s dead body to safety.
Venkatesh, a class VI student, was playing near the banks of Krishna with his friends when he saw the ambulance stuck on the waterlogged bridge. Realizing how the driver of the ambulance was struggling to find his way because of flooded land, Venkatesh reached out and asked him to follow him.
While sharing the details of his heroic act, Venkatesh told TOI:
“Around 11am Saturday, I had gone to the bridge to see the water level and saw an ambulance waiting. The driver didn’t know the depth of the water as the bridge was overflowing. He was taking six children to hospital.
I told him I’d run across the bridge and that would help him gauge the depth of the water. I ran as fast as I could and at one point the water rose above my chest. I know swimming and therefore confident of making it across. The driver followed me and reached safely,”
Here’s the beautiful video how like a true hero, this 12-year-old ran across to guide the ambulance to a safe path:
Small in Stature, Big in Heart ❤️
Salute this Boy from #Bagalkot, #Karnataka. He guided ambulance safely to cross the overflowing bridge risking his own life. #KarnatakaRain #KarnatakaFloods #FloodRelief @KiranKS @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/WbEen4Kae2
— Shreekanth S Huddar (@ShreeSHuddar) August 11, 2019
And, now he will be honored for his unparalleled courage by receiving the National Bravery Awards 2019. He will be honored for his brave act on the occasion of Republic Day on January 26 along with the other 21 children across the country.
It was P Manivannan IAS, Secretary, Labour Department, Karnataka who recommended Venkatesh’s name to the Women and Child Development Department for the bravery award. Last year, just days after the incident, he was honored by the state authorities on the occasion of Independence Day.
Raichur: Deputy Commissioner Sharat B today felicitated 12-year-old Venkatesh who guided an ambulance out of a flooded bridge. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/YWpyXzTCcI
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2019
Recalling how life changed for him after his brave act went viral, Venkatesh shared while speaking with The New Indian Express:
“I really don’t know if what I did was an act of bravery or not. I just wanted to help the driver. The driver of the ambulance asked me whether there was a way to go into the stream and if he could drive the ambulance on the bridge. I showed the way. I do not know what is meant by help, bravery etc.”
Sharing the details further, Venkatesh’s brother, Bheemaraya shared with TOI that no one in their family was aware of Venkatesh’s actions. It was a video clip that was aired on TV that made everyone aware of the brave act of this 12-year-old. Though initially his mother Devamma was shocked and scolded him, later she also appreciated her son’s courage.
At IFORHER, we believe the kids like Venkatesh are the only hope of humanity in our self-centered and selfish world. We hope many more will seek inspiration from this young kid, who went out of his comfort zone to give us a great lesson on humanity and courage.