National Bravery Awards 2017: List, Story, and History

Harish Chandra, a 14-year-old scout, was in the tent that caught fire on 2nd October 1957. The incident happened at Red Fort while India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was watching a performance. Harish Chandra had saved the lives of hundreds of trapped people after he ripped open the burning tent with his knife. This incident inspired prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Hence, he established an award to honor brave children from all over the country.

Harish Chandra was presented with the first-ever official National Bravery Award on 4th February 1958, by Prime Minister Nehru and the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).

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Geeta Chopra Award and Sanjay Chopra Award

The National Bravery Awards consist of five categories:

The Bharat Award
The Geeta Chopra Award
The Sanjay Chopra Award
The Bapu Gaidhani Award
The General National Bravery Award

On 26th August 1978, two children, Geeta Chopra and Sanjay Chopra, were kidnapped in New Delhi. Both the children lost their lives while confronting the kidnappers. The 'Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping case' had received widespread media attention. In the same year, ICCW established the Sanjay Chopra Awards and the Geeta Chopra Award in their memory.

National Bravery Awards 2017

A total of 18 bravehearts from India were honored with the National Bravery Awards this year for their courage and presence of mind. They received their awards from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Republic Day. Three of them were awarded posthumously. President Ramnath Kovind hosted a reception for the awardees — seven girls and 11 boys — who also participated in the Republic Day parade on January 26. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the whole country is proud of them. Fearless children are an asset to the society, he added.