Hubballi: At 14, Nethravati was brave enough to dive into a 30-ft deep stone quarry pond in her home village of Vadda Hosur and rescue a drowning boy - eleven year old Muthuraj - and then plunge back in again to rescue another boy, a 10-year- old. But the second attempt cost the young teen, her life and she died trying to save the life of Ganesh.
Come January 24 and she will be among those to receive a bravery award posthumously from the Union government.
Her 39-year-old father, Mahantesh Chavan, a stone cutter from Vadda Hosur in Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district, is proud to go to Delhi and receive the award on Nethravati's behalf from PM Modi.
A school drop-out, Nethravathi was helping her father in stone cutting as he could not afford to educate her. But she wanted to educate her two younger brothers, one of whom is physically challenged.
“We hardly earn Rs 200 a day in wages in stone cutting. So Nethravathi joined me and my other daughter in doing this work. She was very hard working and we all loved her dearly. We were in shock at her death a few months ago. But it is a proud moment for us to receive the bravery award on her behalf,” said Mr Chavan. The family had migrated to Kannur village in Udupi district to earn a living as it had no farmland or property in its native hamlet except a dilapidated house. They had returned to their village only to attend a festival when the tragedy took place at the Vaddar Hosur quarry pond, robbing them of their brave daughter, whom the country is now choosing to salute on the occasion of Republic Day.
Nethravati was at the pond washing clothes when two boys related to her Muthuraj(11) and Ganesh (10) slipped and fell into the pond. Nethravati, hearing their screams for help, jumped in to help even though she didn't know how to swim.
