Ajay dedicated the award to his grandmother, Ratna Devi, who has been raising the 9-year-old and his sister since they lost their mother a few years ago
AGRA: Back in his hometown in Agra’s Bah to a grand reception on Saturday after receiving the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi, Ajay Raj Nishad (9), who on July 25 saved father Vir Bhan from the jaws of a large crocodile in the Chambal, said, “I was afraid for my life too. But at that moment, the only thing that came to my mind was how to save my dad.”On that July afternoon, armed with only a long stick, the thin and diminutive 9-year-old boy struck the predator’s eye, forcing it to release his father and retreat back into the waters. And the child’s act of bravery was not just noticed by Bah’s residents, but it also went right up to the corridors of power in the national capital.In Delhi, inspired by his brief interaction with PM Narendra Modi at the award ceremony, the Class IV stud-ent, while dedicating the honour to his grandmother, Ratna Devi, said, “I want to join defence forces and serve the nation in the future… I want to protect my country the way I protected my father.”The award honours extraordinary accomplishments in various categories. Ajay was awarded in the category of ‘bravery’.His father, Vir Bhan, told TOI: “I’m a small-time labourer and also rear a few goats. On July 25, I, along with my children — Ajay and my daughter — took our goats out for grazing. It was around 2pm, I felt thirsty and went to fetch water from the river. To my horror, a full-grown crocodile moved towards me and before I could react, it grab-bed my right leg and tried to pull me into the water.”“Ajay quickly picked up a long stick and hit the crocodile at least 15 times. But it had little impact on the reptile. Then he struck the crocodile in the eye… It all happened within a few seconds. I thought that I was gone that day. I am alive today only because of my 9-year-old son,” Vir said, showing the months-old scar on his leg. The 37-year-old added that he had lost his wife a few years ago and his children were being raised by their grandmother.Back home, Ajay has become a local hero with people from neighbouring villages streaming in to catch a glimpse of him. Fatehpur Sikri MP Rajkumar Chahar also met the child and awarded him Rs 51,000.
