Take nothing away from the young bravehearts. Every year 25 of them from distant corners of the country come under special focus at this time of the year. The presentation of National Bravery Awards is a highlight of the Republic Day festivities, and has been so for 60 years. The young heroes are feted by the President, Prime Minister and participate in the parade of 26 January. This year too are those young ones being hailed for having scripted stories of exceptional valour, receiving their share of the glory that comes with being “splashed” in the newspapers, projected on television, etc. Yet their days in the sun are brief, once the curtain drops on the celebrations associated with the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic they will recede to the backyards of memory ~ who will remember them next year? It is true that Indian Council for Child Welfare that administers the awards does provide financial assistance for them to complete their schooling, and a few seats are reserved for them in medical and professional education institutions, but is there any effective monitoring of their future course through life? Would it not make the awards more meaningful if next January, an “update” on the 2017 awardees is also presented? Or, further achievements of selected previous winners are made public: if only to serve as a source of inspiration. An award has more than ceremonial value, else it is reduced to a routine ritual.

This is not to fault the ICCW which has a vast agenda. Yet surely other official agencies, or NGOs, can be involved in the effort. Does anybody know if previous awardees progressed to higher education, or what professional avenues they pursued after sharing the spotlight with the “cream” of the armed services on Republic Day? Did their families have the finances to enable them to follow their dreams? What about the awardees from “remote” areas of the country, were those who helped bring to book notorious elements like terrorists or child-traffickers subsequently targeted? It is difficult not to recall how some years back the father of one of the awardees did not hide his fear that his son being “shown” on TV rendered te lad in danger from    the terrorists whose mischief he had foiled. If the present government is to shed the tag of “managing headlines only” it must pressure local    authorities to facilitate youthful energies attaining fruition. For the qualities that made heroes of the 25 youngsters now under national focus were surely not one-off acts of impulse? Heroism is made of “sterner stuff” ~ it would be tragic if such qualities were not nurtured. Bravery is more than bravado.