Back
Andhra Pradesh
Brave youth’s elusive wait for land
J.B.S.Umanadh
It took almost 12 years for Shiv Shankar Badri to realise a dream that eluded him till he turned 24
Rare honour: Shiv Shankar Badri receiving bravery award from the then president Shankar Dayal Sharma.
Sangareddy: For Shiv Shankar Badri of Zaheerabad, a recipient of the Child Bravery Award, saving his grandparents from the Killari earthquake was easier than securing land promised by the Government. It took almost 12 years for him to realise a dream that eluded him till he turned 24. Shiv Shankar, then a 12-year-old boy living with his grandparents in Killari of Latur in Maharashtra, woke up in the middle of the night as he sensed mild tremors. Risking his life he dragged both his grandparents from the house.
The house collapsed seconds after they reached safety. Hearing his heroic tale, the district officials in Latur recommended Badri’s name for the Bravery Awards to be given on Republic Day.
The committee, headed by Sonia Gandhi, selected him for the award. Badri received the award from the former President of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma, in January 1995. Consequently, former Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu asked the former Medak District Collector, Rosaiah, to grant him land for the construction of a house. Badri, who received the patta for plot number 22 in survey number 159 in February 1995, was shocked to know that someone else had already occupied the plot. Only recently after the news was covered in the regional press, the District Collector, B.Venkatesam, allocated him an alternative site. However, Badri was not ready to receive the orders.
As a grown-up now, he is demanding land for cultivation. However, Badri received a rare honour in Maharashtra, as his brave act was included in the Marathi textbook of second standard as “Pardhi Shivshankar.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu