Mhonbeni Ezung, National Bravery award 2015
Eight-year-old Mhonbeni Ezung won the National Bravery award 2015 for rescuing her drowning grandmother from a river at Chudi village in Wokha district of Nagaland. Her act of bravery made her the youngest recipient of the bravery awards that year, among 23 other recipients.
During her winter vacations, Mhonbeni had gone to stay with her grandmother in a village in Nagaland. Her grandmother, Renthunglo Jungi, then 78, had taken her out for fishing to a nearby stream. While fishing, the grandmother suffered sudden cramps followed by a stroke and fell unconscious. Mhonbeni ran back four-five km through the thick forests all alone to the village and brought help, and was able to save her grandmother.
According to the Times of India, Mhonbeni’s proud father, N Longtsubemo Lotha, who is a havaldar in Nagaland’s home guards department, was present when his daughter received the award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. She received a medal, a certificate and cash under the national scheme and will be granted financial assistance till the time she completes her school education.