For over two weeks, his friends kept it a tight secret out of fear. But when the information leaked finally, what awaited 11-year-old Radhin Ibnu Jamal were bouquets and not brickbats as they feared.

Radhin became a hero of Chaliyam in Kadalundi grama panchayat by rescuing a nine-year-old boy from drowning in a village pond. Radhin jumped into the deep pond, risking his own life, to save drowning Mishal.

His friends hushed up the incident fearing that their parents would rebuke them and ban them from swimming.

A fifth standard student at Umbichi Haji Higher Secondary School, Chaliyam, Radhin was given a hero’s reception by the school and the panchayat. “He is a courageous boy. Otherwise, he would not have dared to dive into the deep pond to bring back Mishal from the brink of death,” said Abdul Rahman, former headmaster of the school.

Felicitation

The incident happened in the Shaliyathi Pond at Chaliyam on August 4. One of the children leaked it three days ago, and the world knew about Radhin’s bravery when the school authorities summoned the children and felicitated the little hero.

Mishal’s mother Jaseena, who learned about it two days ago, said that it was the overgrown hair of her son that helped Radhin to pull him back into life. Radhin had saved Mishal by catching his hair.

Gratitude

Radhin’s father M.V. Jamaluddin stood in disbelief when Ms. Jaseena approached him with words of gratitude.

“I had taught him swimming. Once he had caught me in panic while learning. Then I told him that a drowning person would clutch at a straw. So the advice I gave him was to catch the drowning person by the hair,” said Mr. Jamaluddin.

“Radhin has become the pride of Chaliyam. The country should honour him with a bravery award,” said Mr. Abdul Rahman.