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Kisen Wanniang
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Lifesavers · Meghalaya

Four children, one river

Kisen Wanniang was doing an ordinary chore by the river when he heard children screaming in the floodwater. He went in, and brought out all four.

Kisen Wanniangकिसेन वानियांग
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Kisen Wanniang receives the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from President Droupadi Murmu, 26 December 2024. Photo: via India Today NE

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Age
15 at the time of the Bal Puraskar
Village
Mawlangwir, South West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya
Act
Rescued four children, aged 9 to 12, from the Maweitksar River
Honours
PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024; Jeevan Raksha Padak 2024
4children rescued
15years old
2national honours for the same act

An ordinary day by the river

According to the official PIB account, 15-year-old Kisen Wanniang of Mawlangwir was washing clothes on the riverbank when he heard children calling for help. In heavy rain, four children aged between 9 and 12 had been caught in the fast current of the Maweitksar River.

Bringing out all four

The official account says Kisen jumped into the water without thinking of his own safety and rescued all four children. There is no need to dramatise a rescue like this. The verified facts are powerful enough on their own.

Bal Puraskar, then Jeevan Raksha Padak

On 26 December 2024, President Droupadi Murmu presented him with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in the bravery category. In January 2025, “Master Kisen Wanniang, Meghalaya” was also named in the Government of India’s Jeevan Raksha Padak 2024 list. Two separate national honours underline how serious the rescue was, and how well it was documented.

What his story teaches

Quick, decisive action in an emergency can save lives, and age does not set the limit of courage. Extraordinary bravery does not need a privileged setting. It needs someone who hears a cry for help, and goes.

Sources