Forgotten ‘saviour’ of Nehru

Harish, 74, first recipient of Bravery Award

Around 60 years ago, Harish Chandra Mehra was a national hero who saved the life of the then prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from a fire at the historical Ram Lila grounds. After the incident on October 2, 1957, became the first recipient of a Bravery Award.

But after six decades, he is now a forgotten man and lives in the shadows of his glorious past in Chandni Chowk area of the old city.

“It was October 2, 1957, and I was a 14-year-old, doing duty as a scout in the same shamiana where Pandit Nehru and other VIPs were sitting. Suddenly, a fire broke out due to a spark from fireworks. Sensing that it could lead to a major disaster, I within a fraction of a second entered the burning shamiana and started climbing the 20-foot-high electrical pole,” the 74-yearold said.

“On reaching the top, without thinking of my own safety, I whipped out my scout knife and started cutting the ropes of the shamiana. Suddenly, my hands touched a wire and I fell to the ground unconscious, burning my hands severely. I was admitted to the JP hospital for treatment,” he recalled.

During the award ceremony, it was also mentioned that the 74-year-old helped the police in rescuing two children who got separated from their family in Chandni Chowk area during Mahatama Gandhi’s birth anniversary celebrations.

HARISH CHANDRA Mehra had saved former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from a fire.

HE RECEIVED the Bravery Award from Pandit Nehru at Teen Murti Bhavan.