Valiantly generous

Anjali Singh Gautam had lived in the Maoist infested Dantewada area for years but her first live encounter with the extremists came only in 2010 when a group of Maoists entered her house in Nakulnaar village to kill her father Avdesh Singh Gautam. Although just 13 year old at the time, Anjali kept her wits about her, somehow managed to hoist her injured brother on her tender shoulders and escaped the mayhem unfolding in her home.

Anjali’s courage became the talking point of the nation soon after when she was awarded the national bravery award for 2011. The teenager then went on to display some gutsy generosity when she donated the entire Rs 24,000 she had received as cash reward to a home for poor children.
While talking to TSI, Anjali says, “My father had told me about this ashram in Dantewada. After hearing about the poor girls staying there, I decided to give the entire money of the bravery award to the home. This place even has children whose parents were killed by the naxals.”

Of course, Anjali could afford to donate the money given that she came from a slightly more privileged background than the other bravery award winners that TSI met. Her father after all was a contractor in the area. It nevertheless takes a large heart and a compassionate mind to part with money and Anjali obviously has that in plenty.

Reliving the events of that night, Anjali explains, “Before entering the house, they (the Naxals) had already shot dead one of our relatives and a servant. My mother and father shouted for help and ran towards the terrace. But, my younger brother and I were caught by them. One of them shot my brother in the leg.” Somehow, Anjali picked her brother on her back and ran to safety to her grandfather’s home which was nearby. The next day, the little girl became the talk of the entire village and the rest is history.

A few months after the incident, Anjali and her family left their ancestral village and are now re-settled in Jagdalpur. Anjali’s father says that the shift is not prompted due to Naxal threat but to avail better educational facilities for his children. Anjali is now a student of Biology in 11th standard and dreams of becoming an Indian Police Service officer one day so that she can help in fighting the violence in her district. As for Anjali’s parents, their big goal is to find a better coaching institution for their daughter so that she can fulfill all her ambitions and aspirations.