King of the golden hour

ONE BOLD red cross against a white background. It is amazing how much respect this symbol has inspired in one young man.

At a recent conference of the Indian Red Cross Society in Chennai, the hero of the hour was Tirumalai. And when everyone applauded, the crowd was feting one of its own. Among those who were present in the audience were Mr. Murali S. Deora, MP and vice chairman of the national headquarters, Indian Red Cross Society, Dr. Vimala Ramalingam, Secretary General, and Ms. Sarojini Varadappan, the Tamil Nadu chapter president.

A film exhibited at the conclusion of the three-day long conference had delegates from 22 States applauding one young boy, as he was then, an eigth standard student. The short documentary film that held everybody's attention was a recreation of the incident in which Thirumalai, then merely 13 years old, saved the life of a young labourer who was hit by an MTC bus in August 1999. The film emerged as a symbol of the ideals of the Junior Red Cross Movement.

Viewing the 35mm film, delegates at the conference expressed the unanimous view that the film should reach more frontiers. They concurred that it should be dubbed in all the Indian languages and exhibited in other states, mainly to enthuse children to help people in distress.

A point made emphatically during this screening was also the need to introduce the concepts of first aid as a compulsory part of the curriculum for all school children.

Thudippu was shot by Mr.S.Shivapprasadh, inspired by the heroism of Thirumalai himself. While the celluloid is often touted as the inspiration for many acts, positive or negative, this was one instance where real life made a doubly convincing special appearance on reel.

By Ramya Kannan

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