My heart sank when I suddenly realised that the voices of the children had stopped and there was a deathly silence," recalls her mother Bharti, who was in the kitchen that day.
"I rushed to the roof and found Prachi struggling with the iron rod. I got the rod out of her hands with the help of a stick and then shouted for help."
The children were rushed to hospital. While the other children recovered after first aid was administered to them, Prachi's condition deteriorated.
"Doctors told me that if the child's life had to be saved, they would have to amputate the fingers of her left hand. You can imagine what we went through emotionally," adds Prachi's father Santosh Sen. "The child who saved four lives was herself on the verge of death because of the risk of gangrene. So we took the painful decision."
In appreciation of her courage, Prachi's school has waived her tuition fees for her entire school tenure.
"If I get a chance to save lives, I will do it again," declares Prachi.
Image: The children who won National Bravery Awards with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Also see: Vice-President gives bravery awards
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