6-Year-Old Boy Declared Hero After Kind Act for Chicken

6-Year-Old Boy Declared Hero After Kind Act for Chicken
A chick sold by a vendor is carried in a plastic bag outside a primary school in Changchun of Jilin Province, China, on March 3, 2009. (China Photos/Getty Images)

A 6-year-old boy who tried to save a young chicken with all his savings became an internet star after a picture of his kind act emerged on social media.

Derek Lalchhanhima, from northeastern India, accidentally ran over his neighbor’s chick with his bike. He begged his parents to take it to the hospital, because he did not understand that the chick was already dead.

As per Reports: This young boy from Sairang, Mizoram, accidentally ran over his neighbour's chicken. He took the…

Posted by Sanga Says on Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Derek decided to take the chick, and all the money he had, to the hospital himself. A photo taken by a nurse shows Derek with the dead chick in one hand while he offers medical staff a 10 rupee note, equivalent to almost 15 cents, with the other hand, Daily Mail reported.

Derek came home in tears after the staff said there was nothing they could do. Then Derek decided to go back to the hospital, this time with 100 rupees, equivalent to about $1.45.

“His parents finally had to explain to him that the chick is dead and that there’s nothing they can do at the hospital,” said family friend, Sanga Says, via Daily Mail.

Says posted the photo of the boy on Facebook after the boy’s father told him the story of what happened.

Reaction to the photo has been huge. It was posted early on April 2, and by April 4 it had more than 128,000 reactions, 89,000 shares, and 11,000 comments.

“Little guy with a big heart! Salute to his pure heart and intention, and the early learning of responsibility!” wrote Facebook user Si Dee, commenting on the photo.

“Hats off to the little boy for his sense of responsibility which we adults are sorely missing,” commented Girish Rao.

Another photo posted later by Says showed Derek with an award given to him by his school for trying to save the chick. School staff also adorned him with a special shawl.

I guess by now you all know who this adorable kid is.Derek C Lalchhanhima (age 6) is being honoured by his school and…

Posted by Sanga Says on Thursday, April 4, 2019

Commenters on the post said they hoped to meet Derek one day to give them their congratulations in person.

“HI Sanga, how can i get in touch with his parents. A friend wants to send a letter to this boy,” wrote Vitono Gugu Haralu.

“If I ever go to Mizoram then I will meet this kid…” wrote Abhik Manna.

Says explained in the followup post how the shawl Derek wore in the photo is an honor for heroes.

“I guess by now you all know who this adorable kid is. Derek C Lalchhanhima (age 6) is being honoured by his school and he is draped in a shawl which is a traditional way of honouring someone among Mizos. In Mizo tradition different types of shawls are usually presented to esteemed guests and in olden days, to pasalțha (braves or warriors) who have accomplished great feats,” Says explains. “The shawl that is draped on him looks like a modified version of the ‘Tawlhloh Puan’, an honour given to those who have exemplified extraordinary courage.”

“Mizo” refers to a collection of ethnic groups that inhabit portions of the Mizoram state in India, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Most of them speak Tibeto-Burman languages, part of the larger Sino-Tibetan group of languages, which also includes Chinese languages.

Mizo people also live in the neighboring Indian states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland. They are also found in Burma and Bangladesh.

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