Two young boys of remote Domtynrong village in South West Khasi Hills risked their lives by putting themselves in the line of fire to save a plantation plot of MegLIFE from the raging flames.
The story of courage was shared by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority with Highland Post recently on how an incident of wildfire, that took place on April 10, 2025, was responded to by the tiny hands of two nine years old boys.
Bitarsing K. Dewsaw and Bashanbor K. Dewsaw, both Class 2 students of Momen Roy Upper Primary School in Phlangkynshi are the two brave hearts who fought a wildfire at Domphotsiej Reisohlwai plot for an hour.
The plot was nurtured by the village with care, meant to grow into a legacy of green cover and sustainability.
“Smoke curled into the sky, and the crackling of fire spread across the hillside. The hard work—months of effort and dreams—was on the brink of being swallowed by flames,” the MBDA described the incident.
With no adults nearby, no fire engines the two boys stepped out armed with just courage and a few sticks managed to battle the blaze and saved the plantation.
“For over an hour, they battled the blaze—faces flushed from the heat, eyes stinging with smoke, but hearts full of determination. They did not run or give up—and against all odds, they won,” an official said.
The MBDA said the plantation was not ordinary. It was developed under the Project for Community-Based Forest Management and Livelihood Improvement in Meghalaya(MegLIFE Project)—an ambitious initiative to restore degraded landscapes, recharge water sources, and improve rural livelihoods through community-driven natural resource management, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“Their actions came from a deep sense of care for the land they had grown up around. But as admirable as their instinct was, it also reminded us how dangerous fire can be and how quickly children can find themselves at risk when adults or systems are not close at hand,” the official said.
The MBDA has heaped praises on the boys and said, “Their story will be remembered not just for their courage, but for the quiet warning it carries: that while plantations can be regrown, children must be protected.”
“They didn’t act for praise or reward, but because they believed something worth saving was slipping away,” the authority said, adding, “In doing so, they reminded us that sometimes, the strongest hearts come in the smallest forms.”
