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The boy who ignored his pain to help his injured friends

When his teacher talked to him about the accident, asking him to narrate the whole incident, Shayaan broke down and became a bit emotional.

He is only 10 years old but he has become the face of courage in his school. There is a famous saying that 'You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do'. This is what Grade 6 student Shayaan Ather Hashmi did when his school bus met with an accident.
Excerpts from an interview with the boy who ignored his fear and injury and did not wait for even a split-second to rush to rescue his bus mates.
"I am a very jolly and cool person of my school. I have received a number of academic excellence awards and also won Quran competitions for the past three years. This helped him me get selected for a mini teaching assistant job. I was told to assist KG2 (FS2) students. On entering the classroom, I felt as if I was an adult.
The children were so happy, since a boy who acted just like them was teaching them. One little boy in fact told me to pick him up and not let him down. Some other kids held my hand and just wouldn't let go."
That was the instant popularity Shayaan earned in the class he had just gone to supervise without the teacher being around. This was due to his jolly disposition, smiling face and generous nature.
The next week while on his way to school, Shayaan's bus had an accident. "The sound was as loud as thunder as our school bus rammed into a truck. The impact was so hard that the bus bounced. Everybody hit their faces on the seats. The younger and senior started crying. There was so much chaos everywhere. All of the people rushed outside the bus."
"I saw the child I had assisted in KG2 class, crying because his seatbelt was not opening. I raced towards him and helped him out of his seat and took him outside the bus. My friends helped me get the other shocked kids out of the bus. Then we picked up the bags from under the seats and gave them to the kids."
Once Shayaan and other students were taken to the school, they had a check up from the nurse. "During the checkup I found out that I had a swelling in my nose. I ignored the pain in the bus but now I was feeling it," Shayaan added.
When his teacher talked to him about the accident, asking him to narrate the whole incident, Shayaan broke down and became a bit emotional.
"Because of that my teacher praised me for how I tackled the situation... It was the worst day of my life but happiest because I helped the kids which made me proud."
Shayaan's teacher commented: "Quite a shock and just glad that he is fine. He dealt with this situation in a very grown up way and is truly a wonderful young gentleman."
Also she praised Shayaan's family for inculcating in him the right values.
When asked about what could have prompted such a young kid to tackle such a situation selflessly, Shayaan's mother Sadaf Ather said: "Since his childhood, Shayaan has been a very sensitive child. He used to cry if he would see me in pain. He offers himself for any kind of help if he sees anyone in distress. As a parent we always encouraged him on having a positive attitude."
"We never bought for him violent video games. And his class teacher also insisted that they play board games during activity time in school.
He used to share his gifts with his sister when he was only 3 years old. He is a gift of Allah. Alhamdulillah," Sadaf added.
saman@khaleejtimes.com