Brave woman fought a Tiger for her child - Fusion - WeRIndia

Pi Zadingi is considered to be one of the bravest women in the Mizo community. Zadingi comes from the village of Buarpui in the Lunglei District of Mizoram.

Four decades ago, Zadingi was trapped in a tense situation with a wild tiger, and she either had to kill the tiger or be killed by it.

Not only was her own life at stake, but so was the life of her 3-month-old son and her second unborn child.

At the time of the incident, Zadingi was three months pregnant with her second child.

In an act of sheer boldness and bravery, she managed to kill the tiger before it could get to her or her infant son.

On the morning of July 3rd, 1978, Zadingi was collecting firewood in the thick forests near Buarpui.

She had set out to collect firewood all on her own, despite her neighbors’ offers to accompany her on her hike. She had taken her son, Lalhmingthanga, with her.

Zadingi had refused her neighbors’ offers so that she and her son could return home with the firewood as soon as possible.

She found a spot with a couple of dead trees, and she decided to make use of their wood.

However, Zadingi had just finished chopping two logs of wood when she heard deep panting sounds.

She didn’t see any human or animal around, so she went right back to chopping. When she heard the sounds again, she looked up to see the head of a tiger in the bushes.

As the tiger began to inch closer to her, the only thing Zadingi could think about was that she had to live to care for her son.

The tiger leapt at her with the intention of killing her, but Zadingi managed to swing her axe down on its forehead.

The blow killed the tiger instantly. Zadingi did not leave the incident unscathed, since the tiger did manage to claw one of her hands before it died.

For her incredible act of courage, Zadingi was awarded the Shaurya Chakra by the President of India in 1980.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia