An Indian man in Canada who lost his life while saving his son from drowning has been bestowed with the Governor General's bravery award.

Prakash Mulchand, 44, and his eight-year-old son were fishing in the Assiniboine River in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on August 3 in 2005 when the boy slipped into the raging waters and swept away by the current when he was fishing with his father and cousin.

Mulchand immediately jumped into the water to save his son from the pounding waves, all the while calling for help.

The boy managed to swim to his father and grab on to him but the two were soon separated and carried away by the swirling current.

The unconscious child was eventually recovered by a man who pulled him on to his personal watercraft and brought him to shore, where he was revived.

Sadly, Mulchand, however, had disappeared under the surface and could not be saved.

Governor General Michaelle Jean announced that the 44-year-old Winnipeg resident would be the only one of 13 new recipients of the Medal of Bravery to receive his decoration posthumously.