Neerja Bhanot ~ Avani Padda

Neerja Bhanot

Written By Avani Padda Designed By Tosin Olatunji

Have you heard of this heroic name before, ‘Neerja Bhanot’? Well, if you haven’t (or have), I am going to be telling you the very inspirational and true story of this woman. Neerja Bhanot was born in the city of Chandigarh which is in India on the 7th of September 1963. After growing up in Chandigarh, Neerja and her family decided to move to the bustling and populous city of Mumbai where she then married a man named Naresh Mishra in the March of 1985. Unfortunately, the marriage between Neerja and Naresh quickly came crashing down as Neerja was mentally and physically abused for dowry, although it was settled on Naresh’s behalf that dowry would not be requested for. Luckily, Neerja decided it was time to leave her abusive partner and start a career for herself which was to become a flight attendant (she was also a model for big companies for a short while). When Neerja Bhanot had applied to become an air hostess

for Pan American airways she was picked in the top 80 out of the 10,000 applications for the job! How impressive, right? However, her story does not end here. It was the 5th of September 1986. Pan Am Flight 73 was waiting at Karachi Airport in Pakistan to fly to the U.S with 360 passengers and 19 crew members on board when four men hijacked the aircraft. Neerja quickly reported this to the pilots who then escaped, ensuring that the hijackers could not forcibly take off the plane. When the gunmen asked for the passengers’ passports, Neerja - alongside the rest of the Pan-Am cabin crew - decided to hide the American passports so they could not identify them and then use the passports.

After 15 hours of restlessly remaining on the aircraft with hijackers, the plane lost its Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), causing the lights and air conditioning to switch off. This is when the four hijackers ran out of patience and decided to shoot as many people as they could. Even though Neerja Bhanot was standing right next to the emergency exit and could have easily escaped, she decided to remain on the craft and save as many lives as she could. Neerja believed it to be her responsibility as senior flight attendant to make sure everyone was out of the aircraft before herself. Although the hijackers were shooting everywhere and everyone, trying to kill as many as they could, Neerja stayed on the plane helping passengers out and showing them the emergency exit without any regard for herself. Neerja Bhanot was helping three unaccompanied children among others to get out of the aeroplane when one of the four men decided to grab her by the hair and shoot her. Sadly, Neerja did not survive and passed away shortly after being shot. The hijackers eventually ran out of ammunition and the military arrived on to the aircraft and arrested the men. The men were then sentenced to life in prison. The amazing Neerja had managed to save 339 passengers during the hijack and one of the children whose life she saved is now a captain for a major airline. He states that Neerja is his inspiration and that he owes every day of his life to her. She was also awarded the Ashoka Chakra award. Even though Neerja Bhanot is not here with us today, her legacy remains throughout the Ashoka Chakra Award (the highest civilian award for bravery in India) and many other awards. She will always be in our hearts because of her bravery, kindness and sacrifices.