History News Desk !!! Neerja Bhanot (English: Neerja Bhanot, born: 7 September 1963; 5 September 1986) was an air hostess of Pan Am Airlines in Mumbai. On September 5, 1986, she fell victim to the bullets of terrorists while helping and protecting the passengers in the hijacked Pan Am flight 73. Neerja was truly the greatest heroine of independent India. She sacrificed her life while saving the lives of about 400 passengers from terrorists.
Neerja Bhanot was born on 7 September 1963 in Chandigarh, Punjab, the daughter of father Harish Bhanot and mother Rama Bhanot. Her father was working in the field of journalism in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Neerja received her early education at Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School in her hometown Chandigarh. After this, she was educated at Scottish School and St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Neerja got married in the year 1985 and she went to the Gulf country with her husband; but after some days the relationship soured due to dowry pressure and Neerja returned to Mumbai just two months after marriage. After this, she applied for the job of air hostess in Pan Am and after being selected, returned after training in Miami.
When Neerja Bhanot was born to Harish Bhanot, no one had thought that this girl would receive India’s highest civilian honour. Since childhood, this girl had a strong desire to sit in an aeroplane and fly in the sky. Neerja fulfilled her wish by joining Pan Am Airlines. On 16 January 1986, Neerja’s desire to touch the sky actually got wings. Neerja started working as an air hostess in Pan Am Airlines. The time of 5 September 1986 had come when it was the turn of the real test of Neerja’s life. Pan Am 73 plane was waiting for its pilot at the airport of Karachi, Pakistan. There were about 400 passengers sitting in the plane. Suddenly 4 terrorists took the entire plane at gunpoint. They pressurised the Pakistani government to send a pilot to the plane as soon as possible. But the Pakistani government refused. The terrorists then called Neerja and her colleagues to collect the passports of all the passengers so that they could put pressure on Pakistan by killing an American citizen.
Neerja collected the passports of all the passengers and hid the passports of 5 American passengers sitting in the plane and handed over the rest to the terrorists. After that, the terrorists brought a British to the gate of the plane and threatened the Pakistani government that if the pilot is not sent, they will kill him. But Neerja talked to that terrorist and saved that British citizen too. Slowly 16 hours passed. The talks between the Pakistani government and the terrorists did not yield any result. Suddenly Neerja remembered that the fuel in the plane can end at any time and after that it will become dark. Soon she asked her co-acquaintances to distribute food to the passengers and also asked them to give a card explaining about the emergency doors of the plane. Neerja had come to know that the terrorists have planned to kill all the passengers. She first gave the food packets to the terrorists, because she thought that after filling their stomachs with hunger, they might talk with a calm mind.
Meanwhile, all the passengers identified the emergency doors. What Neerja Bhanot had thought happened. The plane ran out of fuel and darkness prevailed all around. Neerja was waiting for this moment. Immediately she opened all the emergency doors of the plane. As per the plan, all the passengers immediately started jumping from those doors. The terrorists also started firing in the dark. But Neerja saved almost all the passengers with her courage. Some were injured, but they were fine. Now it was Neerja’s turn to escape from the plane, but then she heard the sound of children crying. On the other hand, the Pakistani army commandos had also entered the plane. They killed three terrorists. Here Neerja had found those three children and started moving towards the emergency door of the plane with them. Suddenly the fourth terrorist who was left stood in front of her. Neerja pushed the children towards the emergency door and herself confronted the terrorist. The terrorist fired several bullets into her chest. Neerja sacrificed herself. That fourth terrorist was also killed by Pakistani commandos but they could not save Neerja.
After Neerja Bhanot’s sacrifice, the Indian government awarded her the highest civilian award ‘Ashok Chakra’, while the Pakistani government also awarded Neerja ‘Tamgha-e-Insaniyat’. Neerja was indeed the greatest warrior woman of independent India. In 2004, a postage stamp was also issued in honor of Neerja Bhanot. Internationally, Neerja’s name is famous as the ‘Heroine of Hijack’. In 2005, America gave her the ‘Justice for Crime Award’.
A square in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai has been named in memory of Neerja, which was inaugurated by famous English film actor Amitabh Bachchan in the 90s. Apart from this, an organization ‘Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust’ has also been established in her memory, which remembers her bravery and awards women for their indomitable courage and bravery. This organization established by her family members gives two awards every year, out of which one is given to airline employees at the global level and the other to women in India for raising voice and fighting against various types of injustice and atrocities. The amount of each award is Rs 1,50,000 and along with this, the awarded woman is given a trophy and a memento. Bhanwaribai, a Dalit woman from Rajasthan, who became famous for raising voice against women atrocities, was also given this award.
To remember her heroic deeds and sacrifice, the announcement to make a film on her was made in 2010 itself, but due to some reasons, this work kept getting postponed. The shooting of this film started in April 2015 under the direction of Ram Madhwani. Actress Sonam Kapoor played the role of Neerja in this film. This film was released on 19 February 2016. The producer of this film is Atul Kashbekar.
