Neerja, a flight attendant on the Pan Am hijacking at Karachi gave us inspiration by self-sacrifice. When terrorists came aboard, she warned the plane’s pilots so they could escape, and their quick getaway made the hijacking fail because the terrorists were stuck on the ground.
In the final bloodbath at the end of the hijacking, Neerja was killed. It was two days before her twenty-third birthday. Not only had she assured the failure of the hijacking by preventing the plane from getting off the ground, she also saved the lives of hostages in those long hours of incarceration. She hid the passports of American passengers from the Arabic speaking gunmen, giving them a chance to escape the homicidal wrath of the intruders.
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She was, at so early an age, the senior flight purser. But Neerja, who radiated both cheer and concern, has left a mark on everyone who knew her and many of the rest of us.
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For her bravery, the Government of India posthumously awarded Bhanot the Ashoka Chakra Award, India’s highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy during peace time. She is the youngest recipient and the first woman recipient of this award. In 2004 the Indian Postal Service released a stamp commemorating her.
