Neerja Bhanot: The Brave Angel Who Saved Several Lives

Some stories last a lifetime! Neerja Bhanot, the adorable young flight attendant, is the subject of this discussion. And how she turned herself into a superhero for future generations to admire after making history out of a single occurrence.

Let’s thank the courageous young woman Neerja Bhanot for saving many lives while putting others before herself! Young Neerja Bhanot was a pretty girl.She was a brave woman, since she accepted her first modelling job at the age of 18 in the early 1980s. Several businesses began contacting her after her first advertisement.

She was being advertised by companies like Amul chocolate, Krack jack biscuits, Charmis cold cream, etc. due to her popularity. She was also featured on the front cover of Manorama. As her family paid for her wedding, her modelling career really took off. She then gladly approved of it. Yet because her marriage was a nightmare, they ultimately decide to divorce. She made the decision to work as an air hostess for Pan Am, the premier airline in the United States, when her marriage was destroyed.

Also, she was chosen as one of the top 80 candidates out of 10,000 applicants, which was an impressive feat. Neerja was always a carefree, easygoing, and direct young lady. It makes sense that September 5, 1986, was a disastrous day when Neerja woke up early to board Pan Am Flight 73 for her assignment. Also, she had two days left before turning 24. She boarded the hijacked flight AM 73 bound for the United States of America.

The aircraft took off from Mumbai and made a stop at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. A stop was made so that some Karachi passengers could be dropped off. After that, it was going to depart for Frankfurt. Everyone survived the hijack after nearly 17 hours of fighting, with the exception of Neerja. Everyone was saved by Neerja’s cleverness and bravery.

The “Neerja Bhanot Awards” were created by the Neerja Bhanot – Pan Am Trust of India following her passing. This women’s recognition award, which was established in 1990, is given each year to a woman who has dared to challenge social stigmas imposed on other Indian women as well as injustices in those situations. Since then, they have selected one lady to receive their renowned prize each year. It comes with a trophy, a citation, and 1.5 lakh rupees in prize money. She still remains the youngest Indian (22) to be honored by the Ashok Chakra Award.

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