Most of us will never find ourselves in a high-pressure situation facing like Neerja did. She did not let fear get the best of her. We cannot even begin to imagine what must she be thinking or feeling during those 17 terrible hours, but what we know is that the 23 year old girl chose to take on the responsibility of safe guarding the lives of the 359 passengers on board the flight. She was the senior most team member on board the aircraft after the Captain, Co-pilot and the flight engineer abandoned the aircraft using the overhead hatch in the cockpit after learning about the terrorists and the hijacking.
After
17 hours, the hijackers opened fired and set off explosives, Neerja opened the
emergency door to help passengers escape, Neerja could have been the first to
leave the aircraft but she stayed on board and died shielding 3 unaccompanied
children from a hail of bullets. There were 360 passengers on board the Pan Am
flight, Neeraj set aside all concern for her own personal safety and well-being
and saved 340 lives on her own, while losing hers just 25 hours before her 23rd
birthday.
For
her actions, Neerja was awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest civilian award
for bravery during peace time. She is the youngest recipient of the Ashok
Chakra, also she became the first woman to receive this honor.
In
a letter to her farther, a year before her ill-fated death Neerja said,”I will
do you proud”, and indeed she did.
The
youth of today must take inspiration from Neerja. She saved the lives of 340
people and ensured that the hijackers were caught by the Pakistani commando
force. The hijackers wanted to harm the American passengers on-board, but
Neerja did not let that happen, she did all that was in her power and more in
the name of her duty.
She
is the hero of our nation. The Government of Pakistan also awarded her with
Tamgha-e-Insaniyat for her heroism and valour.
Let
us all take inspiration from this young brave heart and the hero of the nation.
Courage,
Commitment and Compassion is what we should learn from her.
NEERJA-
the movie releases on 19th of February’16. The movie pays a
homage to the unsung hero. The script of the story was approved by Neerja
Bhanot’s brothers, and it is said that the movie is an exact replica of how
Neerja’s life was. The review of Neerja says it all, viewers are praising the
movie, the direction and the work of #SonamKapoor, #ShabanaAzmi and Yogendar
Tikku.
IndiGo
is an official airline partner for Neerja, the movie. The air carrier had
entered into an agreement with the production company, Fox Star Studios, to
brand and market the film on social media platforms such as Twitter and
Facebook.
Airlines
these days take the training of the crew members very seriously, the cabin crew
is trained to handle any and every situation that comes their way. The airlines
today leave no margin for error and are not lax in terms of safety and
security. This makes sure that no such event happens in today’s date. But God
forbid it happens, the crew is well trained and equipped to handle such
situations. One last lesson we can learn from Neerja is to remain calm and
composed during high pressure situations.
