NeerjaBhanot

A Chandigarh childhood

Neerja was born in Chandigarh to Harish Bhanot, a journalist with the Hindustan Times, and Rama Bhanot. Her family nickname was “Lado”. She studied at Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School in the city before the family moved to Bombay, where she attended Bombay Scottish School and graduated from St. Xavier’s College.

From modelling to Pan Am

Spotted by a photographer at 18, she modelled for advertising campaigns for brands including Amul, Binaca, Godrej, Parle and Vaporex. In 1985 she joined Pan Am, trained in Miami, and became a purser.

Flight 73

On 5 September 1986 the Bombay–New York flight was hijacked on the ground at Karachi by militants of the Abu Nidal Organization. After the cockpit crew escaped, Neerja took charge of the cabin. She and her colleagues hid passengers’ passports so the hijackers could not single out Americans. When shooting began after a 17-hour standoff, she helped open the exits and stayed on board to help passengers escape. She was shot while shielding three children.

Legacy

She became the first woman and the youngest person to receive the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award. Pakistan honoured her with the Tamgha-e-Insaniyat. Her life was the subject of the 2016 film Neerja, starring Sonam Kapoor.