Neerja Bhanot: Ashoka Chakra - Citation by the President of India in 1986

The President of India has awarded Neerja Bhanot with Ashoka Chakra in 1986. Read below the citation of the text.  (Also see: Rare Photos and Facts of Neerja Bhanot)

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Neerja Bhanot - Ashoka Chakra Citation



On the Fifth of September, Nineteen Eighty Six,  twenty three years old Shreemati  Neerja, daughter of Shri Harish Bhanot, was a member of the crew of Pan American Airways Flight from Bombay to New York via Karachi as Senior Flight Purser.



A group of four heavily armed hijackers rushed to the aircraft on the tarmac at Karachi Airport.



Showing tremendous presence of mind and quick reflexes, it was her instant shout of 'Hijack' which alerted the flight crew who immediately escaped, thereby immobilizing the aircraft.



With the exit of the flight crew, she took command of the situation and kept the terrified passengers calm.



She deftly managed the situation and prevented the trigger-happy hijackers from going berserk.



However, when suddenly the power in the aircraft went off in the aircraft and she helped a number of passengers to escape through the emergency door, she became a marked target of the hijackers.

One of the desperate hijackers grabbed her from behind and shot her dead.



Her loyalties to the passengers of the aircraft in distress will forever be a lasting tribute to the finest qualities of human spirit.



Shreemati Neerja, daughter of Shri Harish Bhanot, thus displayed the most conspicuous bravery In the face of grave adversities and tried to save the lives of the passengers on the ill- fated flight at the cost of her own life.



President of India



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It must be noted that this is the only occasion in the history of India when Ashoka Chakra was awarded to a woman.



Also, She is also the youngest person to have been awarded with Ashoka Chakra.



In 2004, Vajpayee government had also issued a postage stamp in the honor of the great Neerja Bhanot.



Neerja was married but due to dowry pressures and harassment from her husband she has decided to leave him and pursue her own career.

Neerja Bhanot Rare Photos and Facts

There are plenty of inspiring stories. This one stands unique - for it was in an era when flight travelling was not that frequent and a woman in India got less exposure to the external world when compared to 21st century.



Firstly, Salutes to Neerja Bhanot who stood strong, bravely with smile on her face while she was facing the cruel terrorists. Neerja the movie that is created now is just a tribute to her bravery.

Some facts that you might want to know:

Sonam Kapoor starrer Neerja collects 12.3 Cr in first two days in box office. Neerja Bhanot is the youngest recipient of Ashoka Chakra Award. In the video posted above, learn more such facts about Neerja Bhanot and see some of her rare photos. We also showcased some photos from the Neerja full movie.

• Neerja Bhanot was the daughter of a Mumbai-based journalist, Harish Bhanot. She was born in Chandigarh and her mother Rama Bhanot was a house wife. 
• Neerja got married at the age of 21. She moved to the West Asia with her husband. However, she returned to her family in Mumbai after her husband began to make dowry demands. 
• The terrorists who hijacked the flight belonged to the Abu Nidal Organisation. Neerja was shot while she was trying to save three children from the terrorists.
• One of the three children that she saved, then a 7-year-old, is now himself an airline pilot. He considers Neerja to be his role model.
• Neerja Bhanot was awarded Ashoka Chakra Award, India's most prestigious gallantry award for bravery during peace time.

Every Indian is proud of her. Every woman see this as an inspiring story. Women in India face numerous challenges today. Lets all (men and women) learn a bit of lesson from this legend.

Overarm bowling in Cricket was invented by a Woman in 1800s

In 17th century and prior, underarm bowling was the only way one could bowl as per the cricketing rules. Anything that is not underarm bowling was treated as illegal bowling. And in those days in England, women were not only interested in watching this game but also started playing the game as well. There were good underarm bowlers those days - men and women together.

One such young woman who had interest in cricket was Christina Willes who was the sister of Kent county player John Willes in England. While playing cricket with her brother in their garden, Christina found that her skirt was getting in the way of bowling underarm. Apparently, skirts were pretty large, huge and voluminous those days. Obviously she didn't like the skirt getting in the way of her bowling style. She then tried to bowl overarm (or may be you can say partly round-arm) to her brother John Willes.

John Willes observed her sister's bowling action. He then started learning this style from her. On July 15, 1822 Kent County was playing against MCC in Lord's. John Willes was playing for Kent Country. He bowled the first ball of his over using a round-arm style. The umpire declared it as no-ball because,as I said earlier, anything that is not underarm was illegal those days.

The moment umpire gave a no-ball, John Willes threw the ball down, got on his horse and left the ground. As a protest, he never played a match since then. But what he left behind was an idea for the cricketing world and for the cricket lawmakers to amend the laws and adopt overarm bowling.

Over the years, roundarm and overarm bowling became the only legal ways of bowling. Underarm bowling is now termed as illegal. John Willes and more importantly his sister Christina Willes remained the unsung heroes.

What woman created centuries ago, (gentle)men embraces it till date. Isn't this a shower-thought?

Now for something more interesting: Want to learn What happens when you hit longest six at World's Highest Cricket Ground ?

Sheryl Sandberg Cashes Out $91 Mn - How much was your share in that?

43 year-old Sheryl Sandberg has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and is Number 2 executive after Mark, the founder. The moment Facebook crossed the IPO price of $38 per share, Sheryl cashed it out for a whooping $91 Mn.

Currently Facebook is trading at $38.50.

Well, thats the news. But whats in it for you? You have actually got a share in her earnings. The number of posts you have made, the likes you clicked and the ads you've seen are all responsible for her earnings. It was a life-saving event for Mark Zukerberg as Facebook was not doing well on stock market after its much-hyped IPO.

Sheryl became a billionaire after selling part of facebook stocks she had. Yes, she still holds around 25 million shares worth about $1 bn according to US Security Filings.