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.

Letter that I sent to The Honourable Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu on Security of Passengers

I admire The  Honourable Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu as he is a modern leader that the young India has always been looking forward to. Below is the copy of the email that I sent to The Honourable Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu. I hope to hear from the Honourable Minister on a matter that I am deeply concerned about - Security of passengers and their belongings. The reply that I am hoping to get need not be in words. Rather, I look forward to his reply in his actions and in his leadership style.

Here is the letter:

Naveen Chand K <knaveenchand@gmail.com>

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Security of passengers and their belongings

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K Naveen Chand <knaveenchand@gmail.com>	9 October 2015 at 09:45
To: mr@rb.railnet.gov.in Cc: msrm@rb.railnet.gov.in, crb@rb.railnet.gov.in, Daya Anand <dayanand.enterprise@gmail.com>
Honourable Sir Please excuse this intrusion. My name is Naveen Chand. I am a native of Hyderabad, Telangana. I used to work for the Indian Railways during 1995-1997 as Ticket Collector, then went on to doing my MBA from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), a premier business school founded by Padmavibhushan Dr. V. Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution. I am writing on behalf of my brother, Dayanand, whose valuables got stolen from an AC 2-tier coach of Train Number 12724, Andhra Pradesh Express, on 05 October 2015 during the night hours. My brother, along with his family, was inside the coach, on their way from New Delhi to Hyderabad. My brother lost his laptop, INR 20,000 in cash, two mobile phones (1 Android phone and 1 iPhone), and a pair of gold earrings. Along with him in the AC Coach (HA1) were his wife and two kids. The incident happened sometime during the late night hours, when the train was pacing between Agra and Jhansi, when my brother and family were asleep. Though we do not have direct evidence to report, we are suspicious of the coach attendant who was sleeping inside the coach right opposite to the cabin my brother and family were in. After realizing that the bag containing the valuables was stolen, my brother reported to the cabin attendant and said he would lodge a complaint against him with the Railway Police. Surprisingly, the cabin attendant started pleading and begging not to. This strengthened the suspicion against the attendant. There was no RPF on the train when this incident happened. The TTE on the train contacted the control room to arrange an RPF who boarded at Bhopal Railway station. My brother registered an FIR with that RPF personnel. But the RPF did not include the name of the coach attendant whom we suspect. Upon my brother’s request, the RPF searched the attendant’s possessions, and found a bottle of liquor. They could not find the stolen bag. We later tweeted to the Official Twitter Handles of some high-ranking Indian Railway officers, including the General Manager of North Central Railways, the General Manager of South Central Railways, and the Divisional Railway Managers of all divisions in both these zones.  The Twitter thread can be accessed from this link: https://twitter.com/GMNCR1/status/651952940089917440 and this link: https://twitter.com/gmscrailway/status/652081561295302656 We are thankful to the General Manager of North Central Railways and the General Manager of South Central Railways who took the initiative to reply to us and assured us that they would investigate the matter and take necessary actions. Unfortunately, however, we are not sure what results these investigations would yield. My brother is quite concerned as he has lost some of his valuables, and he doubts he will ever get them back. The laptop contains lots of important and privileged data, including precious family photographs, not all of which have been duplicated in backups. We are grateful to the Government of India for allowing citizens to reach the Railway officials via social media. It is indeed a powerful tool for citizens and officers to communicate.  Sir, the intention of reaching out to you is to highlight the risks passengers face when using the services of Indian Railways. If AC 2-tier coach, that has highly secured doors, and is manned by a coach attendant, could be so vulnerable to thefts, what then might be the plight of the Sleeper Class or general compartments? The average railway passengers travel in these classes, and are exposed to huge risks. The risk is not just to their baggage and valuables, but to their lives too. Staff negligence like sleeping inside the coach, unmanning the doors, or carrying alcohol on board make train journeys unsafe and  a cause of immense insecurity to the passengers. I would appreciate if some urgent steps and actions are taken to maximize safety of passengers. I genuinely hope RPF and other railway officials will give their best to retrieve my brother’s stolen valuables. I trust your leadership to the Indian Railways. I am copying this email to the Honourable Minister of State for Railways as well as the Chairman of Railway Board. Kind regards and warm wishes Naveen Chand On behalf of Dayanand Kanyamarala Date of Journey: 05 October 2015, 06 October 2015 PNR Number: 2209831546 Coach Number: HA1 Train: 12724, Andhra Pradesh Express Other Passengers: Nandita Kanyamarala, Tarun Kanyamarala, Trisha Kanyamarala Contact: +919346974802

At 101 years, Fauja Singh still wants to run in marathons

Last night, I logged into my Facebook account and found this picture on my newsfeed.

My friend (on the right) was in Central Line in Bond Street, London where he met Fauja Singh - World's oldest marathon runner. Fauji Singh is 101 years now.

When asked if he still wants to run, Fauja Singh told that he wants to participate in next Canada marathon. Isn't that inspiring to all of us. How many of us, with young bones, really keep ourselves physically active? Fauja Singh is a real hero and an inspiration to all of us.