Neerja Bhanot

Neerja Bhanot, born on September seventh, nineteen sixty-three, was an Indian flight attendant and model whose bravery became legendary. On September fifth, nineteen eighty-six, she was aboard Pan Am Flight seventy-three when it was hijacked by four terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organization during a stopover at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

During the harrowing seventeen-hour standoff, Neerja displayed extraordinary courage. She opened an emergency exit door and assisted numerous passengers in escaping the aircraft. Tragically, her selfless actions led to her being shot and killed by the hijackers, but her heroism saved many lives.

In recognition of her valor, Neerja became the first female recipient and, until two thousand three, the youngest recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. Additionally, she was honored with the Tamgha-e-Pakistan, the fourth highest civilian award in Pakistan, along with several accolades from the United States.

Her inspiring life and humanitarian efforts were immortalized in the two thousand sixteen Indian Hindi-language biographical film 'Neerja,' directed by Ram Madhvani and featuring actress Sonam Kapoor in the lead role.