How to become immortal by doing big things in small lives?

Karachi Airport, Pakistan- September 5, 1986. 5:00 am Pan Am flight 73 just landed from Mumbai. Destination New York. About 380 people, including passengers and crew on the plane. The dawn lights started to bloom, but suddenly a danger signal rang like a siren breaking the silence of the runway. Four armed terrorists entered the runway. AK-47 in their hands, grenades and explosives in belt. They were members of the Palestinian terrorist organization 'Abu Nidal'.

The senior flight purser was standing at the door of the plane, a beautiful young girl, just 22 years old, Neerja Vanot. Just two days until her 23rd birthday. Terrorists started shooting cardamom after entering. Neerja understood that the situation was terrible. She quickly sent signals of hijack to the cockpit via intercom. Her intelligence enabled the pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer to escape through an 'overhead hatch' in the cockpit. So there is no way to fly the plane.

As the pilots fled, now alone in the duty of the plane. Terrorists are angry. They ordered Neerja to collect the passports of passengers. Their main goal was to find and kill American citizens.

A strange, nervous war has begun. Neerja knew that handing over passports to terrorists means death sentence for 43 American passengers on the plane. She pointed out her colleagues. In the light of the plane, a dangerous game started behind the eyes of the terrorists. Neerja and her team started choosing American passports. Some passports were hidden under the seat, and some were thrown in the garbage basket. When the terrorists checked their passports, they could not separate American and non-American passengers. This present intelligence of Neerja fooled the messengers of death that day.

Hour after hour is passing. 17 hours. Karachi's sunrise is going off again. The AC is off inside the plane, unbearable heat, and suffocating panic. Neerja is giving water and feeding passengers with a smiling face. He didn't run; he fought.

The night has come down. The power supply unit of the aircraft has been closed. Darkness in the knees. This darkness broke the dam of the patience of terrorists. They thought the commandos might attack. Panic, they started shooting potatoes. The grenade cracked. Inside the plane, then hell is Gulzar.

Neerja showed the ultimate height of courage then. She opened the emergency exit or emergency door. She could save her life by getting down the slide first if she wanted. But she didn't do it. She stood next to the door and started pushing the passengers out.

When everyone was getting down, Neerja found three small children curled up behind the seat. She grabbed their hands and pulled them to the door. But by then, the terrorists saw her. A terrorist came from behind and pulled Neerja's hair. Then he shot her (Point-blank range)

Neerja's body is shaken. Uniform got drenched in blood. But before taking her last breath, she made sure those three babies were safely down the slide.

7th September was her birthday. Her father, Harish Vanot, wanted to surprise her daughter on her birthday, but on September 5, he got her daughter's coffin. Neerja used to model earlier; her beauty was impressive. But the beauty she showed that nightThe, was the beauty of her soul.

Indian government awarded him the posthumous 'Ashok Chakra' honour. She is the first woman to receive this honor and the youngest person ever. The Pakistan Govt awarded him 'Tamgha-e-Insaniyat' (Medal for Humanity).

Even today, when we board the plane and see the air hostesses, we think their job is just to serve food. But Neerja Vanot proves that the man behind the uniform can become a superhero by need. He alone was the torch of light in that darkness of 17 hours.

Salute Neerja Vanot