It has been quite a while since I blogged. Welcome back to
my blog. I watched the biopic, ‘Neerja’, some time back, which really touched my
heart. The movie ‘Neerja’ is based on
the life of Neerja Bhanot, who was a Purser for Pan Am based in Mumbai, India.
She was shot and killed while saving hundreds of passengers on board a Pan Am
plane which terrorists had hijacked.
Without
going into the details of the story, since there are various sources already
available to do that, my blog post attempts to pay a tribute to the finest
qualities of the human spirit exhibited by probably one of the greatest and
bravest real-life heroines that the Planet has witnessed, Neerja Bhanot. What a
remarkable, brave and noble lady, she was! So courageous and selfless in the
face of life-threatening danger!
In
the modern world, where human values need to resurrected and terrorism has
shocked the world in different ways, the noble sacrifice of people like Neerja
Bhanot immortalizes the truly admirable qualities that the human spirit has
been endowed and provides a beacon of light for the world. The selfless heroism
of Neerja Bhanot at the face of nerve-wracking danger, where probably, most
people would just think of saving their individual lives, will go down in
history as perhaps one of the most noblest acts of bravery.
It is time for each one of us to think of ways
and means by which the world could be made a better, safer and happier place
for the future generations so that the noble sacrifice of people like Neerja
Bhanot does not go a waste.
I
come from India where we firmly believe in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – ‘The World
Is One Family’ As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar recognizes
humanity as the highest identity, is it not time that all the people on this
planet have a broad vision and celebrate diversity while retaining pride in
their roots, their native heritage?
Neerja
was a true heroine who saved many human lives, cutting across boundaries while
selflessly sacrificing her own life. Is it not time that we too imbibe noble
values in our lives and make the planet a better place for the future
generations? Think about it. Neerja is a brave role model, whose life-story
should probably be the bed-time story for our younger generations. Hers is not
a fairy-tale, but definitely it is a tale that will inspire bravery and
nobility in the hearts of our younger generations. I salute the youngest and first woman
recipient of the Ashok Chakra, Neerja Bhanot !
References:
1. http://images.mapsofindia.com/my-india/2016/02/Neerja-Bhanot.jpg
2. http://media.mensxp.com/media/content/2016/Jan/story-of-neerja-bhanot-the-flight-attendant-who-died-in-1986-pan-am-73-hijack800-1453294989.jpg
3. https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAASHAAAAJDgzMmY2YjBlLTkyYzgtNDVhMC1iMTZlLTc4YzRjMjM2OWM1YQ.jpg