Heroine of the hijack

- K. Zothanpara

Kum 1986 September 5 zing khawvar hma a ni a, Pan American World Airways Flight 73 chu Bombay khawpui aṭangin New York pan turin a thlâwk chhuak vuah vuah a. Pakistan-a khawpui pakhat Karachi airport-ah darkar khat lek an chawlh chhungin mi firfiak (terrorist) paliin an luhchilh ta thut mai a. Khualzinte'n an tum ram an pan thei ta lo a; tum ram pan chu sawi loh, an nunna derthâwng takin a awm ta zawk a. Chutih karah chuan, nunna tam tak chhanhimtu cabin crew (purser) huaisen a awm - 'Heroine of the Hijack' - Neerja Bhanot.

Neerja hian a pian champha a chhungte bulah hlim taka lawm châk viau mah se, a hna ṭulna vangin ram hla takah a pian champha vawi 23-na, ni hnih chauhin a dan tawh chu hmang turin an in lum a chhuahsan a ngai. Mi 380 chuanna Pan Am Flight 73 chuan kum 30 liam ta, September 5, 1986 zing dar 5:25 khan Mumbai a chhuansan a; an zinga mi 19 chu pilot leh cabin crew-te an ni. Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan-ah darkar khat vel chauh châwl turin a ṭum a. Chutah chuan airport ground duty-te uniform ang hâ, silai leh bomb nena infam Palestinian mi firfiak pali, Abu Nidal Organisation pawla mi leh Lybia sorkar thlâwpte chuan thlawhna chu an luhchilh a, Cyprus lamah hruai kâwi (hijack) an tum a ni.

Mi firfiakte chuan khualzinte lo hûihâi tura thlawhna kawngkhâra ding mek Neerja chu a samah an ṭhãm bu lâwp a, thlawhna chhungah an lut zui a. Mi firfiakte luh hnuah Neerja chuan intercom hmangin cockpit-a awm pilot leh co-pilot-te chu 'hijack code' a thawn nghal a. Pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer-te chu rîkrum thila chhuahna aṭangin an chhuak hman hlauh. Pilot-te an awm loh avangin an thlâwk chhuak thei lo a, firfiakte chuan airport terminal-a mite chu pilot tír turin an nawr a, airport hotute'n chhuanlam siamin pilot an tír mai duh bik lo. Chutih chhung chuan firfiakte chuan khualzinte chu nasa takin an rîkrâp a.

Darkar 17 vel a liam a, zan dar 9.55-ah chuan thlawhna chhunga êngte chu a thim ta hmuk mai a, firfiakte pawh an phílí ta - silai an hmet puak ta chiam mai a. Neerja chuan rîkrum thila chhuahna kawngká (emergency door) hawngin, khualzinte chu a zuan chhuahtir a; a tam ber an chhuah tawh hnuah naupang pathum kuahkhawma chhuahpui a tum mek laiin, silai mu chuan a hnungzángah a déng ve ta dawt mai. A hliam a nat em avangin rei daih loin a chatthla zui a ni.

Mi firfiakte chêtna vang hian mi 20 vel an thi a, hliam mi 20 chuang hret an awm. Mahni hmasial tak leh a sahimna zawng chu ni se, Neerja hi thlawhna aṭanga chhuak hmasa ber thei a ni. Mahse, amah indah-
ṭhain, a enkawl khualzinte himna a ngai pawimawh hmasa a, a chhuah hmasaktir zel a, a nunnain a tawrh phah ta. Hlim taka a kum 23-na lawm tum khan, a pian champhaphakah chiah a pian champha a ni tih rêng hre tawh loin an in a lut ta zawk a.

Ft. 5'9" a sang Neerja hi September 7, 1962-ah Chandigarh-ah a piang a, kum 12 mi a nih laiin Bombay-ah an pém. A pa Harish Bhanot chu journalist a ni a, Hindustan Times-ah kum 30 chuang a thawk. Neerja hian infiamna lam a ti thei fû a, ṭhiante tana rinawm a nih thu, a ṭhiante chuan an sawi. Modelling lamte a tih ve lâwp lâwp hnuah Pan Am Airways-in India mi cabin crew a laknaah diltu mi sing chuang zinga an lak tâk 80 zingah a tel a. USA-a an training hnuah, cabin crew zingah pawha a hotu (purser) tura thlan 13 zingah a tel nghe nghe. Pan Am Flight 73-ah hian cabin crew an training laia a roommate Rukhsana Eisa chu chief purser ni tur a ni a, mahse, a damsam loh avangin Neerja chu chief purser a ni.

Pan Am Flight 73-a chuang dam chhuak zinga mi Dr Kishore Murthy chuan heti hian a sawi - "Neerja khan huaisen takin firfiakte kha Arabic pai tak chungin a dàwr a, khualzinte a thlamuan reng a. A huaisen tak meuh mai. Firfiakte an luh tirah kawngkhar bula ding a ni a, eng nge thleng a hre chiang a, a duh chuan a bibo thei. Mahse, a tlanchhe duh lo. Kum 30 liam tawh mah se, a hmél kha ka la mitthlà reng a, angel ang mai a ni. Khualzinte himna tura a che vêl kha ka hmu reng a, an kâp fuh lai pawh ka hmu a, min
ṭháwng tak zet a ni," tiin.

Sekhar Mitra pawhin Neerja chu a nun chhanhimtuah a ngai a, "Mi firfiakte American zawngin an kal kual reng a, silaiin min tin kual reng bawk a. Chutiang karah chuan Neerja chuan American-te passport a thuhrûksak a; thukru lo vaih se chuan, American ho zawng kha an kap hlum ngei dawn ti a chiang reng. Vawi tam tak silaiin an tin a, an ṭhâm a, chuti chung chuan passenger-te thlamuanin a nui sáng reng thei zu nia. A chêt dan kha a huaisenthlak tak zet a, mi chhuanawm chungchuang (hero) a ni," a ti.

Neerja Bhanot-i huaisenzia leh mi tam tak nunna chhanhim tura a beihna hi khawvelin a hai lo. 'Heroine of the Hijack' tia vuah a ni hial. India sorkar chuan kum 1987 khan huaisen chawimawina sang ber, Ashoka Chakra a hlan a, Ashoka Chakra dawngtu zinga naupang ber leh hmeichhe zinga dawng hmasa ber a ni. Kum 2004-ah Indian Postal Service pawhin a thlalak chuanna postage stamp a tichhuak nghe nghe.

A chhungte leh Pan Am Airways
ṭangrualin Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust an din a, kum tin award pahnih an hlan ṭhin. Award pakhat chu khawvela flight crew hna thawk ṭhate hnenah hlan ṭhin a ni a; pakhat dang 'Neerja Bhanot Award' chu India hmeichhia, hmeichhe hmasawnna leh hmeichhiate rahbehna do kawnga thawk
ṭhate hnena hlan ṭhin a ni. Award-te hian Rs. 1,50,000, trophy leh thuchei an keng ve ve.

Pan Am Flight 73 hijack leh purser Neerja-i chêt dan ropui tak behchhan hian Hindi film siam a ni a, February 19, 2016 khan tihchhuah a ni. Sonam Kapoor chu Neerja-i angah a chang a, an hmel a inang deuh bawk a, a inhmeh viau. He film hi ram chhungah a lâr zui hle a, mi tam tak mittui titlatu a ni.

(Firfiakte palite chu Pakistan sipaite'n an man vek a, tàntir an ni. An zinga pakhat chu kum 2001-ah Pakistan-in a chhuah a, a hnuah FBI-in Bangkok-ah an man leh a, kum 160 táng tura tih niin, USA-ah a táng mek. Mi dangte pawh kum 2009-ah chhuah niin, Palestina ramah thawn an ni a; US-in man tumin a la veh reng a, lumanah dollar nuai 50 ṭheuh a phal a, tun thlengin FBI Most Wanted Terrorist zingah an la tel a ni.)

Neerja chawimawina dawnte

α Ashoka Chakra (1987)

α Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat (Pakistan award)

α Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award (1987, US)

α Justice for Crimes Award 2005 (US Attorney’s Office)

α Special Courage Award 2006 (US Deptt. of Justice)

α Civil Aviation Ministry Award 2011 (India)

α Bharat Gaurav Award @ 2/7/2016 (House of Commons, UK Parliament)