25th Neerja Bhanot Award conferred on Sindhutai Sapkal

CHANDIGARH: The 25th Neerja Bhanot award was conferred on Pune based Sindhutai Sapkal by Padam Shri Reema Nanavaty, the force behind SEWA at the auditorium of the Ahmedabad Management Association,
The annual Neerja Bhanot Award was instituted in 1990 in the memory of the brave Senior Flight Purser, Neerja Bhanot, who saved hundreds of lives while sacrificing her own, during a Pan Am plane hijack at Karachi Airport in September 1986.The Award consists of Rs. 1.50 lakh, a citation and a trophy. It is conferred on an Indian woman who, when faced with social injustice overcomes it with guts and grit and then helps other women in social distress.
A specially constituted Jury comprising of three Rotarians of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik – Brig. Daljit Dhillon, Brig. J C Sharma and Ashok Laroia- decided to confer the Neerja Bhanot award on Sindhutai Sapkal.
Accepting the Award, Sindhutai Sapkal said, “I am proud to receive this Award as it represents the spirit of Neerja Bhanot’s determination and grit in the face of overwhelming circumstances. A woman must always face all adversities in life and ensure that she is treated with respect. She must stand up for her rights, come what may. She said that she would be using the Award money to set up a new Hospital which will fight against malnutrition”
Padam Shri Reema Nanvaty said that the true courage and compassion shown by both Neerja and Sindhutai were highly inspiring for all of us. “In 1986 a young girl was faced by a force of terror that few people will face at any age. Yet she was just two days away from her 23 rd birthday. It made her do something that she would never have thought she was capable of. She exchanged her life for 359 other lives that were not hers. She sacrificed something that most of us believe is un-sacrificial.”
Congratulating the Awardee, Akhil Bhanot, Managing Trustee, Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust exhorted her to continue with her Mission, “We are proud of you,” he said, “and we look forward to you spreading compassion, love and affection to even more women in the coming years as you are a true Neerja heroine.” He also read out a poet written shortly after the hijack by Harindranath Chattopadhya
Aneesh Bhanot, honorary general secretary, Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust talked about how the Trust was formed and the way it has been promoting the two core values of Neerja: Do your duty, come what may and never tolerate injustice or compromise on self-respect. He spoke about the care and attention to detail with which Harish Bhanot and the Trustees had structured the Trust in living up to the high ideals of Neerja.