A Story Of Self Sacrifice And Bravery (Prose)

Unit 2 – Prose

A Story of Self-Sacrifice and Bravery

Warm Up

Many people become engineers, doctors, IAS officers, film stars and so on. But few become “Human”.

Discuss and Answer

1. What makes a person a hero?
2. Does every hero have to fight or risk their life?
3. How do heroes make a difference?

Think and Answer

1. Can you think of a situation in which taking a small action would make a big difference?
2. What about everyday heroes who do small but important acts?
3. Are these people really heroes?

Section I – Reading

Pan Am Flight 73

It was the morning of September 5, 1986. The aircraft, Pan Am Flight 73 with 360 passengers on board, had just arrived from Mumbai and was ready to depart from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi for its destination — the United States. Unfortunately, the flight was hijacked by four heavily armed terrorists while it was parked at Karachi airport.

The passengers on the plane hailed from different countries — there were Indians, Germans, Americans, and Pakistanis, among others. The terrorists were more intent on targeting the Americans. When Neerja was told to collect the passports of the passengers, she managed to hide their passports and discard them down the rubbish chute. With her help, at least 39 American passengers were saved out of 41.

“I will die, but not run away” — this is what a young Neerja told her mother when they had discussed the sensitive situation of a hypothetical hijack.

The hijackers wanted to fly to Israel and crash the plane against a building. On being confronted with this unexpected calamity, Neerja immediately sprang into action. She attempted, first and foremost, to alert the pilots in the cockpit of the hijacked plane so that they could save themselves. When the terrorists saw that, they assaulted her. She then passed on the warning in a code, which alerted the pilots. As per the mandate, they made an escape through the alternate exit so that the terrorists were at a loss of pilots who could be forced to fly the plane to the terrorists’ desired location.

The nightmare on the aircraft continued for long. The frustration and helplessness of the terrorists grew every hour and their patience was running out. Seventeen hours into the hijack, the plane ran out of power. The terrorists lost their cool and opened fire on the passengers. Armed with grenades, plastic explosive belts, and pistols, the terrorists raised hell on board.

Taking advantage of the chaos and the terrorists’ senselessness, Neerja leapt into action at this point of time. She shed all her hesitation and fears and worked her way around evacuating as many passengers as she could. She could have run away for she knew the escape routes well, but she didn’t. She waited selflessly in the face of death to help the ones around her.

As she was about to exit herself, she noticed three children who were left in the flight. They needed her help in escaping. As the brave-heart rescued the kids, she was hit by the bullets fired by one of the terrorists. The wounds inflicted were fatal, and Neerja eventually succumbed to them. By a cruel twist of fate, this heroic young girl passed away.

Discuss and Answer

1. How did Neerja save the Americans?
2. Why did Neerja alert the pilots?
3. What happened when the terrorists lost their patience?

Glossary

• hijacked – illegally seized control of an aircraft, ship, etc.
• calamity – a sudden event causing great damage or distress
• assaulted – attacked violently
• frustration – the feeling of annoyance when one’s actions are prevented from progressing or succeeding
• inflicted – caused something unpleasant to be suffered by

Section II

Neerja Bhanot – Life

Neerja Bhanot was born on 7 September 1963, in Chandigarh, Punjab, India, to Rama Bhanot and Harish Bhanot, a Mumbai-based journalist. She was the couple’s third child, a much longed-for daughter after two sons, Akhil and Aneesh.

Neerja attended Chandigarh’s Sacred Heart School till she was in the 6th standard, after which her family moved to Mumbai. There she attended Bombay Scottish School and went on to graduate from St. Xavier’s College.

Even though Neerja’s career had taken off, her family decided to get her married to a man in Sharjah, UAE. By March 1985, Neerja was married. This is where her life took a turn for the worse. The marriage proved to be a disaster. After two months, she left her husband at the age of 22, due to pressurizing dowry demands. But this woman refused to surrender to the society because she was born with the spirit to fight. Despite a sour marriage, she started her career in modelling and made appearances in various advertisements like Binaca toothpaste etc.

She then applied for a flight attendant’s job with Pan Am, the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States at that time. Only 80 of the 10,000 applicants were picked, and Neerja was one of them. She was sent to Miami to get trained for 6–8 weeks, and within a year, based on performance and peer review, she was sent to London to get trained to be a purser – the senior most cabin manager. Pursers worked as managers on flights, handling passenger complaints, making required announcements and handling security. She was soon made a senior flight purser with the airways — a big career achievement for a young woman of 22.

Discuss and Answer

1. Name the schools and colleges Neerja studied in.
2. Why was Neerja sent to London?
3. What is the duty of a purser?

Glossary

• disaster – a sudden misfortune, catastrophe
• pressurizing – persuading or forcing someone into doing something
• performance – doing something to a specified standard
• achievement – attainment, success

Section III

Awards, Achievements and Legacy

“Her loyalties to the passengers of the aircraft in distress will forever be a lasting tribute to the finest qualities of the human spirit.” — Ashok Chakra citation

Neerja’s act of bravery was acknowledged and rewarded by the Indian, Pakistani and American governments. She was awarded the Ashok Chakra, India’s highest honour for bravery in peacetime and she became the youngest civilian to receive it. A postage stamp was also issued in her honour in 2004.

In 2005, her brother went to Washington DC to receive the ‘Justice for Crimes Award’ awarded posthumously to her as part of the ‘Annual Crime Rights Week’. She also received the Tamgha-e-Insaniyat award.

Her parents set up the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust with insurance money and funds from Pan Am for using the brand Pan Am in the title. The trust presents two awards every year:
- One to honour a flight crew member, worldwide, who acts beyond the call of duty
- Another to an Indian woman who overcomes social injustice and helps other women in similar social distress

The award includes a sum of INR 1,50,000, a trophy and a citation.

One of the children who this brave flight purser saved during the hijacking incident in 1986 is now a captain of a major airline.

Some people shine even after death and she was among them. Even the streets of Mumbai couldn’t forget her. A square in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar (East) suburb was named after her by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

Discuss and Answer

1. Why was Neerja awarded the Ashok Chakra?
2. How was Neerja honoured by various governments?
3. What are the selection criteria for the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Award?

Glossary

• civilian – a person not in the armed services or police force
• posthumously – after the death of the person
• crew – a group of people who work on a ship, aircraft or train
• injustice – lack of justice, unfairness

What Others Say

“Neerja was a very sensitive, affectionate person and was loved by one and all.” — Harish Bhanot, Neerja’s Father

“She believed in sharing all her joys but not the jolts.” — Aneesh Bhanot

“This was not a job meant for dumb blondes. We worked hard.” — Pan Am training colleague

Think and Answer

1. According to Neerja’s father, Neerja had well-defined principles and there was little room for compromise in that area. Do you have any principles where you don’t want to compromise?
2. Vrinda told the Indian Express that Neerja was a loyal friend. Are you always loyal to your friend?
3. Neerja would speak her mind, tell them the truth, according to one of her classmates Eliza. Do you always have the courage to stand for truth?

Read and Understand

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. The terrorists asked Neerja to collect the passports of the passengers because they wanted to identify and target the Americans.
2. Neerja passed on the warning in a code to the pilots because she wanted to alert them without the terrorists knowing.
3. Neerja leapt into action when she saw the terrorists open fire on the passengers.
4. Neerja had a sour marriage due to pressurizing dowry demands.
5. Neerja was sent to London based on her performance and peer review.

B. Think and Write

1. “I will die; but not run away.” – Justify the saying of Neerja.
2. Why did the governments of India, America and Pakistan honour Neerja?
3. If you are a flight attendant how will you deal with the hijackers?

C. Read the story once again and complete the flow chart.

Neerja – The Hijack Heroine

Life	Achievement
1. Born in Chandigarh	1. Saved 39 Americans
2. Studied at Sacred Heart, Bombay Scottish, St. Xavier’s	2. Awarded Ashok Chakra
3. Married at 22, left due to dowry demands	3. Became youngest civilian Ashok Chakra recipient
4. Joined Pan Am as flight attendant, became purser	4. Trust set up in her name

D. Write a summary based on the flow chart.

Vocabulary

E. Fill in the blanks with appropriate airline vocabulary.

1. You must present the boarding pass at the gate.
2. It might be a bumpy ride because we are flying through a storm.
3. If you need anything just press the call light.
4. The captain and the co-pilot sit in the cockpit.
5. Gate 3B is down this hall and to your right.
6. We will be touching down in Chennai in approximately ten minutes.
7. The plane almost missed the runway because it was such a bad storm.
8. We are next in line to take off on this runway.
9. That was a very smooth landing.
10. This turbulence should only last a few minutes.

F. Match the phrasal verbs.

• fight or flight – to defend oneself or to run away
• put to flight – to cause someone to flee
• take flight – to flee or run away
• flight of fancy – an imaginative but unrealistic idea
• have a nice flight – enjoy your flight
• in full flight – escaping as rapidly as possible
• top-flight – among the best of a particular group

G. Find out the anagrams.

1. leaped, plate
2. garden, danger
3. below, elbow
4. listen, silent
5. present, serpent
6. time, item
7. heart, earth
8. hose, shoe

Listening

H. Listen to the announcements and answer.

(Questions only – audio not provided)

Speaking

I. Enact the inflight announcements.

(Scripts provided – students role-play)

J. Interview a survivor of the Pan Am hijack.

(Sample questions provided – students role-play)

Picto Grammar

Direct vs Reported Speech

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“I meet my friend.”	She said that she met her friend.

Tense Changes

• Simple Present → Simple Past
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect
• Will → Would
• Can → Could

L. Punctuate the following.

1. The woman said to the student, “Please help me cross the street.”
2. Sarathy said, “Oh, how thrilling it was!”
3. The teacher said to the students, “Where do you want to go?”
4. “I am tired,” Mohana said to her aunt.
5. Shankar said to his teacher, “Madam, I had prepared my project assignment, but I forgot to bring it.”

M. Complete the sentences in reported speech.

1. I said that it was too late.
2. Sam told me that he had met me the day before.
3. Mala said that she could not come.
4. He said that he would pay the next day.
5. He knew that the Himalayas are the highest mountain ranges.
6. Balu promised to lend me some money.
7. He said that he had been watching a film.
8. I explained that I had not done it that day.
9. Jimmy told that he had been with him the previous week.
10. Jothi said that she would finish the picture the next day.

N. Report the dialogue.

(Students convert the given dialogue into reported speech)

Writing

O. Make notes on Neerja Bhanot.

| Name | Neerja Bhanot |
| Father’s Name & Occupation | Harish Bhanot, Journalist |
| Mother’s Name & Occupation | Rama Bhanot, Homemaker |
| Born on | 7 September 1963 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| State | Punjab |
| City | Chandigarh |
| School | Sacred Heart School, Bombay Scottish School |
| College | St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai |
| Career | Flight Attendant → Purser at Pan Am |
| Personal Life | Married at 22, left due to dowry demands |
| Siblings | Akhil and Aneesh |
| Achievements | Saved 39 Americans during hijack |
| Awards | Ashok Chakra, Tamgha-e-Insaniyat, Justice for Crimes Award |
| Legacy | Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, Square named after her in Mumbai |
| Died on | 5 September 1986 |
| Place of Death | Karachi, Pakistan |

Creative Writing

P. “Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things.”

Write an anecdote on the extraordinary deed of Jaiswal K.P. who helped in the recent Kerala Flood.

(Tips provided – students write anecdote)

Practice Practice Exercises

1. The past tense of leap

Something to serve food on

2. A place to grow flowers

Something to be careful of

3. Another word for under

A part of your arm

4. Try to hear

Another word for quiet

5. Another word for gift

A large snake or a dragon

6. Minutes and hours

A thing on a list

7. An organ that pumps blood

The planet we live on

8. Something used to water plants

A thing you put on your foot

1. What is the number of the flight?

2. What are the things to be kept ready?

3. When will the regular boarding begin?

1. For whom is the final boarding call?

2. Where should the passengers proceed?

3. Where is the flight to?

1. When will the flight be in the air?

2. What are things that should be turned off?

3. What is prohibited during the flight?

1. Do you have any information regarding the suspects of the hijack?

2. Which countries did the hijackers belong?

3. What are the details of the hijacked flight?

4. How many passengers were aboard?

5. What happened in the last few minutes of the hijack drama?

6. Do you have information regarding the victims?

7. Was there any recorded communication to/from the plane during the hijacking?

8. How many terrorists were there?

9. How did you feel when you were in the flight?

10. Can you recall Neerja’s role in safeguarding the passengers?

1. the woman said to the student please help me cross the street

2. sarathy said oh how thrilling it was

3. the teacher said to the students where do you want to go

4. i am tired mohana said to her aunt

5. shankar said to his teacher madam i had prepared my project assignment but i forgot to bring it

1. “It is too late.” I said that it too late.

2. “I met you yesterday.” Sam told me that he had met me

3. “I cannot come.” Mala said that

4. “I will pay tomorrow.” He said that he would pay

5. “The Himalayas are the highest mountain ranges.” He knew that the Himalayas the highest mountain ranges.

6. “I may lend you some money.” Balu promised some money.

7. “I have been watching a film.” He said that a film.

8. “I have not done it today.” I explained that I had not done it

9. “I was with him last week.” Jimmy told that with him the previous week.

10. “I will finish this picture tomorrow.” Jothi said that. picture the next day.

Betty asked Kitty . And she added since June. Kitty explained that back from her holiday in Darjeeling. Betty asked if it. Kitty told her that she Darjeeling and that the landscape Betty wanted to know to the Lloyd’s Botanical Garden. Kitty said that it first trip and that she some pictures. And then she asked her if she Betty explained that she a couple of things. But she added that she free that night. Kitty suggested that she place and asked her at what time Betty said she there at eight. And finally, she asked all right.

1. How did Neerja save the Americans?

2. Why did Neerja alert the pilots?

3. What happened when the terrorists lost their patience?

1. Name the schools and colleges Neerja studied in.

2. Why was Neerja sent to London?

3. What is the duty of a purser?

1. Why was Neerja awarded the Ashok Chakra?

2. How was Neerja honoured by various governments?

3. What are the selection criteria for the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Award?

1. According to Neerja’s father, Neerja had well defined principles and there was little room for compromise in that area. Do you have any principles where you don’t want to compromise?

2. Virinda told the Indian Express that Neerja was a loyal friend. Are you always loyal to your friend?

3. Neerja would speak her mind, tell them the truth, according to one of her classmates Eliza. Do you always have the courage to stand for truth?

1. The terrorists asked Neerja to collect the passports of the passengers because .

2. Neerja passed on the warning in a code to the pilots because she .

3. Neerja leapt into action when she .

4. Neerja had a sour marriage due to .

5. Neerja was sent to London based on .

1. “I will die; but not run away.” Justify the saying of Neerja.

2. Why did the governments of India, America and Pakistan honour Neerja?

3. If you are a flight attendant how will you deal with the hijackers?

1. You must present the at the gate.

2. It might be a ride because we are flying through a storm.

3. If you need anything just press the .

4. The captain and the co-pilot sit in the .

5. 3B is down this hall and to your right.

6. We will be in Chennai in approximately ten minutes.

7. The plane almost missed the because it was such a bad storm.

8. We are next in line to on this run way.

9. That was a very smooth .

10. This should only last a few minutes.