Indian Writing

Remember Neerja Bhanot, who died at the age of 22? As a flight attendant on Pan Am Flight 73 which was hijacked in 1986, she managed to save many, many others but tragically lost her life.

Nominations have been invited for the Neerja Bhanot Awards 2006.

There are two awards… The first award is given to an Indian woman who, when subjected to social injustice like dowry and desertion, faced the situation with guts and grit and then helped women in similar social distress.

The second award is given to a flight crew member, worldwide, who acts beyond the call of duty in a difficult situation.

Five women in Bargarh, Orissa carried the dead body of a 70-year old woman to a burial ground and performed her last rites. This task is traditionally done by men. But for some reason the body had been lying unattended for over 24 hours - so the women decided to do it themselves.