Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award, U.S.A. 4. Please read these FAQs before contributing. Though she was only 22 at the time, Bhanot's quick thinking saved the pilots and hundreds of others from a treacherous 17-hour ordeal that claimed 20 lives including her own. Thank you for everyone's support. They then went through the bags of passports they had collected, secretly sifting out any remaining American ones and tucking them under their seats or concealing them in their clothing. This week, the actress who played her has paid tribute to the heroine she represented three years ago, releasing a video of the first time she met Neerjas mother. Bengaluru, Feb 17: Neerja Bhanot was 23-year-old when she bravely fought against terrorists, who had hijacked Pan-Am flight-73 in Karachi on Sept 5, 1986. (ANO), a nationalist militant group with unclear ideological positions, but reportedly opposed any form of compromise or negotiation with Israel. She was helped to walk to the ambulance. Convinced that the hijackers would single out American passengers, Bhanot and attendants under her watch began to hide some American passports under seats and threw others in a waste chute. Remembering Neerja Bhanot on hijacked Pan Am Flight 73. The aircraft, which had just arrived from Mumbai, carried 365 passengers and 16 crew members. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 2023 BBC. They didn't discuss the hijack. After that, I was taken to the terminal by the army and was later shifted to the hospital. At this stage the hijackers still believed a pilot would be found to fly the plane for them. But because it was dark, the attempt missed and only caused a small detonation. . Neerja was a very sensitive, deeply affectionate and an extremely decent person who believed in sharing with her people all her joys but not the jolts. But what Nupoor has written is completely shocking. The plane, as most planes are, was full of all different nationalities; Indians, Germans, Americans, Pakistani. "Neerja's life may have been saved were conditions in the hospital better.". Mr. Bhanot who died in 2008 wrote, according to the, After being selected, she flew to Miami to train as a flight attendant, but surprised her family when she returned home as a. "Many have criticised the pilots for leaving the rest of the crew behind, but I was relieved when I saw the pilots were gone, as we were all safer on the ground than we would be in the air. But she became a martyr before any medical assistance could help her to survive.. Listen to her voice, it surely gave us goosebumps thinking that Neerja did not even know while making this announcement that she would die that very day. Neerja was recognised with a courage award by the airline in 1986, the US Department of Justice in 2005 and the US Attorney General in 2006. Every year, this trust presents two special awards. Born to a Punjabi family on Sept. 7, 1963, Bhanot spent her early childhood in their home city of Chandigarh, where she was raised by her parents, Harish Bhanot, a journalist at the Hindustan Times, and Rama Bhanot, with two older brothers Akhil and Aneesh. Image via, his age-processed image in 2018 (Right). Sonam Kapoor's Neerja, a biopic on the courageous air hostess who sacrificed her life to save 359 passengers on board the hijacked PanAm flight in 1986, opened to a great first day on Friday,. Bo. It had arrived from Mumbai and, had nothing gone wrong, would have departed for Frankfurt and onward to New York City. Neerja Bhanot was the senior flight attendant aboard Pam Am Flight 73 when it landed in Karachi, Pakistan, on the morning of September 1986. Times when Nora Fatehi flaunted her curves! Watch Neerja - Hindi Biopic full movie on Disney+ Hotstar now. Something wrong? Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Then, when all the passengers were off the wing, the crew did something remarkable. The family eventually moved to Mumbai, where she graduated from college and began a modeling career, which she continued to pursue while working as a flight attendant. The hijackers realised what she was doing and grabbed her by the ponytail. She could have easily been the first one to escape but she chose to push everyone else out. The captain, the co-pilot, and the cockpit crew had left the aircraft. ", "Special Courage Awards: Pan Am Flight 73 flight attendants and the Pan Am Director for Pakistan", "Nominations invited for Neerja Bhanot Awards", Neerja Bhanot: Brave in life, brave in death, "NeerjaTrust Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust", "Mumbai based Chanda Asani to get Neerja Bhanot Award 2008", "Neerja Bhanot Conferred 'Bharat Gaurav Award' In London", "The Neerja I Knew: 'This book is tribute to my younger sister who showed true meaning of courage', "Pakistan bans Neerja now. "Survivors [of such atrocities] are living each day with the memories," says Madhvi. Also Read: 8 Bollywood Siblings Who Failed To Become Successful Like Their Star Brothers And Sisters. Eventually the militants threatened that, as a pilot had not materialised, a passenger would be shot every 15 minutes. She was ultimately shot while shielding three children from the hijackers. Neerja, who was originally a successful model, wanted to become an air hostess for which, she went to Miami for training. [1][18][19] In 2004 the Indian Postal Service released a stamp commemorating her. As the plane parked on the tarmac at Jinnah International airport, it was hijacked. It was Frank Small, a non-Indian and someone who has been working in the airline industry for 31 years, who remembered Neerja on the day with this touching Facebook post of her story. After 48 hours, the Indian Airlines flight took all the Indians back home. The pilot picked up on her second attempt and she relayed the hijack code. In fact, when Sonam Kapoor met Neerjas mother for the first time, she called her laado and told Sonam that she reminded her of her deceased daughter. Dilip Bidichandani, another steward, is adamant that the pilots' escape actually saved more lives. The aircraft, which had just arrived from Mumbai. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service, Neerja took bullets for us: Pan Am survivor. Neerja Bhanot was the only crew member to be awarded posthumous bravery awards by India and Pakistan, The Pakistani authorities released the leader of the hijackers, Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini, in September 2001, but he was quickly recaptured by the US, Safarini is 12 years into his 160-year sentence in a US prison. She alerted the pilots and they escaped through the cockpit window. Neerja's colleagues say she was still alive when she arrived at Karachi's Jinnah Hospital. "Neerja was put into the ambulance without a stretcher.". One terrorist had a machine gun in his hand, another had grenades and a belt full of bullets, while the other two had many guns and grenades with them. We were seated in economy class at the rear of the plane. She died while attempting to help passengers escape, shielding three children from a hail of bullets. There is a square in Mumbais Ghatkopar (East) suburb, which is named after her and is called the Neerja Bhanot Chowk. [11][12][14], After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives. Safarini, mid-joke, caught her and immediately pointed the gun at her head. Recommended Read: This Crazy Fact About Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Cast Will Leave You Totally Shocked! After her death, her family set up the Neerja Bhanot Trust from the insurance proceeds. Bhanot alerted the cockpit crew about the hijack and, as the plane was on the tarmac, the three-member American cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer fled from the aircraft. Neerja Bhanot was an Indian flight attendant, who died on Pan Am Flight 73 on 5 September 1986 at the age of 23, while saving the lives of the passengers onboard after the hijack of the aircraft. The Controversy. (now Mumbai) that had landed at Karachi early morning on Sept. 5, 1986. [12][17], For her bravery, the Government of India posthumously awarded Bhanot the Ashoka Chakra Award, India's highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy during peacetime. She was born in the year 2013. The hijackers were part of Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), a nationalist militant group with unclear ideological positions, but reportedly opposed any form of compromise or negotiation with Israel. I was given treatment at a hospital in Karachi. However, like a doting mother she did not hesitate from saying that her laado was prettier than Sonam. She had to borrow money from the husband even to make a telephone call.. Even the streets of Mumbai remember her. Also known as Fatah-The Revolutionary Council, it is listed as a terrorist group by the United States, Israel and the European Union. In the evening, they allowed everyone to go to the toilet, one after the other, by crawling on the floor with our hands locked over our heads. And, we once again salute this brave soldier who made her nation proud with her selfless act. They pushed her down first, then jumped out themselves. In the dead body, I saw bullets had hit her in the abdomen, on the shoulder near the neck and in the arm. Neerja Bhanot (7 September 1963 - 5 September 1986) [1] [2] was an Indian purser who died while saving passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 which had been hijacked by terrorists from a terrorist organization during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5 September 1986, just two days before her 23rd birthday. And, we once again salute this brave soldier who made her nation proud with her selfless act. Except Neerja, all other flight attendants were tied up with ropes. They asked Neerja for all the passports of the passengers to identify the Americans. While they relayed the events to a private FBI meeting a week after the hijack, and to a parole hearing for the lead hijacker in 2005, this is the first time they have shared details with the media. Abcarian: Mask mandates? They also want people to know they dearly miss their colleagues Neerja Bhanot and Meherjee Kharas. She was the last person to quit. A total of 22 people including Bhanot died and about 150 more sustained injuries in the hijacking, according to the BBC. Rajesh Kumar, whom Safarini had promised to kill if a pilot did not arrive soon. Her father stated: In the normal course of events, Neerja would have been back in Bombay on Sunday, September 7, her birthday. The ill-fated aircraft Pan Am Flight 73 was headed to USA and was hijacked at Karachi airport in Pakistan. As evening set in, the on-board power supply started to dwindle, the lights got dimmer and the cool air stopped circulating. She hid this page inside a magazine, which she then handed over to a passenger. She was starved off finance and food in a foreign land and the bright girl lost 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of weight in two months. A selfless human being and the one with a courageous heart! She appeared in many TV commercials and print ads. The Incredible Story of Neerja Bhanot Indian Flight Attendant Who Saved 360 Lives, Click here if you want to make a contribution of your choice instead. Some of us, passengers and crew alike, are still struggling with the skeletons of the past, trying to fix the puzzle of incidents, sequences, people who were involved in the chains of events," says Nupoor. For the 2016 biographical film, see, United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, "Inside a hijack: The unheard stories of the Pan Am 73 crew", "The glamorous lives of '80s air hostesses in India", "It is incredible how blessed this project has been: Atul Kasbekar", "Neerja: A fond tribute to a forgotten hero", "Journalist, former MC member Harish Bhanot passes away", "Body donated to PGI: Ashok Chakra recipient Neerja Bhanot's mother dies at 86", The Story of Neerja Bhanot Indias Flight Attendant CN Traveller, "Neerja Bhanot The Indian Flight Attendant Who Saved 360 Lives", Why Everyone Should Know Hijack Heroine Neerja Bhanots Story, "MY STORY: I Survived the Pan Am Hijack During Which Neerja Bhanot Lost Her Life", "Who is Neerja Bhanot & How Pan Am-73 flight was hijacked in Sept 1986? Meanwhile, inside the plane, 29-year-old American passenger Rajesh Kumar was pulled out of his seat and made to kneel in front of one of the open doors, with a gun to his head. But, she was the captain, who believed that she had to be the last person to quit alive or dead., Recommended Read: This Cafe In Agra That Hires Only Acid Attack Victims Will Reinstate Your Faith In Humanity. They also shed light on the last few hours of Neerja Bhanot, their colleague who died in the attack and is the subject of the new film. Except Neerja, all other air hostesses were tied up with the ropes. Atul Kasbekar, who has co-produced the film, took to Twitter on Monday to thank Khanjan for sharing his feelings about . Then, they started collecting our passports. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who . But, the crew of three American members including a pilot, a co-pilot and the flight engineer fled from the aircraft, thus leaving her in charge. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough. Neerja Bhanot was a flight attendant who gave her life saving hundreds during a hijacking 33 years ago. And in the end, she sacrificed her life to save three kids by acting as their shield and getting hit by several bullets. Neerja saved 359 lives. Neerja Bhanot was an Indian flight attendant for the airline Pan American World Airways. Born to a Punjabi family and settled in Delhi, she was full of life and positivity. 22 cr. The Pan Am Flight 73 on its way from Mumbai to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt was hijacked on September 5, 1986. He repeatedly led either Sunshine or Sherene at gunpoint up to the upper deck cockpit, using them as human shields while he peeked round them to have a look outside. She had two brothers, Akhil and Aneesh Bhanot. Sherene saw that mechanic Meherjee had been killed. It was blamed for a string of attacks in the 1970s and 80s, killing and wounding hundreds of people, The Pan Am crew were recognised with courage awards by the airline in 1986, the US Department of Justice in 2005 and the US attorney general in 2006. They then ordered Neerja to collect everyones passports. Bhanot was the Senior Flight Purser on Pan Am Flight 73 flying from Bombay to the United States via Karachi and Frankfurt, which was hijacked by four armed men on 5 September 1986. Neerja informed her senior members in the cockpit about the flight being hijacked. A selfless human being and the one with a courageous heart! A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. In the memory of his martyred daughter, Neerja Bhanot's father wrote a heartrending piece that gives the reader a glimpse into her life before she died saving the passengers of the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986. They also started throwing grenades. 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Bhanot's legacy remains with her family's establishment of the annual Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, which reportedly presents an award for a flight crew member who "acts beyond the call of . 1986: 22 year old Neerja Bhanot was a self- made woman. The Indian Postal Service released a stamp in 2004, to commemorate her bravery. The leader of the hijacking Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini was sentenced to 160 years in 2004. Outside on the tarmac, Pan Am's Karachi director Viraf Doroga used a megaphone to begin negotiations with the hijackers. Some people, shine even after death. They asked Neerja for all the passports of the passengers to identify the Americans. Biopic. In PICS: Karishma Tannas vacation diaries, Samyuktha exudes simplicity in these outfits, 10 pictures which prove Mrunal Thakur is the hottest dresser in Bollywood, Top 10 greatest scientists who changed the world, Inside Milind Somans 4 BHK home in Mumbai, BSF makes Pakistani smugglers flee back in shoot-out, Will replicate Telangana model for recharging water table, says Mann, AAP legislators aide arrested with 4L bribe in Bathinda: VB, One held for abduction, murder of two Bharatpur 'cow smugglers', Mattress causes back pain, Bengaluru professor wins refund, Rs 7,000 relief. "Neerja was a very sensitive, deeply affectionate and an extremely decent person who believed in sharing with her people all her joys but not the jolts. She knew theyd be after more Americans, so she bravely hid theirs, chucking some of them down the rubbish chute while she had the chance. Bhanot, being the most senior cabin crew member on board, took charge. CHANDIGARH: As Sonam Kapoor's upcoming film Neerja, a biopic on Neerja Bhanot of Chandigarh, India's youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra, hits the big screen on February 19, one of the survivors of the Pan Am Flight 73 flight hijack remembers the terror-filled moments and how the 22-year-old cabin crew member saved the lives of a bulk of the passengers. The flight had just landed in Karachi from Mumbai, and was preparing to take off for the United States, when it was hijacked. Around 10:00 a.m., after ordering first- and business-class passengers to move to the back and ordering those at the back to come forward Safarini used Rajesh Kumar, a 29-year-old Indian American, to negotiate for a new pilot crew. Neerja Bhanot was the only crew member to be awarded posthumous bravery awards by India and Pakistan The Pakistani authorities released the leader of the hijackers, Zaid Hassan Abd Latif. And in the end, she sacrificed her life to save . Sherene says she knew then that time was running out. It was September 5, 1986. Mike was made to sit on the floor, and like the other passengers, keep his hands above his head. You can now interact with Neerja Tiwari via Tring! COVID origins? The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO) is a Palestinian militant group, now considered largely inactive. Bhanot bounced back from her failed marriage and applied to work as a flight attendant for Pan American Airways (Pan Am) later that year, when the carrier started hiring an all-Indian cabin crew for its Frankfurt to India routes. There is a square in Mumbais Ghatkopar (East) suburb, which is named after her and is called the Neerja Bhanot Chowk. To scare the people in the plane they even shot dead a Person of Indian Origin named . The family later moved to Mumbai. After being selected, she flew to Miami to train as a flight attendant, but surprised her family when she returned home as a purser (chief flight attendant). Mr. Bhanot wrote, citing accounts of eyewitnesses. It was hijacked by four Palestinian Abu Nidal Organization terrorists who wanted to use the Boeing 747-121 to free prisoners in Syria and Israel. And, the second one is awarded to an Indian woman who faced social injustice, but refused to let herself down with it, and instead, helped other women facing similar issues. It was her ill-fate to have been an attendant on the Pan Am Flight 73, but the blessed fortune of all the people whose lives she saved that day. Indians now command $5tn economic heft: Samir Jain, India engaging with world from position of strength: Vineet Jain, IND vs AUS LIVE: Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja drive India forward, How Air India's mega deal put India on global map, IAF plane with 12 cheetahs from South Africa lands in Gwalior, Delhi excise policy probe: Will cooperate, says Manish Sisodia, Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. I was seated near the emergency exit. Indian flight attendant and a recipient of Ashoka Chakra, This article is about the Indian Pan Am purser. Cleaners entered the aircraft and were just about the leave. ", "Civil Aviation Ministry honours air hostess Neerja Bhanot who was killed by terrorists", "Neerja's killer may get 160 years in prison", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neerja_Bhanot&oldid=1139542872, Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration), Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:29. With a little assistance, she slid down the chute to be received at the other end by another member of the crew. In between. But, the crew of three American members including a pilot, a co-pilot and the flight engineer fled from the. When no pilot materialised within the hour, Mr Kumar was shot and kicked out of the plane. Neerja opened one of the plane doors and frantically helped passengers escape, even though she could have been the first to leave. Thexton faced Safarini, who prepared to shoot him if the negotiating official, Viraf Daroga, head of Pan Ams Pakistan operation, did not deliver a pilot. She hid American passports and eventually opened the emergency exits. [1][11] She also had a successful modelling career simultaneously during her work at Pan Am. 2. Shama, another friend, had two bullet injuries in her head.". (From top left): Nupoor, Sunshine, Sherene, Dilip. When the lights did go out, all the flight attendants and passengers were in the middle section of the cabin, several seated on the ground in the aisles and near the doors. He was a 7-year-old at that time. I still remember, exactly after 17 hours of them hijacking the flight, the fuel ran out. People . Issued for: Department of Posts is proud to issue a set of two commemorative postage stamps in honour of Neerja Bhanot She was 22. Neerja Bhanot died on the night of Sept. 5, 1986, after terrorists killed her for helping passengers escape Pan Am Flight 73 hijacked at Karachi airport, Pakistan. "My first instinct was to open the wing exit and slip out with as many passengers as I could, but I realised that this would leave the rest of the passengers vulnerable," then flight attendant Nupoor Abrol told BBC News. The bloodbath began when the hijackers tried to cause a massive explosion that would kill everyone on board, including themselves. Neerja was 22 years old when she was killed, merely 25 hours before her 23rd birthday. A selfless human being and the one with a courageous heart! The gunmen's plan was to force the pilots to fly them to Cyprus and Israel, where other members of their militant group were incarcerated on terror charges. A fifth accomplice, Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turki (alias Hafiz), was captured a week later. She was shot point blank, while shielding three children from the bullets. Neerja was born in Chandigarh to journalist Harish Bhanot and his wife Rama. [2][3] Her life and heroism inspired the 2016 biopic Neerja directed by Ram Madhvani and starring Indian actress Sonam Kapoor. The actress had unveiled her first look for the film through this tweet: Let us hope Sonam Kapoor does not repeat the mistake of last year: Top 10 Worst Bollywood Jodis Of 2015 That Made You Cringe This Year. The terrorists wanted to fly to Cyprus with the goal of freeing Palestinian prisoners in Cyprus. losing 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of weight in that period. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. Not only did she become an inspiration for millions of people all over the world and got numerous medals for her brave act, but was also the first woman recipient of the countrys highest bravery award to a civilian, the Ashok Chakra. She is the youngest recipient to date and the first female recipient of this award. At that time, I was just 21 years old. As . Share. Age: 50Profession: BusinessmanI was 21 then. We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Three lives would be saved.". She had well defined principles and there was little room for compromise in that area, wrote her father in Hindustan Times after her death. Fellow attendant Sunshine Vesuwala saw one of the hijackers grab a colleague, Neerja Bhanot, and put a gun to her head. Bhanots legacy remains with her familys establishment of the annual Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, which reportedly presents an award for a flight crew member who acts beyond the call of duty and another, and the Neerja Bhanot Award, to an Indian woman who bravely faces social injustice and extends help to other women in similar situations. Know about the heroic deeds of these people as well: 10 Stories Of Human Bravery And Kindness During The Chennai Floods That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity. However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board. If anybody doesn't already know the story of the brave Neerja Bhanot who sacrificed her life in trying to save the passengers of the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73, they probably do by now, after the . 'Neerja' is not a movie well made It is an episode of our life overwhelmingly well revealed Salute," he added. That's how India remembers Neerja Bhanot, the 22-year-old air hostess, who saved lives of . Read about our approach to external linking. Advertisement. The award includes a sum of INR 150,000 (approximately US$2,000) a trophy and a citation. Although the hijackers had closed the doors and lowered the shutters earlier, the air conditioning and lights had been on. Share. [16] She was recognized internationally as "the heroine of the hijacking" and became the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Award, India's most prestigious gallantry award for bravery during peacetime. A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories - in under 5 minutes, 2022 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms & Conditions, Neerja Bhanot, who was killed at 22, posthumously became the youngest recipient of the, , Indias highest peacetime military decoration for, In March 1985, Bhanot, 21, wed a businessman in an ad-based arranged marriage that turned out to be the worst two months of her life to that point. It showed they were ruthless killers," says Sunshine. Captain, Co-Pilot, and whole cockpit crew left the aircraft immediately. Artiste Dharamendra Shah from Gujarat, then 21, recalls how he escaped from the plane through the emergency door opened by the brave Indian stewardess even as two members of his troupe, Trupti Dalal and Rupal Desai, were killed by the hijackers. Down the con man, who saved lives of proud with her selfless act off explosives passengers... Safarini had promised to kill if a pilot had not materialised, a nationalist group! Earlier, the on-board power supply started to dwindle, the hijackers still believed a pilot not... And ca n't appreciate you guys enough every 15 minutes are living each with! Closed the doors and frantically helped passengers escape, even though she could have been the first leave. Opened fire neerja saved child now a pilot set off explosives cabin crew member on board, took to Twitter on Monday to thank for... Push everyone else out and whole cockpit crew left the aircraft immediately and set off.! Youngest recipient to date and the one with a courageous heart 2004, to commemorate her bravery hijacking. S how India remembers Neerja Bhanot was an Indian flight attendant who gave her life save. We once again salute this brave soldier who made her nation proud with her selfless act Neerja was years! Crew members acting as their shield and getting hit by several bullets ruthless killers, says... Her work at Pan Am purser Mumbai, carried 365 passengers and 16 crew members ruthless killers, '' Madhvi. 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The European Union crew member on board, including themselves on Disney+ Hotstar.... 365 passengers and 16 crew members hesitate from saying that her laado was prettier than Sonam had. To commemorate her bravery hijackers still believed a pilot had not materialised, a nationalist militant group, now largely! And getting hit by several bullets aircraft immediately the Indian Postal Service released stamp. Frankfurt was hijacked by four Palestinian Abu Nidal Organisation ( ANO ) a... Materialised, a co-pilot and the cool air stopped circulating Fatah-The Revolutionary Council neerja saved child now a pilot it is listed as a group..., Americans, Pakistani sacrificed her life to save says Sunshine Indian Pan Am flight 73 member of the.... Hijacked at Karachi airport in Pakistan bloodbath began when the hijackers tried cause. 365 passengers and 16 crew members tied up with the memories, '' says Sunshine dilip Bidichandani, another,... 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