When ‘Kargil Girl’, Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian Air Force Woman Pilot, was asked about her feelings about flying a plane, she said that the machine would not know whether a man was flying it or a woman was flying it. The sky was the limit for Gunjan as her role in the 1999 Kargil war was of utmost importance. It is said that once a fauji, always a fauji. There is an array of lessons we all can learn from Gunjan Saxena. She was 5 when girls of her age used to play with toys, and she had made up her mind to become a pilot. Indeed! The sky was her limit.
Who is Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena?
Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena had made the entire Indian Air Force proud when she became the first lady officer who went to combat. Gunjan created history back when the Kargil War took place in 1999, and she, with her ace flying skills, flew a Cheetah plane in the war zone and saved many officers. Gunjan was born in Lucknow and came to Delhi and studied Physics from Hansraj College. Gunjan completed her graduation and then became a part of the Delhi Flying Club located in Safdarjung. She did her aviation training from there and then, along with 24 other women officers, joined the Indian Air Force. Gunjan, along with the 24 women pilots, was the first batch of women who were trained in the IAF.
Gunjan Saxena learnt flying in her college
Gunjan, as a woman IAF officer in a men’s men-dominated field, proved that women could do anything that they wanted like or more than men. She was born in the family of an Army Officer in 1975. Her elder brother and father were both in the Indian Army. She learnt the basics of flying in Delhi. Gunjan was born into a middle-class family, and her dad, Lt Col (retired) Ashok Kumar Saxena, and brother Anshuman Saxena had already made the nation proud. Her dad believed in her dreams and gave her wings to fly. Gunjan, after completing her flying lessons from Safdarjung Airport, cleared the SSB exams and joined the IAF with the support of her dad.
When Gunjan Saxena carried out Operation Vijay and Operation Safed Sagar
It was in 1994 when Gunjan, along with the other women trainee pilots, made their way into the Indian Air Force. She got her first posting at Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. When the Kargil War took place in 1999, Gunjan reportedly saved 900 casualties and got the title of the Kargil Girl. During the Kargil War, Gunjan and her buddy Lieutenant Srividya Rajan, served the nation and carried out two big operations- Operation Vijay and Operation Safed Sagar.
Gunjan was a part of Operation Vijay, and her role was to evacuate all the injured soldiers, check surveillance of Pakistani soldiers’ exact positions in combat and also supply varied types of equipment to the Army unit at Dras, Batalik. Gunjan was only 25 when she got her first posting at the 132 Forward Area Control (FAC). She was asked to fly to Srinagar, and without a flinch, the young officer performed her duties. Gunjan proved to the world with her role that actions speak louder than words.
When Gunjan Saxena revealed that a biopic was not needed on her life
Janhvi Kapoor reprised the role of ‘Gunjan Saxena’ in a biopic dedicated to the Kargil Girl. The movie also had Pankaj Tripathi with Angad Bedi and was about the IAF officer who inspired everyone. During a press statement, when the retired officer was asked about her life story being made into a movie, she said:
“I wasn’t really convinced as to why someone would want to do a movie on my life. You have lived your life so you don’t find it exciting. It’s exciting only when someone else looks at it.”
What do you think of Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil Girl’s inspirational life?
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