GUNJAN SAXENA
"The machine will not know whether a man is flying it or a
woman is flying it" ~GUNJAN SAXENA
Who is Gunjan Saxena?
In one sentence we can say ….
Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena is an Indian Air Force officer and former helicopter pilot.
There is a time when people forget about the famous people of their era. Their name is lost somewhere in the crowd of this world. One such name is Gunjan Saxena. Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena has been a celebrity in the Kargil War. In fact, she became the first Indian woman to fly in the war zone during the Kargil war in 1999. While missiles, rocket launchers and Cannonballs were being fired, Gunjan was flying helicopters. Not only this, but she also did the responsibility of delivering the necessary goods to the soldiers. Because of her work in the war, she was awarded the Shaurya Chakra award.
How she become an incredible part of India, a part of Kargil War? Let us look into her life.....
Childhood days....
Saxena was born into an Army family. Her father, Lt Col Anup Kumar Saxena and brother Lt. Col. Anshuman both served in the Indian Army.
Education...
Saxena graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Hansraj College, University of Delhi in New Delhi.
Indian Air Force Service
Saxena was one of six women who joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) as pilots in 1996. This was the fourth batch of women air force trainees for the IAF. Among the six female trainees was Flt. Lt. Srividya Rajan who would also go on to fly a Cheetah in a combat zone.Saxena's first posting was in Udhampur, as part of the 132 Forward Area Control (FAC) as a flight lieutenant. However, she recalls that the male pilots accepted the situation faster than she expected.
Books and Movies...
➢ A chapter in the book Kargil Untold Stories From The War by Rachna Bisht Rawat focuses on Gunjan Saxena. ➢ Gunjan Saxena’s autobiography, titled ‘The Kargil Girl’ co-written with author-duo Kiran Nirvan, was released by Penguin Publishers. ➢ The 2020 Bollywood film, released on Netflix Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is inspired by her life. Saxena is portrayed by Janhvi Kapoor while the film has been produced by Dharma Productions and Zee Studios.
Gunjan in Kargil war
Flying Officer Saxena was 24 years old when she flew during the Kargil War and was stationed in Srinagar. In the Kargil War, as part of Operation Vijay, apart from evacuating the wounded, she helped transport supplies to troops in the forward areas of Dras and Batalik. She also was assigned surveillance roles such as mapping enemy positions. She had to deal with makeshift landing grounds, heights of 13,000 to 18,000 feet and enemy fire. She was one of the ten pilots, and the only female pilot, based in Srinagar that flew hundreds of sorties during the war, evacuating over 900 casualties, wounded and killed Saxena was the only woman in the Indian Armed Forces who flew into war zones in the Kargil War. Then....
In 2004, her career as a helicopter pilot ended after serving for seven years. Permanent commissions were not available during her time in service.
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