Every woman that is consistent in her patience, perseverance, and dedication is a fighter and an inspiration. Such is the story of Gunjan Saxena (also referred to as the ‘Kargil Girl’).
She is the first woman who grabbed the opportunity to be a part of the Kargil War in 1999 and serve her skills for country’s safety.
In a period where women were not allowed to be a part of the War due to acute stress and pressure, Gunjan broke all barriers and proved that gender is no bar when it comes to your motherland’s respect and honor.
Gunjan Saxena Wiki/Bio | Rewards
Full Name: Gunjan Saxena
DOB : (Year 1975)
Profession: Woman Combat Aviator (Flight Lieutenant)
Nationality: Indian
Age: 44 (As of 2019)
Education : Hansraj College (University of Delhi)
Rewards and Recognition:
- Is titled as ‘The Kargil Girl’ for showing her bravery and courage in the Kargil War of 1999.
- Was in the first batch consisting 25 women chopper pilots.
- Honored with the ‘Shaurya Chakra Award’ for showing bravery, courage, and dedication during the India Pakistan Kargil War.
- A biopic is being made on her inspirational story describing her bravery and courage. It is produced by Dharma productions and Jhanvi Kapoor will be performing the lead role of ‘Gunjav Saxena -The Kargil Girl’ with the budget of 300 Million INR.
About Gunjan Saxena and Her Family :
Gunjan Saxena is the Indian lieutenant combat aviator. She joined the air forces in 1994 and made a huge remark in the Indian history for her amazing achievements due to Kargil War between India and Pakistan.
Gunjan takes pride to share that she belongs to a family of army officers. She is born and brought up in a family where majority of the people have served the country as army men.
Gunjan was only 5 when she started having visions of flying a plane. Presently, Gunjan lives in Gujarat and is married to an Indian Air Force Pilot (IAF Flight Officer). The couple has a beautiful daughter named, Pragya out of their wedlock.
At the age of 44 too, she is passing all the energy and pride to the other army personnel through her courageous story.
Hats off to the family who showed similar confidence and encouraged her to chase her dream of serving our motherland.
Gunjan Saxena’s journey in the role of (IAF) Chopper Pilot:
The prime role of Gunjan as a chopper pilot was to evacuate the casualties from the areas of threat and bring them to a safe zone.
The second role was to drop the arms and ammunition’s from the helicopters to the soldiers who were on ground fighting the war.
Lastly, keep a check on the unusual activities on air and ground.
Not just the birds; a girl can fly too with wings so high! _Shruti Sharma
It was in 1994 when Gunjan was completing her graduation. At the same time, she joined the IAF as a pilot.
She was in the first batch consisting of 25 women pilots. After her training in the IAF, Gunjan Saxena was first posted in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
J&M being one of the scariest places in terms of war threat, Gunjan stood still with confidence and strength with the sole objective of securing her motherland.
In 1999, Kargil suffered from massive attacks by the opponents of Pakistan.
Due to the tensions increasing in the war, Indian army did not have a choice and was asked them to invite all the armed forces including women.
Till date, women were avoided in the war-front due to extreme pressure and stress. However, two operations (Operation Vijay and Operation Safed Sagar) won victory winning peace over war.
To share what happened during her journey, Gunjan Saxena was sent along with her colleague to fly the Cheetah helicopters.
These brave women flew the helicopters in the midst of the war dropping crucial equipment to the Indian soldiers and evacuating casualties.
Lifting people with serious injuries and flying helicopter from the edge of the mountains requires sharp skills and presence of mind that was confidently shown by Gunjan Saxena.
In an interview with NDTV, Gunjan stated; “Being a pioneer, I would say, it feels great and I would only say that I hope these women who’ve come into the fighter stream now give their 100 per cent and really, really touch the sky with glory.”
Read Also :
- Punita Arora, The First Indian Woman Lieutenant General of Indian Armed Forces
- Bula Choudhary – The First Woman in the World to Cross Seven Seas
- Dr. Tessy Thomas Becomes the First Woman Scientist of India
Motivational Message for the Audience:
From a common woman to an unbeatable fighter serving the nation, that’s the motivational story of Gunjan Saxena! Imagine how many years we live just in finding the right goal and solving the purpose of life.
Gunjan served for 7 years and in her tenure, she did all that no one can do in years. Not only her family, but the entire nation takes pride remembering her amazing moves during Kargil war.
‘One goal but many lives to inspire…’ _Shruti Sharma
One can only imagine how it is to fly a chopper amidst narrow escape surrounded by Pakistani troops where your helicopter is hit and saved by opponent’s gunfire and missiles.
Rather than being scared, you speed up your confidence and focus only at your target to reach them and help them.
Gunjan Saxena, being a woman myself I feel immense pride and sense of confidence in writing your story. You have made every woman realize what strength and dignity she is worth for. There is no single space where women haven’t left their remark. It is through a woman’s womb, some of the greatest legends and warriors have taken birth.
We are sure Jhanvi Kapoor is going to perform complete justice to your biopic and the audience is eagerly waiting to see the promos of the same. Few postures are already out with some details related to the movie.
I am hoping to see what profession and courage her daughter carries. Our blessings are with the family of this brave woman, Gunjan Saxena who has delivered a Great War story of Kargil War by facing all hurdles with courage and determination. You read more about this fighter and warrior woman on the other platforms too.
If the story touched you somewhere and you consider yourself a patriotic too, give this article thumbs up or share your love for her through your comments.