Gunjan Saxena is best known for being one of the first female combat pilots to enter the Kargil theater in 1999 along with her comrade Lieutenant Srividya Rajan. Although women’s recruitment started in 2016, Gunjan Saxena and Srividya Rajan broke the norm by becoming the first women officers of the Indian Air Force to fly in theaters during the Kargil War. Let us know some more interesting facts about Gunjan Saxena.
Biography/Wiki
Gunjan Saxena is 45 years old (as of 2020). She graduated from Hansraj College, Delhi University. During her graduation, she joined the Safdarjung Flying Club in Delhi to learn the basics of flying.
Gunjan, who was born and raised in a military family, also decided to join the armed forces after graduation. Gunjan said in an interview that she saw the cockpit when she was five years old, accompanied by her cousin, an Air India pilot. That’s when she decided to fly. She got the opportunity to join the first batch of trainee pilots of the Indian Air Force. She cleared the SSB exam and joined the IAF as a pilot. In 1994, she had the opportunity to be selected into the first batch of 25 female trainee pilots in the Indian Air Force.
family and husband
Gunjan Saxena was born into a family of army officers. Her father, Anup Saxena, served in the Indian Army. Her brother Anshuman Saxena also served in the Indian Army. Gunjan’s husband is an Indian Air Force officer. He is also a pilot, mainly flying Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters. The couple has a daughter, Pragya, born in 2004.
Profession
Gunjan joined the Indian Air Force in 1994 along with 25 other female trainee pilots. Her first posting was in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir (Himachal Pradesh). Gunjan and her Sub-Lieutenant Srividya Rajan waited for the right opportunity to serve and help the country and got it in 1999; when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan. The two major operations by which the Indian Army achieved victory during the Kargil War were Operation Vijay and Operation Safed Sagar. Gunjan was associated with Operation Vijay and missions included medical evacuation, surveillance of Pakistani positions in the theater and provision of supplies.
Kargil war
Indian Army during Kargil War
Earlier then, women were not employed or allowed to fly in war zones due to extreme physical and mental stress. However, after the Kargil War broke out, the Indian Army urgently needed all pilots to perform their duties in order to achieve victory against Pakistan. So, the situation changed dramatically and female pilots were asked to perform their duties. Thus, in June 1999, Gunjan docked on board the Kargil on behalf of the Indian Air Force Flying Officer.
Gunjan escorted her helicopter into the steep valleys of Kargil and fought in the sky; to rescue wounded soldiers. Her tasks included evacuating casualties and conducting aerial observations. She and her fellow lieutenant Srividya Rajan even had to stop a fire in Pakistan while on a mission. Gonja airdropped important equipment to Army units in Dras and Batalik areas. In an interview, she mentioned that her mission was to rescue the dead and injured from the side of the mountain, and that flying a helicopter required high skills. She often had to target her helicopter with Pakistani artillery fire and missiles to complete her missions. Evacuating injured soldiers and saving lives are her biggest motivations.
Indian Army wins Kargil War
Awards
Gunjan Saxena was awarded the Shaurya Veer Award for her determination and courage during the Kargil War.
fact
- Lack of basic facilities in army camps was common at that time and Gunjan also faced such difficulties while stationed in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. She said there was a lack of separate restrooms and changing rooms. So she and her female classmates took turns to stand guard, while the others changed their clothes to protect privacy. But these facilities were later restored.
Gunjan Saxena and Srividya Rajan
- While serving as a flying officer in the Kargil War, Gunja narrowly escaped when her helicopter was fired upon by the Pakistani army.
- Around 500 Indian officers, soldiers and soldiers lost their lives in the Kargil War.
Kargil Memorial Hall
- Gunjan is popularly known as the “Kargil girl”.
- In 2018, a Bollywood biopic about Gunjan Saxena was announced for release, with Jhanvi Kapoor playing the role of Gunjan Saxena.
- Gunjan’s tenure as a helicopter pilot ended in July 2004 after seven years of service in the Indian Army.
- Currently, Gunjan is a housewife living in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education