Gunjan Saxena – The Untold Story Of The First Ever Indian Woman To Fly Into A Combat Zone
Image: Indiatimes
The big war of India — the Kargil. The victory in it showed the world that India cannot be messed with. As we eliminated infiltration from Pakistan, we realized the power and valor of our defence wing. 1999 seems so long back, yet like it was just yesterday.
Of all the operations that we went with, Operations Vijay and Safed Sagar were among those that contributed to the success of the conflict in entirety. In these conflicts, the IAF played a critical role in giving India a strategic advantage. In the process, IAF increased its employee count and got a crash course for pilots and engineers to spot the enemies and eliminate them.
Around this time Gunjan Saxena, who was pursuing her graduation came across the opportunity to be part of the first batch of women pilots in the IAF. Coming from a family that had a history in the defence, Gunjan was not unfamiliar with the challenges of being in a defence wing. So, it made her more excited than anything else. There was only one small catch in the whole thing. That was the time when the defence forces were filled to the brim with male officers and women were not allowed to fly as yet. This would mean that the expectation on her as the first batch was a lot higher.
The challenge strengthened Gunjan’s resolve to grab the opportunity. Although not allowed to fly jets, being the first batch of lady pilots was a massive mark in Indian history. Beyond anything, there was a lot of skepticism about how women would cope with the increasing stress involved in combat and flying. Around when the young women were awaiting a chance to show the world their worth, the Kargil War was in progress.
Owing to the massive scale of the war, IAF resources had taken a massive hit and every pilot available had to be put on the force to keep up with the combat and flying requirements. Taking all the men into combat flying, women took to the cockpit for duties such as dropping supplies, medical attention and evacuation, and reconnaissance. By now, Gunjan could barely contain her excitement and waited to be called into duty.
When the time came, she joined hands with another courageous pilot, and together these both were asked to handle duties in combat zones. Over the course of her tenure, Gunjan flew her chopper to drop supplies to the Indian troops, and also pick up wounded soldiers and dead bodies from treacherous terrains. Not only did she perform her duty to the best of her abilities, but she also provided her seniors with the position of the enemies. This helped better the war strategies that would later prove instrumental in a magnanimous victory for India.
Besides having to fly in hostile conditions, Gunjan had to stay mentally and physically prepared for any other possible forms of attack. In addition, she constantly carries a fully loaded assault rifle and a revolver in case she would need to fight her way out after a crash landing. In her Cheetah helicopter, she took on some of the most unpredictable territories. In one such situation, a rocket was fired at her helicopter when she was preparing to take off from the Kargil airstrip. While the rocket missed the Cheetah, it crashed into a hill in a massive explosion. Despite this, Gunjan continued to operate her chopper to the best of her abilities. With her life on danger round the clock, Gunjan refused to back down.
As a helicopter pilot, Gunjan believes that the most satisfying feeling is that of casualty evacuation since there is a life you save. Despite the amount of efforts she put in, her career at the IAF ended soon after the Kargil war. This was predominantly because of the lack of permanent commissioning back then.
In the midst of all the massive Kargil war, the IAF managed to create history. The legacy is called Gunjan Saxena. Being the first-ever woman to fly into a combat zone, she was awarded Shaurya Chakra — defence gallantry for acts of courage and valor while not engaging in direct combat.
While Gunjan may not have had the chance to fly jet aircraft, she set the benchmark a little higher for women who aspired to get into the defence. Going against the odds and looking death in eye every day is not something we could do every day. But, Gunjan did. And she set the example for several other women.
In a world that is dominated by men and pseudo-feminists, Gunjan is the living testament to gender equality. She took it upon herself to give the best to her country, countrymen, commanders, and compatriots. And, that is the true meaning of a human and a warrior.
So, what is your excuse for not fulfilling your ambition and aspiration? Gender? Well, think again. The benchmark was set 20 years ago. The benchmark is called Gunjan Saxena.
