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Gunjan Saxena

Gunjan Saxena is an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer. Also, she is a former helicopter pilot. She is the first woman to fly in a combat zone. She has inspired so many lives. A Bollywood biopic was made on Gunjan featuring Janhvi Kapoor.

Introduction to Gunjan Saxena

Gunjan Saxena was born in 1975 in Delhi, India. She was born and brought up in her hometown Delhi only. She completed her schooling in Delhi. After that, she was admitted to Hansraj College for her further studies. She graduated in Physics. When she was a kid, she admired aeroplanes a lot. Gunjan always told her father that she would fly a plane one day.

Her father was very supportive of her dreams. Her father’s name is Anup Saxena. He was also in the Indian Army at that time. Gunjan’s mother is a homemaker. Her brother, Anshuman Saxena was also in Indian Army.

Bio of Gunjan

NameGunjan Saxena
Date of birth1975
Age47 years
HometownDelhi, India
Weight62 kg
Eye colourBlack
Hair colourBlack
Height5’5”
Marital StatusMarried

Career Journey

Being born in an army background family, she was also inclined towards an army job. While she was graduating, she took admission to Safdurjang Flying Club to learn flying. After graduation, she appeared in the SSB exam. She cleared the SSB exam with luck and skill and joined IAF as a pilot. She got selected with 25 other women. It was the first batch of women IAF trainee pilots. She got her first posting in Udhampur, Himachal Pradesh. It was in 1999 when Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan. This was the right time to show her dedication to her country. She was just 24 years old when she flew during the war.

Gunjan Saxena

At that women were not allowed to fly helicopters in war zones. Gunjan was also given the task that included medical evacuation, surveillance of Pakistani positions in a war zone, and supply provisions. When Kargil War happened Indian army became helpless. That was the time when Gunjan stepped up to fly the helicopter.

She flew her helicopter from between the valleys of Kargil to rescue the injured soldiers. She was in the chopper with her fellow Lieutenant Srividya Rajan. Gunjan airdropped all the essential things on the soldiers. Gunjan had to pick up the wounded and injured soldiers and take them to a safer place. It was challenging for her to fly the chopper as many guns targeted her. But she was not scared. She did her duties very bravely.

Personal Life

As she was from an Army background, she married a person from an army background. Her husband’s name is Gautam Narain. He is a Wing Commander in Indian Air Force pilot. He is the pilot of the IAF Mi-17 Helicopter. Gautam also served as an instructor at the National Defence Academy, the first tri-service academy in the world. They have a daughter named Pragya Narain. She was born in the year 2003.

Awards

Gunjan Saxena recieved the “Shaurya Veer” Award for her bravery in Kargil War.

Lesser known facts about Gunjan

  • She was posted in Udhampur as a part of the 132 Forward Area Control.
  • When she was in Udhampur, she faced many problems due to her gender. The ratio of men was more than that of women.
  • She was only 24 years old when she was given the duty of flying in the Kargil War in 1999.
  • Gunjan Saxena not only rescued people but also helped to supply essential items to the army troops.
  • After serving the country for seven years as a pilot, in 2004 she stepped down from her duties.
  • A biography was made on Gunjan Saxena, which featured Jhanvi Kapoor.
  • Currently, Gunjan resides in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Also readRonit Roy .

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