Sreevidya Rajan breaks her silence regarding Gunjan Saxena

Dharma productions latest movie," Gunjan Saxena the Kargil girl" has attracted a lot of mixed views from our fellow officers and friends. As the only other lady officer posted at Udhampur along with Gunjan Saxena and having gone through the ups and downs of the journey, now I would like to put forward my views.

We are course mates and had undergone our training together in AFA and HTS. Both of us were posted to Udhampur in 1996 but in the movie, it was shown that she was the only lady pilot posted at the unit. Since the two of us were the first lady pilots to be posted to that helicopter unit, we were skeptical about our acceptance in the male-dominated niche area of flying. We were received with the usual preconceived notions and prejudices from a few colleagues. However, there were enough officers to support us. We were under strict scrutiny and certain mistakes of ours were met with corrective actions which may have been overlooked had it been done by our male counterparts. We had to work harder than our counterparts to prove ourselves to be at par with them. Some were not happy to share the professional space with us but the majority accepted and treated us as fellow officers working towards a common goal.

Our flying began within a few days of our arrival and was never interrupted or cancelled for petty reasons as wrongly portrayed in the movie. The squadron commander was a thorough professional. He was a very strict and tough officer who took us to task whenever there was a mistake from our side, be it male or female. We never faced any humiliating physical strength demonstrations as shown in the movie. We were never ill-treated or humiliated by our fellow officers.

As shown in the movie, there were no separate toilet facilities and changing rooms for ladies in the unit. After initial difficulties, we shared the limited resources with our fellow officers and they always accommodated and helped us whenever it was needed.

In the movie, Gunjan Saxena was shown as the only lady pilot to fly in Kargil operations. This is factually incorrect. We were posted together to Udhampur and when the Kargil conflict started, I was the first woman pilot to be sent along with the male counterparts in the first detachment of our unit which deployed at Srinagar. I flew missions in the conflict area even before Gunjan's arrival at Srinagar. After a few days of operation, Gunjan Saxena came to Srinagar with the next set of crew. We actively participated in all operations given to us which included casualty evacuation, supply drop, communication sorties, SAR, etc. The heroic acts of the protagonist portrayed in the climax never actually happened and may have been shown as part of cinematic licence.

Gunjan and I were posted together in two stations. Being her coursemate and a good friend, I believe that the filmmakers have twisted the facts given by Gunjan for the sake of publicity. She is a brilliant officer and a thorough professional. She had many achievements during her career which should have been portrayed to inspire the younger generation instead of showing her as a weak and oppressed victim in certain scenes. . As the pioneers of women pilots, we were treated with utmost respect and it was our responsibility to live up to the expectations and pave way for future generations. The movie is sending out a wrong message about the lady officers of IAF there by demeaning the prestigious organisation of our country.

I only wish that since it is a Biopic, Gunjan should have made sure to show the facts and portray IAF in a positive light before giving her approval to air the movie.

Though I was the first lady pilot to fly in Kargil, I never claimed it in any forum before this due to my strong belief in gender equality. In Kargil operations, male pilots had flown extensively and faced more hardships than us. But they never got or sought any publicity. We probably were given this fame because of our gender which I do not support. In defence services, there is no disparity between male or female. We are all officers in uniform.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10219607626235251&id=1053704894

Rebuttal by Vishnu Som who first captured Gunjan and Sreevidya's story during Kargil War in the 90s in NDTV. He says back then Gunjan was identified as the first female pilot to go to war.

https://twitter.com/VishnuNDTV/status/1295281560053317633?s=19

This is getting so complicated as usual About time real Gunjan clears the air.

Absolutely loved this line by Sreevidya

In Kargil operations, male pilots had flown extensively and faced more hardships than us. But they never got or sought any publicity. We probably were given this fame because of our gender which I do not support. In defence services, there is no disparity between male or female. We are all officers in uniform.

Originally posted by: insideroutsider

Though I was the first lady pilot to fly in Kargil, I never claimed it in any forum before this due to my strong belief in gender equality. In Kargil operations, male pilots had flown extensively and faced more hardships than us. But they never got or sought any publicity. We probably were given this fame because of our gender which I do not support. In defence services, there is no disparity between male or female. We are all officers in uniform.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10219607626235251&id=1053704894

@red : kudos to you Srividya 👏 you won my heart............ This is called true FEMINISM.....treat us like equals nor above the male gender, neither below them..........

I am not blaming Gunjan too, who knows what her side is............but #shame on #dharmaproductions for distorting the facts and showing our defence forces in such poor light........... such movies do make me believe in the bollywood-foreign enemies nexus........

Originally posted by: insideroutsider

Though I was the first lady pilot to fly in Kargil, I never claimed it in any forum before this due to my strong belief in gender equality. In Kargil operations, male pilots had flown extensively and faced more hardships than us. But they never got or sought any publicity. We probably were given this fame because of our gender which I do not support. In defence services, there is no disparity between male or female. We are all officers in uniform.

Personally don't agree with this. What was the use of the fame when they had to ultimately leave their dreams and retire at such young age and get back to regular jobs just because they didn't have provision for PC? It took more than 20 years since she became a pilot for the supreme court to uphold the verdict of female pilots finally getting a PC at IAF when their male counterparts were eligible for permanent commision from god knows when. How is that not disparity?

^^^ exactly

Plus the so called 'publicity' is imp to inspire more girls to join the forces and their families to become more open minded about the same.

When people brave odds and venture into areas which was previously closed to them that deserves to be acknowledged.

And defence forces are highly prejudiced. Just read their submissions in the supreme court. Just see how they are fighting tooth and nail to avoid having women in the forces. And these are the urban, educated top brass.

Not remarking on the movie , just on the fact that there is discrimination and anyone who succeeds despite this deserves "publicity"

They deserve more fame for being female officers! Yes, they ofcourse had the normal struggles that even the male officers faced but they had more to deal with on a personal level.

I will always believe that they deserve more credit.

This is my favorite scene from the film. Probably the other girl shown is her, don't know.

Representation matters a lot! Representation is what inspires others to take up jobs that are otherwise seen as male dominated. And for the representation to reach to the masses, you need the fame that media and people give you for crossing all hurdles and prejuidices successfully in a male dominated work culture/workspace. They deserve all the fame and no one should be made feel guilty about basking on that glory that she rightly deserves. We can only believe in gender equality when we actually HAVE gender equality in the first place. It's not about her just being a woman, it is always because of the way she had to fight the prejuidices because she was a woman. Once all these things end and we are at a level playing field, maybe then none of this fame will be needed. But until then both Sreevidya and Gunjan and many more inspirational women should be lauded for what they have done to make things relatively easier for the upcoming generation.

Very well written by Sreevidya Rajan! 👏