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Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- Indian Express
When the women of Bhuj fixed a runway: During 1971 war, 72 hours of courage
A grainy black and white photograph published over 50 years ago in Kutchmitra, a vernacular newspaper in Gujarat, is proof that courage and determination have no shape, size or form. It shows a group of women in chaniya-cholis waiting next to a concrete mixer. The photograph, proof of a singular act of courage, was from 1971, when nearly 300 women from a nearby village worked 12 hours each for three days to repair the 4-km airstrip at the Bhuj air base, rendered unusable after heavy bombing by the Pakistan Air Force on the intervening night of December 8-9, 1971. Though the base had been bombed on December 4, 1971, too, the attack on the intervening night of December 8-9 had sent the labourers hired for repairs running for their lives. Later on December 9, women from Madhapar village, around 5 km from Bhuj, turned up at the base to 'save the country'. During his visit to Bhuj on May 26 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had greeted the virangnaas (brave women) from Madhapar village for their bravery during the third India-Pakistan War, which lasted around 15 days and culminated in the creation of Bangladesh. Madhapar's Kanbai Shivji Hirani, 80, was among these volunteers. Inside her two-room house in the village, a showcase is overflowing with memento trophies acknowledging her act of bravery 54 years ago. 'There were three holes — as big as my house — on the airstrip (in 1971), along with several smaller ones,' she tells The Indian Express. In her early 20s in 1971, Kanbai recalls brushing aside protests from her husband and mother-in-law after she informed them about her resolve to help rebuild the airstrip. At the time of these bombings, the air base was under the command of then 30-year-old Commander Vijay Karnik. One of the youngest officers to command an air base in India, he had joined the Air Force in March 1962 and retired in 1993 as Wing Commander. He says repairing the runway after the December 4 attack proved to be more challenging than anticipated. He says work on the tarmac had started, but the December 9 bombings made the workers flee. 'I approached the local administration for help but was told that the labourers had refused to return to the base. Having seen women of all ages work as construction labourers, then Kutch Collector (N Gopalaswami), the sarpanch and I turned to the local leaders for help,' Wg Cdr Karnik (retd), 86, says. N Gopalaswami, the former Chief Election Commissioner who now lives in Chennai, told The Indian Express, 'I informed the sarpanch that getting men from far away would be difficult. Within two hours, he managed to gather women for these repairs.' As dawn broke on December 9, 1971, a vehicle deposited around 50 Madhapar women at the base. Though men, including Kanbai's husband, were also present at the tarmac while the women worked from 7 am to 7 pm for three days, she says they were there 'only to shadow us and not to help'. Sambai Karsan Khokhani, 83, says an Air Force officer told them about the damaged ranba (runway). 'It took us one whole day just to see the full ranba. We were scared at first but realised that if we don't repair it, no one else will.' Bhavesh Bhudia, 33, a resident of Madhapar and a senior clerk with the Bhuj panchayat, says his maternal grandmother, Premibai Pancha Singhani, who was among the 300 volunteers, passed away at the age of 85 in 2024. Jadavji Varsani, a trustee at the local Swaminarayan Temple who ran a groundnut oil mill nearby, was instrumental in inspiring these women to volunteer for the dangerous task. In 1971, he says, Madhapar's Navavas area had around 500 houses and a small Swaminarayan Temple that had a siren. 'The village had just two landlines, including the one at my house. In case of danger, the Bhuj telephone exchange would call and say 'siren' thrice. I would sound the temple siren after that,' he says. Having started working at the age of 18 as a small savings scheme agent, Varsani's contacts in the village helped him mobilise the women. 'Initially, I had to convince the women to do desh sewa (serve the nation). Other women joined soon. Refusing remuneration, they said, 'Humein desh ki sewa ka mauka mila hai. Iss se zyada aur kuch nahi chahiye (we have an opportunity to serve the nation and want nothing more)',' he says. Kanbai, among the first lot, says 'nearly 250 more women' joined in the next day. The volunteers, says Wg Cdr Karnik (retd), turned up despite facing resistance from their families. On their first day, the women turned up without food. Kanbai says they 'drank hot water' to quell hunger pangs. Wg Cdr Karnik (retd) discovered this the next day, when more women joined in. 'When we offered them food, they told us they cannot eat outside food as followers of the Swaminarayan movement,' he says. Members of the Bhuj Swaminarayan Temple were informed. Soon, the locals collected jaggery, ghee and wheat to make sukhdi (a traditional Gujarati sweet) and chikki (peanut brittle) for the volunteers. Wg Cdr Karnik (retd) said the volunteers were also given basic training on the dos and don'ts in case an enemy plane was spotted. 'We told them to hide under the green cover as soon as they heard the siren. One aircraft kept circling the base while these women fixed it.' Recalling her training, Kanbai says, 'We were told to hide under the babool trees, the vegetation near the runway or in the trenches, and to exit our hiding spots only after the second siren. Sirens would blare two-three times a day.' Kanbai, who has studied till Class 7, lost her husband in 2010. A construction labourer, she says her daughter, who got married in 1999 in Madhapar itself, and son-in-law forced her to retire in 2020 due to her advancing age. 'When I met the Prime Minister (on May 26), I told him that the women of Madhapar are ready to serve the nation, if required, even now,' she adds. Like her, Kunwarbai Jina Varsani, 94, too helped fix the runway. Sitting on a charpoy in the verandah of her Madhapar house, she says she filled pits on the runway with sand, cement and gravel. 'Back then, two of my three children went to school. My mother-in-law took care of the third one while I was at the base,' she says, adding that she lives alone in the village since her children, two sons and one daughter, reside in the UK. Predominantly inhabited by the Patel community, most young residents of Madhapar, also known as Asia's 'richest' village, are settled in countries like the US, the UK and Africa. Lauding the valour of the Madhapar volunteers, Wg Cdr Karnik (retd) recalls, 'Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's visited the Bhuj air base on December 24, 1971. It was the only air base she visited after the war. She had lunch with the women of Madhapar. When men refused to repair the runway, these untrained women came forward to do the job. And what a fantastic job they did.'
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Review of Commanded by Destiny by S.M. Shrinagesh
Commanded by Destiny is a breezy anecdotal memoir of the Indian Army's fourth Indian chief between 1955 and 1957. The USP of the narrative lies in its sweeping landscape and accurate recollection of military and political events during the fledgling years of India's evolution as a nation-state. Adding value is General Shrinagesh's prescient views on several important issues such as civil-military relations, the necessity for an integrated national security architecture and federalism. The book begins with an interesting peek into General Shrinagesh's privileged childhood and education followed by his entry into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Navigating the public school environment in England with ease and choosing a military career over a confirmed entry into Cambridge, Shrinagesh's early military career commenced in the mid-1920s as one of the early Kings Commissioned Officers (KCIOs). After a relatively peaceful but interesting five years in Upper Burma with a Pioneer Regiment (the precursor to engineer regiments), he transferred to the Infantry and moved to the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) where his operational baptism took place in fighting and maintaining the peace in the restive tribal areas of what is now called the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Facing a dilemma Missing out on most of the action during the Burma Campaign in World War II, Shrinagesh does not hesitate to offer his views on the dilemma that faced the Indian Army on the status of the Subhas Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army and how mutiny was unacceptable in a military. One of the most detailed parts of the book is reserved for his role as the Corps Commander in charge of the two divisions that saw all the action in the first India-Pakistan War of 1947-48. The narrative around the sieges of Leh and Poonch is riveting and his recollections of specific actions and operational plans are excellent. An unabashed admirer of Jawaharlal Nehru, there is little mention in the book of Nehru when the author discusses some of the post-Independence instances of politico-military dissonance such as the creation of a 'citizen army' rather than a professional army, or the downsizing of the Indian Army in the face of a growing Chinese threat. General Shrinagesh took over the Indian Army in 1955 at a time when peace-time hubris had set in into India's armed forces. Though he spent much time in ensuring that organisational restructuring and training was not neglected, there is little to suggest that there was any serious evaluation of national security threats in the face of a government that was unwilling to be realistic in its approach to regional geopolitics. The China angle With respect to the China debacle too, Shrinagesh is cagey in his memoir to assign accountability to both the political and military leaderships, possibly because of his deep respect for Nehru and not wanting to criticise his peers with whom he had shaped the trajectory of the post-independence army. Transiting with ease and finesse to post-retirement assignments in the academic and gubernatorial domains, his understanding of what it would take to train good administrators at the Administrative Staff College and the responsibilities of a governor in a federal structure and troubled regions such as Nagaland is striking. A slightly jarring aspect of the book for discerning readers emerges in the editorial segment. There is no indication of sources and references or when and how the memoir was written, or why it has emerged only now, nearly five decades after the general's demise. Some appendices comprising the notes left behind by the general would have added value and authenticity. However, in the final analysis, this is an eminently readable book. The reviewer is a retired Air Vice Marshal from the IAF and a military historian Commanded by Destiny: A General's Rise from Soldier to Statesman S.M. Shrinagesh Penguin Veer ₹699
Pink Villa
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
EXCLUSIVE: Diljit Dosanjh to start Border 2 with Sunny Deol in June; Film wrap in August
In 2024, Bhushan Kumar, JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta joined forces on the biggest war film of Indian Cinema, Border 2. Soon after, the makers announced the star-studded line-up of the film with Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty. The film went on floors in November 2024, and the shoot is going-on in full swing ever since then. Pinkvilla has exclusively learnt that Diljit Dosanjh is all set to start shooting for this Anurag Singh directorial from June 10. A source shares, ' Diljit Dosanjh plays a very interesting part in Border, bringing in the heart to the tale of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. He begins his journey on Border 2 from June 10, and will be shooting for the sequences with Sunny Deol in the first leg.' The source further informs that the actor will shoot with Varun Dhawan in the second leg of his stint, starting from July. 'Diljit has powerful moments with Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan, as also Ahan Shetty. There's also a strong backstory to his role,' the source adds. Anurag Singh is looking to call it a wrap on Border 2 by August 10. 'While Sunny Deol is looking to finish shooting for large-chunk of his role in June end, Diljit Dosanjh and Varun Dhawan will wrap up their part in the month of August 2025,' the source concludes. Border 2 is on track for a Republic Day 2026 release. For those unaware, the film is a sequel to the 1997 blockbuster, Border, and is touted to be the biggest war film of Indian Cinema. Much like the first part, this one too is set against the backdrop of 1971 India-Pakistan War. The makers are bringing back the anthem, Sandese Aate Hai in Border 2, the new version is sung by Sunny Deol and Arijit Singh. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Not my son, he's prisoner of war: When Gen Cariappa snubbed Pak dictator's offer
"Your son is safe. If you so desire, I shall set him free," said Pakistani President Field Marshal Ayub Khan, as he made a special offer to his former commander, General KM Cariappa (Retd), after the 1965 India-Pakistan son of General Cariappa, KC Cariappa, then a Flight Lieutenant was held in captivity by the Pakistani army after his fighter plane – a Hawker Hunter – was shot down by Pakistani forces in the Khem Karan sector of Punjab in September 1965, just a day before a ceasefire was will not seek for my son anything which I cannot secure for any Indian soldier. He is no longer my son. He is the son of India. Look after all of them [Indian prisoners of war] well. They are all my sons," was the terse message General Cariappa delivered to Ayub Khan. Ayub Khan earlier served under General Cariappa in the British Indian Army, and that might have been the reason for the special offer to his former Cariappa, who was later conferred the title of Field Marshal in 1986, refused to accept any special treatment for his son, Flight Lieutenant KC story of General Cariappa's principled stand is a compelling chapter in India's military history, especially relevant in the wake of the latest armed conflict with Pakistan following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, sponsored by the hybrid regime of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor, after Pakistan hit civilian and military areas in India, led to a four-day intense mini-war, which was a significant escalation between the two nations after is also relevant as Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir promoted himself to the rank of Field Marshal on May conduct of Field Marshal Cariappa reveals the discipline and integrity of the Indian military, which is in sharp contrast of the coup-addicted Pakistani army. A prime example of that is Ayub Khan himself, who elevated himself to the rank of a Field Marshal after toppling a civilian government in a coup in 1965 India-Pakistan War was triggered after Pakistani forces covertly infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir through its Operation Gibraltar. Even as Pakistan attempted to incite a local uprising in Kashmir, it moved its forces into Gujarat's prompted a full-scale military response from India in August forces crossed the international border, and advanced towards Lahore, while Pakistan launched counteroffensives. The war saw intense battles, including the iconic Battle of Asal Uttar, where India's Param Vir Abdul Hamid decimated Pakistan's Patton tanks. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) staged up close air support to ground troops while countering Pakistan's aerial attacks from US-supplied jets like the F-86 FORMER INDIAN ARMY CHIEF'S SON BECAME PRISONER OF WARAbout a month after the full-fledged war began in August, 27-year-old Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa was taken captive on September 22, Cariappa had been tasked with striking Pakistani positions in Kasur in Pakistan."Indian airplanes were in action. Some of them were brought down by Pakistani anti-aircraft guns. On the last day of the war, an Indian plane crashed in Pakistan. The pilot was Flying Officer Nanda (nickname of Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa) Cariappa. He was the only son of the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of free India, (then) General Cariappa," LS Sheshagiri Rao wrote in his book, Field Marshal KM Flight Lieutenant Cariappa's Hawker Hunter was hit, it spiralled downward, trailing thick smoke. He pulled the ejection handle. With the aircraft barely 100 feet above the ground, he crash-landed within moments. The force of the impact fractured a few bones. Through the settling haze, he saw soldiers in khaki uniforms emerging."As the artillery fire boomed, one of the soldiers asked the confused young fighter his name. 'Ft-Lt Cariappa," was the reply. "Are you Gen. Cariappa's son?" was the next query," author Sanjay Dutt wrote in his 2000 book, War and Peace in Kargil Sector."Realisation dawned then that I was in the custody of the Pakistani army," a 62-year-old KC Cariappa, who retired as Air Marshal, later told FIELD MARSHAL CARIAPPA REFUSED AYUB KHAN'S OFFERCaptured by Pakistani forces, he became a high-profile prisoner of war (POW) due to his father's stature. KM Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. It was he who had led Indian forces during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war, and was a respected figure, even among the Pakistani military, as many, including the then military dictator of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, had served under his command in the pre-Partition British Indian Khan once served under KM Cariappa in the North West Frontier Province, when the latter, as a young Colonel, was posted to the Bannu Frontier Brigade in Waziristan (in the present-day Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).After being taken to a hospital, Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa was sent to two weeks of solitary confinement in a cell with a battered charpai (cot) and three blankets."I hardly saw sunlight. Every time I was taken outside I was blindfolded," Cariappa told Dutt, adding he was interrogated by the Pakistani military during that then, the news of the high-profile POW had already spread, thanks to Radio his captivity, KC Cariappa was visited by Pakistani Army Chief General Muhammad Musa along with one of Ayub Khan's sons, who gave him a PG Wodehouse book and some cigarettes, he told The Hindu in was during the early weeks of Flight Lieutenant Cariappa's captivity that Pakistani President Ayub Khan called his former commander, General Cariappa. When the 66-year-old veteran received the proposal to secure his son's release, he responded with the powerful message of fairness and equality. The veteran stood by these principles throughout his entire career and IN PAKISTANI JAIL AND SOME NEW YEAR CHEERFollowing the visit of the army chief and Ayub Khan's son, Flight Lieutenant Cariappa was, however, reunited with his fellow POWs in a jail in Fort Dargai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."Food was terrible. We had pooris and a mug of tea for breakfast, and rice, two chapattis, lacey bhindi (lady's finger) and a soupy preparation of turnip for lunch, which was repeated for dinner," Cariappa told The Hindu in 2019."In the first week of December, the prisoners received their Red Cross parcels (under the Geneva convention pact), which indicated that they were now officially designated POWs," Dutt wrote in his 2000 book, adding that the Indian soldiers also received a parcel of biscuits and dried fruits from film actress Asha Parekh. They also received two volumes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which one of the officers would read aloud every their captivity, the Indian soldiers marked the arrival of 1966 with their own unique New Year's Eve, the officers managed to sneak some spirits from the medical assistant who came to treat their injuries. They brewed it in a pot along with dry fruits, biscuits, and even chapatis, welcoming the New Year with hearty swigs of their jail-made concoction."We wrapped up the pot with a blanket and placed it near a fire to prepare our brew, snake juice. For dessert, we had Marie biscuits and chocolates that we melted so we had almost the original Oreo sandwich!" Air Marshal Cariappa told The Hindu in CARIAPPA WAS IN PAKISTANI CAPTIVITY FOR FOUR MONTHSNot many days after the New Year's celebration, Cariappa was released. After nearly a month of intense fighting in 1965, the war ended with a ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union in September 1965, which was later formalised by the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966."On January 22 Cariappa and six of his colleagues were put on board an aircraft bound for Delhi," Dutt coming back, Flight Lieutenant Cariappa continued his service with the Indian Air Force. He later went on to serve as the Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command. He currently lives in his family home in Karnataka's Madikeri, where his father, Field Marshal Cariappa, lived after story of Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa's capture and release during the 1965 India-Pakistan War is not just about war and bravery. It is also a testament to the principles of honour, sacrifice, and equality upheld by India's armed KM Cariappa's commitment to fairness, even in the face of personal hardship, was and still is an inspiring example of leadership and the two Field Marshals had two very different plays. While Ayub Khan crowned himself, Cariappa showed true leadership. One sought power; the other stood for principle. The proof of strength lies in character, not in InMust Watch
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
1971 to Operation Sindoor, a paradigm shift in warfare
The news of Indian Air Force (IAF) missiles striking Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base Nur Khan with pinpoint accuracy during Operation Sindoor took me back to the morning of December 4, 1971. Serving with an IAF squadron, I had led a section of two fighter-bombers to strike the same target then known as PAF Base Chaklala. Located just a few miles northeast of the Pak army headquarters in Rawalpindi, it was a heavily defended base, but my wingman and I returned home safely, after attacking some transport aircraft on the ground. Separated by 54 years, Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam, and the 1971 India-Pakistan War are completely distinct events with vastly dissimilar contexts, objectives, and scales. However, a brief comparison of operations may be informative for the lay reader to grasp how radically the nature of warfare has changed over the half century separating these two conflicts. Most of the participating aircraft in 1971 were sub-sonic, second-generation fighters and bombers. The pilot's primary sensor was his eyeball, and since GPS had not yet arrived, navigation was by compass and clock. Armed with bombs, rockets and cannon (all of them 'dumb' or un-guided), the attacking aircraft had to approach the target, enter a dive and release/fire weapons from a range of 800-1500 yards, before making a high-speed exit. During approach and departure, the attackers would be exposed to intense fire from anti-aircraft guns of various calibres, and occasionally, from surface-to-air missiles (SAM), inflicting heavy attrition. Operation Sindoor, on the other hand, saw the deployment of fourth and fifth generation supersonic aircraft equipped with advanced sensors and smart, guided weapons. The long-range bombs and missiles had stand-off ranges of 50 to 250 miles, and ground targets could, therefore, be attacked from within own territory, without risking exposure of pilot and aircraft to adversary ground fire or SAMs. Another major threat to attacking aircraft in 1971 was the enemy CAP or combat air patrol mounted over vulnerable points/areas. When threatened by a CAP, the attacker could either flee or join combat after jettisoning weapons and auxiliary fuel tanks. During close (within visual-range) combat, both pilots manoeuvred with full engine-power under high gravity-loading, trying to close-in to less than 200 yards, before opening cannon fire for the kill. The few aircraft equipped with close-combat air-to-air missiles could engage targets at ranges of two to five miles. The aircraft deployed in Operation Sindoor were not only equipped with powerful, electronically scanned radars that could detect small targets at vast distances but could also engage them with air-to-air missiles of beyond-visual-range (BVR) capability. Thus, pilots on both sides had the ability to detect and, if required, launch missiles on targets at ranges of 60-100 miles or more without ever sighting each other. With both air forces operating high-flying airborne warning and control system (Awacs) aircraft, the complete air picture could be monitored and aircraft control exercised by the Awacs crew. The Awacs could also pass target information to a fighter via datalink without the latter having to transmit on its own radar. It is presumed that radio communication on both sides was electronically encrypted and could not be monitored by the adversary. Unprecedented in earlier conflicts, both India and Pakistan employed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones which reduced the need for manned incursions, offering low-risk high-impact options for strikes and reconnaissance. UAVs, designated loitering munition also known as suicide or kamikaze drones, are weapons that can hover/loiter silently for hours in the vicinity of a target before striking either autonomously or on command. The drone threat had fortuitously triggered a whole ecosystem of Indian public and private sector companies developing innovative anti-drone technologies. Thus, there were adequate indigenous soft and hard-kill measures in place to neutralise drone swarms launched by Pakistan to attack our critical infrastructure. Unlike in the 1971 war, Operation Sindoor involved no ground troop movements across borders. The Indian Army focused on defensive postures and retaliatory fire from Indian territory. This shift reflected a strategic choice as ground invasions run the risk of an expanded conventional conflict and uncontrolled escalation, especially, in a nuclear environment. In this context, an inference could, cautiously, be drawn that Operation Sindoor has further expanded the space for conventional operations below the nuclear threshold. In 1971, the Indian Navy (IN) had played a key role in the outcome of operations, in both theatres of war, waging missile warfare in the west and mounting a carrier-borne air offensive in the east. In Operation Sindoor, the IN played a silent but, nevertheless, crucial role. An aircraft carrier task force was deployed in the north Arabian Sea, ready to undertake aircraft or missile strikes if ordered. In the lexicon of maritime operations, a robust naval presence has by itself numerous strategic implications. Given Pakistan's small coastline, with just 3-4 usable ports, considerable economic and psychological pressure could be built up by an IN taskforce exercising control over its maritime lifelines, carrying trade, energy and food. While providing a brief insight into the changed nature of warfare, Operation Sindoor also raises some questions about the future. Will technology-driven, non-contact warfare, which minimizes escalation become the preferred option, replacing boots on the ground? Will autonomous weapons with lethality and range become more important than platforms like manned combat aircraft? While the success of Operation Sindoor does highlight a paradigm shift in warfare, can we assume that territorial transgressions are obsolete and that political imperatives will never again demand traditional war? Arun Prakash, a former chief of naval staff, was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry in air action over West Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir in the 1971 war. The views expressed are personal
