Earning our stripes

What are Stripes?

“To deserve the position, one holds or earns, through attitude, aptitude, and application in the theatre of life and profession”. This idiom originates from the military practice (1900s) of awarding someone who has served with distinction with insignias or stripes. Nowadays, it is widely used to describe anyone who has earned her rank through hard work.

The Story of Gunjan Saxena

Gunjan Saxena is a recent film I saw on Netflix. There have been quite a few war films of late. Uri, Battalion 609, Bunker et all. I love war films. This film is special to me not only because of its phenomenal storytelling, breathtaking cinematography, or dialogues. The alchemy of emotions based on a true story about a true hero, raised the “woman” in me. A woman of substance and courage.

Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena is an exemplar of stoicism, who never gave up on her dreams and acted with urgency, precision, and courage when it mattered the most. It is also about human vulnerability and ability to catapult from that position, overcome the conscious bias of what women are capable of, and how they can realize their life’s mission; like any other. This movie transcends the gender discussion from the vantage that it is not just about gender but notion of a supportive and challenging environment, which makes the ordinary do extraordinary things. And it is never about gender.

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Who is the real Gunjan Saxena?

Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena (born 1975) is an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and former helicopter pilot. She joined the IAF in 1994 and is a 1999 Kargil War veteran. She is the only woman to be part of the Kargil War, making her the first woman IAF officer to go to war (also listed as "first woman to fly in a combat zone").[6][7] She is the first of two women along with Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan from the IAF to enter a war zone flying Cheetah helicopters. One of her main roles during the Kargil War was to evacuate the wounded from Kargil, (Source Wikipedia). She was just 24 when she did her first rescue mission.

Earning our stripes is never easy. Despite the rigor of our training and experience, things hang in balance in the real field. It is only hard work and discipline that can see one through, with a little bit of luck.

Destiny never leaves the hands of those who are committed to work hard for their goals.