This event dates back to 2001. Lieutenant Abhijeet Gadgil, a 27-year-old young pilot, died in a MiG-21 crash. The Indian Air Force stated that the accident was caused by the pilot’s error. After senior Air Force officers claimed that the pilot had failed in his flying skills, Abhijeet’s mother, Kavita Gadgil, was deeply distressed and, along with her husband Anil Gadgil, a Wing Commander in the Air Force, initiated a nationwide fight on the issue. They even reached out to President Dr. Abdul Kalam. Defense Minister George Fernandes also faced scrutiny while trying to prove that the MiG-21 was safe.
After four years of relentless struggle, Kavita Gadgil received an apology letter from Air Chief Marshal Tyagi, where they retracted the issue of human error and the offensive remarks by Air Force officials. However, the Gadgil family didn’t stop there. They took the initiative to bring a simulator to ensure the safety of future young pilots and established the "Jeet Air Safety Foundation." Kavita Gadgil’s entire struggle was reflected in the film Rang De Basanti.
This incident from 24 years ago has resurfaced after the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Following the incident, there has been a rise in the war-like situation between India and Pakistan, and a nationwide demand to teach Pakistan a permanent lesson. The Indian government has also begun tightening its grip on Pakistan.
A Letter from the Mother Who Lost Her Son in the MiG Crash:
In this context, the mother of martyred Flight Lieutenant Abhijeet Gadgil, trustee of the Jeet Air Safety Foundation, and former director of Jeet Aerospace Institute, Kavita Gadgil, has written a letter to the entire nation. This letter, which has gone viral on social media, is presented as-is.
My Dear Indian Brothers and Sisters,
Warm greetings!
Today is my son’s birthday. My son, Flight Lieutenant Abhijeet Gadgil! If Abhijeet were alive today, he would have been 51 years old... but for me, he will forever be 27. No matter how old a child gets, for any mother, the child always remains small. And the event that happened when Abhijeet was just 27 seems to have frozen time for me, and everything stands still from that moment.
In September 2001, that night, Abhijeet took off in his MiG-21. Within just 33 seconds, everything was gone. Abhijeet’s MiG-21 crashed. There was nothing left. Only the empty, barren sky and a deadly silence remained...
That terrifying silence has weighed heavily on my heart for many years, which is why I decided to speak to all of you today.
The silence that follows a violent incident is the most terrifying. It is a void created by the loss of past joys, sorrows, breath, and life itself. It is better not to even think about the pain of living with such a void... that horrific void is now resurfacing within me... and the calls for war are reaching their peak.
When I was 12 years old, the 1962 war occurred. That war robbed us of all innocence in our lives. I grew up watching mothers who lost their young sons in war, seeing young women who had recently married and lost their husbands in battle. Later, I married a daring officer in the Air Force. We both witnessed many wars together after that.
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War means destruction. War means breaking the bones of living families.
I have lived through the harsh winter of 1971, not just watching it in the headlines, but experiencing it firsthand. My husband, back then, kept going on missions from Jorhat. Sometimes to deliver rations to the soldiers, sometimes to bring back injured or dead soldiers from East Pakistan. His constant missions put his life in danger. As he took off for these missions, I stood alone on the runway, praying for his safety. The silence that felt like war, and the violence that shattered that silence, are things I have seen up close.
Those who have ever experienced the agony of watching someone go off to war understand that war is not a solution to any problem. War means destruction. War means breaking the bones of living families. War is sacrifice, and the sacrifice is usually expected from people who have little to lose.
In war, it is often the children of ordinary, poor, middle-class farmers, workers, employees, and teachers who are called to serve. The children of the rich never reach the frontlines. Hence, the flag of sacrifice is hoisted by the mothers of ordinary people.
The real cost of war is borne by women.
What is the true cost of war? It is living on, in agony, after losing our young children, raising our children alone after losing our husbands, and living an entire life filled with the absence of our brothers after they are lost in war.
If nuclear weapons are used, within just a few hours, one crore Indians will die.
The anger that has erupted across the country after the Pahalgam incident is something I can understand. But that is why I make an earnest request to all of you. Before you offer empty pride and demands for revenge to your young, passionate children, stop and think carefully. Those who shout “war is the solution” on large platforms, news channels, or social media have never had to measure the cost of war. The real cost is borne by you, me, our children, neighbors, and loved ones. And the cost is not just the dead bodies wrapped in a tricolor flag. The damage from war takes years to heal, generations are lost, and the scars of war never heal, leaving only darkness in the future!
The true cost of nuclear war and its consequences
The true meaning of nuclear war and its devastating effects—how many of us truly understand it? Pakistan is an extremely unstable and reckless country. The ‘No First Use’ policy is not accepted by that country. If nuclear weapons are used, within just a few hours, nearly one crore Indians (and Pakistanis too) will die. Our land and rivers will be poisoned forever. Three and a half crore people will live in pain, thinking ‘I wish I had died instead,’ and no medicine will ever cure that pain.
If war starts, we may barely fight for two weeks.
Do you know? 80 crore Indians depend on rationed food. Unemployment among the youth is high. The Indian army is courageous, but we have one lakh vacant posts in our army and 12,000 vacant officer positions. Our Air Force needs 42 squadrons, but we barely have 31, most of them outdated. The Navy has fewer than 15 submarines operational, while China has around 70. If war starts, we will barely be able to fight for two weeks. Do you realize that?
Soldiers’ boots, jackets, radios, rifles, tents, medicines... and sorry to say this, but even for body bags, we are dependent on others. How many of us are aware of this? And while we are planning for war, China is ready to gobble up Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim, and everything we are losing. Does anyone see this?
America will sympathize with us, give speeches, and supply expensive arms, but they will never send their children to war. This is something everyone shouting ‘we need war’ should remember.
My plea for peace
I do not say we should accept the injustices done to us. The attack on Pahalgam must be avenged. The responsible people must be held accountable. Our intelligence should improve, and our defense must be more stringent. Failure must be addressed, and those responsible must be removed.
But in our thirst for revenge, let us not lose our wisdom. Let us not tread the path of destruction. For this reason, as a citizen who loves this country dearly, I make this heartfelt appeal to all of you.
Please, show what true leadership is, what kind of leadership this country needs, and behave accordingly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the defense of this country, I gave my son, and I never got him back. As a grieving mother, I make this plea to you.
