72 hours

During the 1971 war with Pakistan, a squadron of Sabre jets entered into the Indian territory and dropped around 14 Napalm bombs on the Bhuj airstrip. The Indian fighter jets were unable to take off as the airstrip was completely destroyed.

The BSF and few labourers started to do the repairing work but they were very few in number.

Squadron leader Vijay Karnik was in charge of the airport of Bhuj at that time. He decided to take the help of the villagers.

He went to the nearby village and spoke about the bombings and the need to restore the airport immediately.  

The then District Collector and the village sarpanch Jadhavjibhai Hirani, both spoke to the women of the village and all were willing to do the work. They risked their lives and went to the site and started their work. They were briefed about how and where to take shelter and protect themselves in case of further bombings. A siren would alert them whenever an enemy aircraft was approaching . The women were asked to wear pale green sarees as it would help in camouflaging. A short siren would indicate that it is now out of danger and they could resume their work. They worked from early morning till dusk to ensure that the work gets completed as early as possible. The airstrip was covered by cow dung for preventing it from being noticed by the enemy. During airstrikes, they hid in bunkers.

On the first day, they slept on an empty stomach as they had nothing to eat. On day 2 a local temple distributed fruits and sweets to them. It gave them the stamina to work and complete the work on day 3.

On day 4 at 4 pm, the Indian fighter plane took off from the airport, and finally, the airstrip was functional again.

Squadron leader Vijay Karnik played a vital role in this scenario. It was his decision to take the risk of deploying civilians in a war zone. With his inspiration, the work was completed in just 72 hours!

The Central government has dedicated a war memorial called Virangana Smarak at Madhapar village of Bhuj to these 300 brave women of the village who risked their lives and worked hard to make the airstrip functional again in such a short duration. These women had left their families back home, some even left their toddlers and came to help the army, not knowing whether they would ever return home again!

Salute to these Bravehearts!