Gaurav Dixit

Afghanistan and its intricacies interests me personally and professionally. Some of the tweets and retweets are of my 3 yr old son

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

True. Brilliant attention to some fine details. Hope they have been able to resolve the issue of number of post captured by Pak during the Kargil war, a minor issue raised by MoD during the screening. Officially there is no recorded number. I could not find the scene #safedsagar

[Anchit Gupta @AnchitGupta9]

Just finished @netflix SafedSagar. The first attempt to put the IAF’s Kargil story on a mainstream screen, and it is superb. It deserves cult classic status like Border. Yet it left me uneasy coz it risks repeating one of Border’s most consequential mistakes. Let me explain.

What makes SafedSagar exceptional is the extraordinary attention to historical detail. The names of officers, air bases, briefing rooms, charts, uniforms, vehicles, signboards and operational settings are deeply rooted in the reality of 1999. Much of what you see has clearly been reconstructed from the actual people, places and events of the Kargil War. Even several of the officers retain their real or nicknames. Where names have been changed, I assume there were reasons of consent or dramatic necessity.

A caveat: the aircraft depictions (types, serial numbers) and CGI could have been much, much better, but recreating military aviation convincingly is hard for any filmmaker.

But the real achievement of the series is not merely visual authenticity. It is how simply it explains some very difficult aspects of air operations over Kargil.

High-altitude bombing in 1999 was not a straightforward problem. Aircraft, weapons and procedures designed for very different conditions suddenly had to be adapted to targets at extraordinary elevations, in difficult terrain, with limited time and technology and Govt imposed restrictions. The IAF had to learn, improvise and find solutions while the war was underway.

Explaining all this to a general audience without turning the series into a lecture is extremely difficult. SafedSagar manages it beautifully. Whoever was responsible for translating that operational complexity into cinema deserves enormous credit.

It also gets something else right: the texture of IAF life.

The squadron is not presented as a collection of larger-than-life superheroes. You see professional pride, rivalry, frustration, humour, families, friendships, uncertainty and the support system that surrounds flying operations. There are creative liberties, inevitably, but the people mostly remain recognisably human.

That, to me, is one of the series’ greatest strengths. And it is precisely because SafedSagar is so good that the liberties it takes with history matter.

The biggest is the concentration of a very large part of the air war into No. 17 Squadron. No. 17 Squadron absolutely had an important role in the conflict. It flew fighter reconnaissance missions and, later in June, was involved in effective GPS-assisted night bombing. But it was one part of a much larger IAF effort involving several squadrons, aircraft types, bases, commanders and streams of innovation.

The series, understandably, needs a central unit around which to build its story. The danger is that cinematic compression gradually becomes historical attribution.

The handheld-GPS bombing solution is one example. The series appears to place its development very firmly within the world of No. 17 Squadron. The real history of how these innovations emerged across the IAF was more complex, and I would be very careful about attributing such developments to a single unit or group unless the documentary record supports it.

There are other moments where dramatic licence and historical memory sit uneasily together.

The sequence surrounding Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja is one. The essential truth must never be diluted: Ahuja ejected and was killed after coming down, and the evidence surrounding his death has long indicated brutal treatment. But the series adds considerable drama to the episode. It makes for powerful cinema, but invented detail around real officers and events can quickly become accepted as documented fact.

Likewise, the suggestion that GPS problems or delays resulted from a deliberate American act goes much further than the historical basis appears to support.

Normally, one might shrug and say: this is cinema. But SafedSagar is not an ordinary Bollywood war drama.

It is extraordinarily well made. It takes its history seriously. It uses real names, real units and real events. It has been received with considerable warmth and support from the IAF community. And because it feels so authentic, audiences will naturally assume that what they are watching is, in substance, what happened.

That gives the series enormous historical power.

Border did something similar for an earlier generation. It ensured that millions of Indians would remember Longewala. That was an extraordinary achievement. But it also fixed a particular cinematic version of the battle so deeply in popular memory that, for many people, separating the film from the actual course of events became almost impossible.

My fear is that SafedSagar could do the same. Not because it is careless with history. Almost the opposite.

None of this diminishes what the series has achieved. I hope and I encourage every Indian watches it. For once, a large audience will see the IAF’s role in Kargil not as a footnote to the ground war, but as a complex campaign fought by aircrew, engineers, controllers, planners, technicians and families confronting problems for which there were no ready-made answers.

That story deserved to be told. SafedSagar tells it brilliantly.

I only wish that a series with this much power to become our collective memory had been just a little more careful about where history ended and cinema began. Perhaps I am asking too much of a television series. But when a work is this good, and this important, it becomes worth asking.

[Manisha Pande @MnshaP]

This Lallantop clip of a JPSC aspirant showing her agenda, time table, talking about how she keeps downloading apps to improve her communication skills is just painful to watch. ‘no plan b’. everything wrong with our ‘exam system’ - which is different from an education system - all at once

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Deep State is even not aware how deep within the state it has infiltrated. It is a Swiss army knife of ignorance. Monsoon late? Deep State. Monsoon early? Deep State. Something the Indian state cannot trace, but random people on X can identify with complete confidence.

[Colonel Rohit Dev (RDX) 🇮🇳 @RDXThinksThat]

Sellout 'Deep State' Dipke, why don't you first scrutinize the #AAPkaPAAP and seek Punjab CM's degree?

Then, demand degrees of the #CongressSAANP's Maino and few others, while you're at it

Give it a try, if you have what Rahul keeps searching for with his left hand

#CJPcrooks

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

The mother should listen to PM's Mann ki baat, he is strictly advising against doing Nasha. She should stop consuming what she is taking these days

[Sensei Kraken Zero @YearOfTheKraken]

"Narendra Modi is the King of India. He has shown his greatness by forgiving the kids who abused him. PM Modi has given my daughter a new life. I want to request PM Modi to adopt my daughter and transform her life for the better. "
-Mother of Ruchika Singh who abused PM Modi

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Listen to Gen Z @Suhelseth . He is feeling connected. This is true GenZship

[SUHEL SETH @Suhelseth]

Brands are built whilst embracing the realities of time. Leaders know how to be inclusive. And this is what true leadership is about.

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Now I realised why Ranvir Shorey is a such a brilliant actor, he can fake anything with such a brilliance that it appears natural and real

[Ranvir Shorey @RanvirShorey]

For the first time in my life I have seen an Indian politician lead by example on free speech! Salute you, Sir, for setting this precedent! 🫡 #ModiHaiTohMumkinHai

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

@sneheshphilip His brother Major Som Nath Sharma was the first PVC awardee

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

@rameshsrivats दो न्याय अगर तो आधा दो,पर इसमें भी यदि बाधा हो
तो दे दो केवल पांच ग्राम, रखो अपनी धरती तमाम
हम वहीं खुशी से खायेंगे, परिजन पे असी ना उठाएंगे
दुर्योधन वह भी दे ना सका,आशीष समाज की न ले सका
उलटे हरि को बांधने चला, जो था असाध्य साधने चला
जब नाश मनुज पर छाता है, पहले विवेक मर जाता है

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

These two AAP leaders are making a mockery of the trauma students are going through. Instead of taking the bull by the horns, they are offering casual, flippant solution to the problem. Ridiculous.
सबक सिखाना है तो बहार निकलो, बच्चे उन्हें अपना घर क्यों बुलाए

[Arvind Kejriwal @ArvindKejriwal]

सौरभ भारद्वाज का ये बड़ा ऐलान है। इन गुंडों को हम सब मिलकर ठीक करेंगे।

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

@bsdhanoa A matter of historic consequence. At this rate, we'll soon have live coverage of people finding the parking spot 😅

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

मेरा बेटा 6 साल का है। मैं यह वीडियो संभाल कर रख रहा हूँ। जब वह 10 साल का होगा, तब मैं उसे 10 बार यह वीडियो दिखाऊंगा, ताकि वह कम से कम इस बात का कुछ हिस्सा समझ सके। फिलहाल, मैं और मेरी पत्नी अगले 4 साल तक इसे पढ़ते रहेंगे।

[Cockroach Janta Party - Bihar @CJP_4_Bihar]

Watch this clip. I dare you; your eyes will fill with tears and your perspective on democracy and protest will change.

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

@bsdhanoa @Parambir1973 .....🦝

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Inke papa ko bahot bhaari padega 🤣

[Piyush Rai @Benarasiyaa]

While ordinary protesters are being detained, Hindu Raksha Dal chief Pinky Choudhary is mobilizing crowd in NCR and is expected to reach Jantar Mantar on July 26.

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Why ruin it? Why Soorvanshi is seeking advice from Lala Amarnath on how to play T20.
Apart from it, the generational gaps between these two set of protesters will open up internal fissures to be exploited by Govt and Godi media.
Doomed!!!

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Maza?
What the students were able to achieve in 3-4 days was never achieved by the farmers.
1.Dismantle the social media narative of BJP govt
2. Dismantle the Pro-ppl image of PM Modi crafted by IT cell and mainstream media for 12 yrs.

[Saurav Das @SauravDassss]

Ab aayega aur maza!

The government must understand that it can either bomb the peaceful protesters using the tanks it is transporting to Delhi (I mean, what are they trying to do by transporting these? Kill their own children? Is this where we have come in Gandhi’s India?) Or, accept demands.

The time is ticking!

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

3. Galvanise the crowd above caste and religion without major backlash from pro govt gangs
4. Forced the PM to negoatiate in quick time
Why give familar turf to bat on to the pro govt forces who were clueless about the mindset and strength of the GenZ

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

These Nihangs or for that matter any religious groups from any religion have very entrenched beliefs and attitude system which is fundamentally in conflict with the ethos of democracy and freedom of speech. They are going to harm this movement #CJP #Jantarmantar #protesters

[Arshdeep Singh Saini @the_lama_singh]

This protest is now getting really confusing.

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Sir where can we read about this street battle tactics? Which book to refer on how to trip and bring down a person making it appear accidental 🤣😂😅😅

[Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 @KanchanGupta]

Two women ‘protestors’ affiliated to @abhijeet_dipke and his ‘CJP’ trip and bring down a policewoman on duty.
They have clearly been trained in street battle tactics. Question is: By whom? And at whose expense?

[Gaurav Dixit @DixitGK]

Does @StuckByFevicol has any ad for it? We have given up on @Amul_Coop to show some spine.

[Tarun Gautam @TARUNspeakss]

Unreal unity among protesting students.

Police was taking away one guy, so everyone rushed to his rescue and made police release him without any force.

No power in the world can defeat this unity!!

[Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi @DrMurliManohar_]

It is painful to see young students from different parts of the country assembled for days on the streets of New Delhi. Their anxieties and concerns regarding the examination system are genuine and must be handled with empathy and a desire to find a lasting solution. I fervently hope that this is not treated merely as a law-and-order issue to be tackled through the use of force. It is very painful to see that even young girls were brutally mishandled.
Such use of force shall alienate large sections of Indian society from the national goal of Viksit Bharat.

यह देखना अत्यन्त पीड़ादायक है कि देश के विभिन्न भागों से आए युवा छात्र कई दिनों से नई दिल्ली की सड़कों पर एकत्रित हैं। उनकी चिंताएँ और सरोकार वास्तविक हैं। इन्हें सहानुभूति तथा दूरगामी समाधान की दृष्टि से हल किया जाना चाहिए। मुझे पूरी आशा है कि इसे केवल कानूनी और व्यवस्था की समस्या के रूप में नहीं देखा जाएगा जिससे बलपूर्वक निपटा जाये। मुझे य़ह देखकर अत्यन्त पीड़ा हुई है कि महिलाओं और युवतियों पर निर्मम बल प्रयोग किया गया।
ऐसे बल के उपयोग से भारतीय समाज का बड़ा हिस्सा विकसित भारत के लक्ष्य से बहुत दूर चला जाएगा।