Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Ajay Ahuja's wife recalls son's question as Netflix revisits Kargil
A new show on Netflix called 'Operation Safed Sagar' tells the story of pilots who fought in the Kargil War in 1999.
One of those pilots was Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, a brave airplane pilot.
During the war, his plane, called a MiG-21, was hit.
Ajay got out of the plane safely, but he was killed after landing.
He received a special medal called the Vir Chakra for his bravery.
His wife, Alka, spoke about what life was like after he died.
Their little boy, Ankur, once asked her, 'Mom, Dad will never come back?'
After that, Ankur did not talk much about his dad, but he wrote 'Ajay, Alka, Ankur' on paper every day to remember him.
Alka got a job and later a petrol pump that is given to families of war heroes.
Ankur has grown up now and works in the United States.
Netflix series 'Operation Safed Sagar,' premiered on August 7, revisits the Indian Air Force's role in the 1999 Kargil War, with Siddharth portraying Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja.
Ajay Ahuja, Flight Commander of the IAF's 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows), was killed on May 27, 1999 after his MiG-21 was hit, and was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra.
His wife Alka Ahuja recalled that their young son Ankur once asked, 'Mom, Dad will never come back?' and afterward rarely spoke about his father.
Ankur kept his father's memory alive by writing 'Ajay, Alka, Ankur' on a paper every day after returning from school.
Alka rebuilt her life with family support, joined a PCS job in Chandigarh, and later ran a petrol pump provided under the policy for Kargil martyrs' kin before settling in Delhi.
- Who
- Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, a deceased Indian Air Force pilot, his widow Alka Ahuja, and their son Ankur
- What
- Alka Ahuja recalls life after her husband's death and her son's question about him, as Netflix's 'Operation Safed Sagar' brings renewed attention to the Kargil War hero
- When
- Ajay Ahuja was killed on May 27, 1999, during the Kargil conflict; the Netflix series premiered on August 7
- Where
- India, including Delhi and Chandigarh, with the 1999 Kargil War as the backdrop
- Why
- The premiere of 'Operation Safed Sagar' sparked renewed conversation about the real-life heroes of the Kargil War, prompting Alka Ahuja to share her story
- Series
- Operation Safed Sagar (Netflix)
- Premiere date
- August 7
- Subject
- Indian Air Force's 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) in the 1999 Kargil War
- Ajay Ahuja's role
- Flight Commander, IAF 17 Squadron
- Date of death
- May 27, 1999
- Posthumous award
- Vir Chakra
- Actor portraying Ajay Ahuja
- Siddharth
- Ankur today
- Working in the US