The Phoenix Rises

A highly inspiring story of a fighter pilot who refused to give up.


Written by Wing Commander Ashok Limaye (Retired), the book is based on his own life story. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was an ace trainer in the Indian Air Force. Twenty three years ago, as he was training a junior pilot in operating a fighter aircraft, the engine of his plane seized mid-air, forcing both the pilots to eject. Ashok suffered a serious spine injury making a paraplegic.


Undaunted by the crippling setback, Ashok waged a grim struggle to overcome all the physical and mental blocks, and served the Air Force for more than a decade till his regular retirement.

The book is as much a tribute to the man's grit, commitment and never-say-die spirit as to the extra-ordinary values imbibed and the unflinching support offered by the Indian Armed Forces.