Irrfan Khan would have been 59 yesterday.
Besides being a brilliant actor and a wonderful human being, he was also a bold, independent thinker who challenged the mullahs.
🇮🇳 Indian inventions & discoveries that shaped the world:
🧮 The concept of zero 🔢 The decimal place-value system
➗ Foundations of modern arithmetic 📐 Trigonometry (sine, cosine) 📊 Early algebraic methods
♟️ Chess 🎲 Board game probability concepts 🧠 Binary number concepts (Pingala) 📜 Formal grammar & linguistics (Panini) 🧭 Early cartography & navigation
🩺 Ayurveda (systematic medicine) 🧠 Surgery & anatomy texts (Sushruta) 🦷 Early dentistry & cataract surgery 🌿 Herbal pharmacology systems 🧬 Early immunization concepts (variolation)
🧘 Yoga 🧘♂️ Meditation science & breath control 🕉️ Mind–body health frameworks
🏗️ Planned urban cities (Indus Valley) 🚰 Advanced drainage & sanitation systems 🧱 Standardized bricks & weights 🏛️ Rock-cut architecture 🗿 Monolithic stone construction
⚙️ Wootz steel (ancestor of Damascus steel) 🛠️ Zinc distillation (first large-scale) 🔥 Advanced metallurgy techniques
🚀 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) 🛰️ Low-cost space launch systems 🌕 Mars Orbiter Mission (ultra-low cost) 🧭 Satellite navigation systems (NavIC)
💳 Digital public ID systems (Aadhaar) 📱 Mass-scale digital payments infrastructure (UPI) 🌾 Green Revolution agricultural methods 💉 Low-cost vaccine manufacturing leadership
"The Man Behind the Mask: The Soldier Who Cheated Death in Pulwama and Saved Lives in Wayanad."🇮🇳
You might have seen a photo of an Indian Army officer wearing a hard shell mask over his face. You probably scrolled past it, thinking it was tactical gear or a style choice.
It isn’t.
That mask hides a face that took 3 bullets for you. That mask covers a jaw that was shattered, so you could sleep safely.
This is the story of Lt. Col. Rishi Rajalakshmi (Nair), the man they call "India's Most Fearless."
THE NIGHTMARE IN PULWAMA (2017)
-->It was March 4, 2017. Tral, Pulwama. Intel confirmed that terrorists were fortified inside a civilian house. It was a death trap. Sending men in was suicide; bombing it from afar would kill civilians.
-->Major Rishi (then with 42 Rashtriya Rifles) made a choice that defies human instinct. He didn't order his men to go. He volunteered to go himself.
-->His mission was to plant an IED to bring down the specific section of the house hiding the terrorists.
THE IMPACT
As he crawled into the kill zone, all hell broke loose.
-->Bullet 1: Grazed his helmet.
-->Bullet 2: Tore through his nose.
-->Bullet 3: Shattered his jaw completely.
-->Most men would die from the shock alone. Others would collapse. Rishi? He kept firing.
-->With his face mutilated, blood pouring out, and unable to speak, he refused to evacuate until the terrorists were neutralized and his team was safe. He didn't just survive; he ensured the mission was a success.
THE RESURRECTION
-->The aftermath was brutal. 28 major surgeries. A face reconstructed from bone grafts and metal plates. A permanent loss of normal speech and eating abilities.
-->The Medical Board prepared his discharge papers. "You've done enough, soldier. Go home."
-->But Lt. Col. Rishi had other plans. He didn't want a pension; he wanted his uniform. He rehabilitated himself with a ferocity that scared even his doctors.
He returned to active duty.
THE WAYANAD SAVIOR (2024)
Years later, when the devastating landslides hit Wayanad, Kerala, who was leading the rescue on the ground?
The Masked Man.
Lt. Col. Rishi Rajalakshmi was there, wading through mud and death, pulling his own people out of the debris. From fighting terrorists in Kashmir to saving civilians in Kerala, his war for India never ended.
WE HAVE FAILED HIM
We live in a society that will make a stranger famous for a 15-second dance reel, yet we scroll right past the man who literally sacrificed his face to keep us safe. We feast on hollow entertainment while he eats through a tube. That mask isn't a choice; it’s the receipt for our freedom, and the fact that we don't know his name is our collective shame.
Lt. Col. Rishi Rajalakshmi is not just a soldier; he is a living testament to the fact that the Indian Army is not made of flesh and blood, but of iron and will.
Don't let this story die on your timeline.
RT this. Share this.
Make sure the world knows the name Lt. Col. Rishi Rajalakshmi.
Jai Hind. 🇮🇳🫡
@ajaykraina@col_chaubey@samartoor3086@BPanIndian@TGD_06@liveupdates247
#IndianArmy #RealHero #LtColRishi #Pulwama #Wayanad #IndiaFirst #JaiHind
Heartbreaking to read about the brutal assault on a Hindu widow in Bangladesh. Such violence against anyone, anywhere is unacceptable. Prayers for justice and support for the survivor. 🙏
I know @POTUS in his heart respects the PM, but sadly @POTUS is being ill-advised on his approach to India. I am praying for the President on this.
Countering the remarks by the opposition in India, PM @narendramodi doesn’t need to respond to every comment or threat @POTUS makes. The only person or persons the PM needs to make happy are the Indian people. Period. The PM understands long game diplomacy.
The PM equally doesn’t need to give any attention to characters like Senator Lindsey Graham. He’s irrelevant to many of us in the U.S.
The truth? PM Modi, President Putin, President Xi, and many world leaders know they have 10 months until our November midterm election. And if the Democrats take control of Congress, which is likely given Republicans continually announcing their retirement from Congress, a whole new conversation will start in geopolitics. I hope @POTUS and the @WhiteHouse shift and focus on winning the midterm election and refrain from unnecessary tension with our friends, like India.
Carry on, @PMOIndia. You continue to serve in the best interest of India. That’s what you were elected to do.
@RyanGirdusky Haha 😂 yes thank god I was not aware Ryan thank you please make sure you aware other fellow Americans through this post 😂 make new York great again
"Hindus are our blood-brothers. Our Gurus didn't sacrifice lives for 'others'. Hindus remember the martyrdom of Sahibzade more than Sikhs. We're one."
Punjab needs this. Bharat needs this. Dharma needs this. May all children of Dharma unite 🙏🕉