Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO.
In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.
His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy.
India is proud of Captain Machchhar.
Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health.
Recently watched this clip on India's medical tourism boom, and it got me thinking about what's still missing.
So I did some quick online research.
Our cost advantage over the West is enormous, on almost every procedure. Yet we rank only 10th globally. Behind Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia & Singapore.
Because this business isn't won on price alone. It's won on trust. And trust is built in small moments: the airport, the taxi, the ward, the food, the speed of service, the warmth of the welcome & the goodbye.
One bad link & the price advantage stops mattering.
Hotels worked this out long ago. They map the whole journey & find the 'moments of truth' that make or break confidence.
And to help manage those moments, in medical tourism we will have to create a concierge layer that turns a hospital visit into a seamless journey, from arrival to departure.
As for expanding locations, Goa & Vizag have the flights & the hospitality infrastructure. Bring in the hospitals & specialists & they could be next.
The emerging super-cities like Amravati & GIFT City should plan for health districts now. But frankly, doctors don't follow master plans, they follow medical colleges. That takes 15 years, not 5.
India's medical tourism market is set to nearly double by 2030. I think that is inevitable. This is going to be a significant growth opportunity for our economy.
However, I believe the real question is simpler: do we just want to be the world's cheapest, or the place people trust to deliver an overall seamless experience?
That's going to be hard work to accomplish.
It's going to be absolutely essential to do that work, because what we're actually selling is not only procedures, but peace of mind while fixing the body.
क्या CJP Protest सिर्फ बेरोज़गारी और Paper Leaks से पैदा हुआ एक student movement था? या फिर Abhijeet Dipke से शुरू होने वाली कहानी के तार Turkey, America, international advocacy groups, IAMC, Hindus for Human Rights, Ajit Sahi, IHH और PFI जैसे अलग-अलग names और organisations तक भी जाते हैं?
इस वीडियो में उन्हीं associations और connections को एक-एक करके जोड़कर एक बड़ा सवाल उठाया गया है: क्या ये सिर्फ coincidence हैं, या कोई broader ecosystem भी मौजूद है?
Credit: @VijayGajeraO@india_expert
I binge-watched Operation Safed Sagar over the weekend.
And I want to say thank you to everyone who had a hand in making this series & to Netflix for commissioning it.
For many reasons…
Because, despite some reviewers cribbing about inconsistent CGI & performances that could have been better, I found the actors competent and credible. More importantly, I was moved and inspired by the story & the emotions underlying it.
Because I wish that, when I was growing up, we had had more films like this, recording the feats of our armed forces in the many conflicts we have experienced, in a gritty and convincingly realistic manner.
Instead, we grew up on a diet of Hollywood war movies which, despite often taking enormous liberties with historical accuracy, helped build American pride & self-belief while we watched as envious bystanders.
Because, even though I knew a great amount about the courage of soldiers like Vikram Batra and the role of the Bofors gun in Kargil, I confess I knew far too little about the critical role played by the Indian Air Force.
And I certainly didn’t know that, apart from extraordinary valour, Operation Safed Sagar showcased the ingenuity & rapid improvisation that we now celebrate as a hallmark of Indian innovation.
The IAF acquired handheld GPS receivers, put them into MiGs & used them to calculate release points for ordinary “dumb” bombs. They conducted hurried trials, initially got disappointing results, refined the technique within a handful of sorties & took it into combat almost immediately.
The Mirage story, dealt with more briefly in the series, was equally remarkable. The IAF had Mirage 2000s, Israeli Litening laser-designation pods and Paveway II guidance kits, but had not yet turned that combination into an established combat capability. When a required component could not be obtained from abroad due to the 1998 sanctions, IAF technicians displayed what I call ‘denial-driven innovation’ & engineered the solution themselves!
So at a time when we are debating whether human intelligence will increasingly become a slave to machine intelligence, it’s incredibly valuable to be reminded that even in battle, where decisions are made in seconds & lives depend upon them, it’s ultimately the humans behind the machines who make the difference.
I hope as many people as possible watch this series.
Because when the men and women of our armed forces know that we know their stories & remember their sacrifices, they also know that their courage will not be forgotten.
The heroes of Operation Safed Sagar are my #MondayMotivation.
With a special salute to Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja. 🇮🇳
International media in the last 30 days: "India Hunger strike", "protests in India", "Floods in India."
🇮🇳India in the last 30 days:
July 19, 2026: Indian Gen-Z team wins 4 gold medals (top rank) at International Chemistry Olympiad and medals at the International Biology Olympiad.
July 18, 2026: Young Indians working at Skyroot Aerospace successfully launch Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from Sriharikota, placing payloads into Low Earth Orbit.
July 17, 2026: PM Modi flags off India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered passenger train (10-coach set) from Jind station, Haryana, on the Jind-Sonipat route as an inaugural service.
July 14, 2026: DRDO completes successful military field trials of an indigenous scalable fiber-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system for secure strategic communications.
July 13, 2026: Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway (63 km), India’s first barrier-free expressway with satellite-based tolling, opens to traffic.
July 12, 2026: Young Indian team wins 5 gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2026) in Colombia, securing joint world #1 rank.
July 11, 2026: RM Rajnath commissions INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, in Visakhapatnam (~75% indigenous content).
Early–mid July 2026: Vimag Labs (Bengaluru) secures its 5th Indian patent for the Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor (VMSM), a software-defined rare-earth-free electric motor platform.
Early July 2026: ISRO announces plans for a new Satellite Earth Station campus near Ledo in Assam to strengthen space communication in the Northeast.
Early July 2026: IIT Gandhinagar team wins a grant for developing indigenous liquid cooling plates for AI data centres, EVs, and high-performance electronics.
June 26, 2026: Nuclear heat-based hydrogen production facility (copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle) commissioned at Kalpakkam using Fast Breeder Reactor process heat.
June 24, 2026: ISRO successfully conducts hot test of semi-cryogenic engine power head at 175 tonnes thrust level.
June 24, 2026: RDSO (with ARAI) successfully conducts full-scale crashworthiness testing of LHB coaches for enhanced passenger safety.
June 21, 2026: PM Modi commissions three indigenously built warships in Kolkata: INS Dunagiri (Project 17A stealth frigate), INS Sanshodhak (hydrographic survey vessel), and INS Agray (ASW shallow water craft).
June 15, 2026: DRDO successfully flight-tests the indigenous Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Odisha; all objectives met.
June 10–11, 2026: DRDO conducts successful Phase-2 Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) trials and anti-ship missile tests, demonstrating capabilities against long-range ballistic threats including ICBM-class.
Mid-June 2026: India’s defence production reaches a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.
Mid-June 2026: Maiden flight of the indigenous C-295 military transport aircraft highlighted as a major self-reliance milestone in aviation (with 40 aircraft under production in India).
June 13, 2026: First batch of women cadets trained at NDA commissioned into the defence forces. Marking the start of an women empowered era in defence.
Winning against the Chinese. In China.
At the Asian Relay Championships.
Srabani, Sudeshna, Sneha & Tamanna in the 4x100 relay.
Power. Speed. Grace. Commitment.
But above all, teamwork.
This clip has it all.
I’m watching it on loop.
More of this please. 🇮🇳
Payal Nag.
Daughter of a daily-wage mason from Odisha.
Electrocuted at the age of eight. Lost all four limbs.
And then, found a bow.
Spotted through her paintings by coach Kuldeep Vedwan, the same man who shaped world champion Sheetal Devi.
Defeated her idol Sheetal Devi at the World Para Archery Series Final in Bangkok, April, 2026
Whenever I am feeling low or sorry for myself I will look at these images of Payal & Sheetal again & remind myself what the words: Courage, Resilience & Positive thinking, really mean.
These champions are not just my #MondayMotivation.
They will be a source of motivation Every. Single. Day
धर्म, सत्य और मर्यादा के श्रेष्ठतम प्रतीक प्रभु श्री राम के पावन जन्मोत्सव ‘श्री रामनवमी’ की सभी श्रद्धालुओं एवं प्रदेश वासियों को हार्दिक बधाई।
प्रभु श्री राम भारतीय चेतना के वे आदर्श हैं, जिनमें करुणा और कर्तव्य का अद्भुत संतुलन है। उनका जीवन स्मरण कराता है कि शक्ति का सौंदर्य मर्यादा में है और विजय का अर्थ लोकमंगल में।
रामनवमी का यह पावन दिवस हमें प्रेरित करता है कि हम अपने आचरण में सत्य, व्यवहार में करुणा और समाज में समरसता को स्थान दें, यही 'रामत्व' का सच्चा उत्सव है।
प्रभु श्री राम की कृपा से आप सभी के जीवन में शांति, संतुलन और सद्भाव बना रहे, यही मंगलकामना है।
जय श्री राम!
MY RESPONSE TO SMT. SONIA GANDHI’S ARTICLE ON IRAN
I took time to read the newspaper article written by Smt. Sonia Gandhi, today. I was surprised by her selective assessment and felt she was at war with ‘her own’ country. If there is one leader in the world today, who has the ability to engage all leaders and nations, without compromising Bharat’s interests, including Iran, it is only Modi Ji.
Bharat’s friendship with Russia did not stop him from engaging with Ukraine and visiting the nation. Similarly, Bharat’s relationship with USA has not stopped him from reaching out to China. Also, troubles with Canada did not stop him from being patient, and quickly rebuilding relations. The result was there for everyone to see yesterday. Modi Ji has never put his ego, his prestige and his personal relationships before that of the nation. That is the secret behind the stability he has offered Bharat and the stature he has earned amidst so much of global turbulence.
The US trade deal, the European trade deal, the Israel and Canadian deal in recent times are achievements of a man who has put India first. Countries across the world have awarded him their highest civilian honour not without a reason. That’s a sign of respect which the pure hatred of the Congress party can never see.
It is clear from this article to even a non-expert like me that Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party have lost touch with reality. Like they cannot win elections anymore they cannot get anything right anymore. They live in the past and are guided by nostalgia. They do not realise that the world has seen drastic changes after they lost power. The world continues to change as we talk, and Modi Ji is pragmatic enough to respond to new realities and an emerging, complex new world order.
In the article, Smt. Sonia Gandhi is appreciative of the stance taken by China and Russia. Does that mean that they are morally superior and Bharat should follow their lead? Does she expect Bharat to position itself against the US? She speaks about how Tehran stood by Bharat when it came to Kashmir in the UN and ensured it was not internationalised. But had Shri. Nehru not internationalised it already? Also, did Tehran do charity to Bharat? There is so much I read about repression in Iran, especially the way women are treated. Does Smt. Sonia Gandhi, who is surrounded by ‘liberals’ have any view on it? Did she write articles on these topics at anytime? Does she have any views on the elimination of young people who were protesting for freedom in Iran, recently? Did Congress party and its great leaders welcome the Islamic revolution when it overthrew the Shah in the 1970s? Or did they keep quiet? She should tell us if the Congress party is for religious fundamentalism? What does she think of what happened in Venezuela recently? Did she write against the US then?
Is it a crime on the part of Modi Ji to safeguard, be concerned about and enquire after the interests of around 9 million people of Indian origin living and working in Arab nations that surround Iran and are being attacked by Iran? Has she asked Iran to be restrained?
I have a suspicion that Smt. Sonia Gandhi has written this article keeping in mind the election season coming up in India. She is probably trying to secure minority voters behind the Congress party. She must be worried as to what would happen if even they give up on the Congress party and go with leaders like Shri. @asadowaisi or other regional satraps. But let me tell you, they will go nowhere. They will support Modi Ji. They have come to see through the duplicity of the Congress party.
Finally, Smt. Gandhi says in the article that the Iran situation should be discussed in parliament. On this, she should first consult her son, who is the greatest disruptor of Parliament. He is living the college life he didn’t have in Parliament. On the rare occasion he allows Parliament to function he is busy speaking about his personal nirvana. @IndianExpress
आइए, ‘GST बचत उत्सव’ के साथ त्योहारों के इस मौसम को नई उमंग और नए जोश से भर दें! GST की नई दरों का मतलब है- हर घर के लिए अधिक से अधिक बचत, साथ ही व्यापार और कारोबार के लिए बड़ी राहत।