P R Ganapathy

@ChithraMadhavan So true! Look at these beauties from the Nellai Temple...

The attention to detail in some Nayak era sculptures is mind blowing.

@revathitweets Math not adding up...

Couple of days ago, Dusharla Satyanarayana was beaten up and left to bleed in his farm. Who is Dusharla Satyanarayana? A 72 year old man who inherited 70 acres of ancestral land in Raghavapuram, Suryapet, Telangana. He didn’t sell it or make it a real estate venture, instead he resigned to his plush bank job and took up a full time work to repair the environment. He planted FIVE CRORE trees in the land, all by himself. He also dug 13 ponds and small lakes in this forest. He developed rainwater harvesting system in his forest. He doesn’t sell the agri-products, he says every fruit / flower / leaf that grows in this forest belongs to the animals, birds and the forest itself. At least 32 varieties of birds made this forest their home, along with numerous animals. When Nalgonda district was suffering because of Fluorosis, he started an NGO Jala Sadhana Samithi and worked intensively to educate people about the problems. He made government to listen to the water crisis and brought in policy changes. Dusharla Satyanarayana doesn’t even pluck a fruit for himself from the forest. And he decided not to give his land to his son also! People offered him hundreds of crores for the land and he flatly refused. He family and neighbours fought with him but he never gave up caring for nature and his forest. Three days ago, a few men thrashed him because he stopped them from cutting trees in his forest. He told them not to destroy the nature. These men are neighbouring villagers who want to graze their cattle and cut the trees for their needs. Dusharla Satyanarayana is now getting treated at a government hospital in Hyderabad. Wishing him a very speedy recovery. Wish people understand what this man is doing for this world & protect him, if not worship him.

@_YogendraYadav Deeply saddened by the passing of Ananth. He was a rare soul who led with profound humility and unwavering moral courage. His deep love for our country and the Constitution served as a North Star for us all. A massive loss. Rest in peace.

Anantha passed away this morning, around 3 am on 18 April. He went away peacefully. An end that he had prepared himself and all of us for. Leading the kind of life he did and facing death the way he did should be an aspiration for all of us. Ananthapadmanabhan Guruswamy would be remembered for many of his accomplishments and contributions: CEO of Amnesty International in India, the International Programme Director at Greenpeace, CEO of Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) and the founder of Socrates. An alumnus of IIT Madras and a former teacher at The School – Krishnamurti Foundation India, he would be remembered as one of the most gifted and amazing minds that could think across fields and come up with out of box solutions. Colleagues in Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan would remember him as an unending source of ideas and energy for our work. We met through his partner Kavita Kuruganti. Over the last five years, I had the honour of calling him my friend — actually, my guide and life coach. The beautiful way he embraced cancer and prepared for death has been a life lesson for me. His body would be kept at home (#606, Petunia Block, Sankalp Central Park, Yadavagiri, Mysuru) till 3pm today before being taken for cremation. Cremation will be done at 4pm in Gokulam. Alvida Ananth, as you begin your ananta journey. Till we join!

Thoroughly enjoying looking at old bangalore maps overlaid on the current City map at this amazing site: blryesterday.com - the maps go all the way back to 1790. Click on the "eye" to see the current area under the old map.

@kartachar @AnchitGupta9 Read this: Evaluating Fighter aircraft in the Soviet Union – Indian Air Force share.google/08ajKIOtDlw3kv…

@prganapathy @AnchitGupta9 Amazing. Ganapathy sir, I’m a big fan of your marvelous Blue Skies podcast on YT. Why haven’t you had any more episodes in a long time? Also is there any memoirs of your dad from his evaluation of the MiG-23? I’ve always wondered how it was chosen.

On this day in 2009, the Indian Air Force closed the MiG-23 chapter. The MiG-23BN flew its final sortie on 6 March 2009 from Halwara with No. 221 Squadron, the Valiants, the last IAF unit still operating the type. Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major presided over the phasing-out ceremony, and Wing Commander YJ Joshi and Squadron Leader TR Sahu flew the aircraft on its last flight. The fighter variant, the MiG-23MF, had already left service in 2007. The MiG-23 entered IAF service in two types, each answering a different operational requirement. The MiG-23BN came in as a dedicated strike aircraft after the Jaguar decision, part of the wider effort to modernise the IAF’s tactical strike arm and move beyond older platforms such as the Su-7 and Marut. The MiG-23MF followed as a quicker air-defence response to the changing regional balance, especially after Pakistan’s F-16 acquisition, bringing look-down/shoot-down radar and early beyond-visual-range capability into IAF service before the Mirage 2000 arrived. By the time the final BN landed, the MiG-23 had compiled a substantial operational record. In service from January 1981, the BN went on to feature in operations ranging from Meghdoot to Safed Sagar. During Kargil, MiG-23BNs struck targets around Tiger Hill and Muntho Dhalo, and by retirement the type had logged more than 1,54,000 flying hours in Indian colours. Roughly 162 MiG-23 BN, MF and trainer aircraft are understood to have served with the IAF. To the best of my knowledge, Air Cmde Hari Naidu logged the highest hours on the BN at 2,052. The Bharat Rakshak database lists 54 MiG-23 airframes lost in accidents, including the trainer variant, which continued in service for years alongside the MiG-27. MiG-23 Squadrons in IAF 10 Sqn (BN): 1981-1993 220 Sqn (BN): 1981-2005 221 Sqn (BN): 1981-2009 31 Sqn (BN): 1983-2003 223 Sqn (MF): 1982-1989 224 Sqn (MF): 1983-2007 @zone5aviation has enough material and knowledge to write a book on the subject, perhaps one day :-) #IAFHistory @IAF_MCC

@manaman_chhina Why can't BRO provide them with a creche to leave their children safely while they're at work?

Next time you see them on roadside in NE or Ladakh, stop and say thanks to these doughty women who work on BRO road projects with their small children in tow. They lead a tough life. Salute.

I support #KeepDisabilityPensionTaxFree Do you?

@Chopsyturvey @IAF_MCC @AnchitGupta9 "Time to go, Ram"

This Day (2012) 14 years back, I became the first and reportedly the only Air Marshal in the World To Eject from a fighter aircraft in the rank of an Air Marshal. God was extremely kind. Thank you, God, for your continued blessings. @IAF_MCC @AnchitGupta9

Don't tax disability pension c.org/QzYj462Y via @ChangeOrg_India

It’s my birthday! 🎉 Please share a picture of your pet(s) in the comments to make my day! 😊 Thanks! ❤️

Here's a great opportunity for climate change entrepreneurs to receive non dilutive funding... Please apply and spread the word! swissrefoundation.org/Shine-India.ht…

@indianrailway__ I absent mindedly left a coat in train 22207 arriving at Trivandrum this morning. Realised it when I got to hotel. Mr Lijo Ulhannan of C&W staff was super helpful and got it back to me in a jiffy. Thanks!

@AmericanAir what's happening with AA292? keeps getting delayed (now at 16 hour delay) and you're not moving passengers to other flights.

Nothing remarkable here. Just two geniuses driving on the wrong side of the highway.

@FreshMenuIndia you're accepting orders and payment from your app but not delivering, help link gives a 404 error. What kind of scam is this?

@AnchitGupta9 My father's Staff Officer, Mohan Mathai, regularly wore a beret upto 1993. bharat-rakshak.com/indianairforce…

Berets in the IAF Berets made only a brief appearance in the Indian Air Force in early 1971. Grey blue in colour and fitted with a two-piece badge similar to the side cap, they were intended to replace the side cap, which was seen as fussy to set correctly and awkward on two-wheelers at a time when helmets were not compulsory. In practice the side cap looked smarter, especially with battle dress and the summer tucked-in shirt, and was already a recognisable air force badge of identity. Berets were harder to carry off. Ex-NDA officers knew they had to be soaked, shaped on the head and allowed to set, but many others did not, so the beret often sat badly and spoiled the line of the uniform. With little uniformity in how it was worn, and few convinced that it improved appearance, the experiment was soon dropped. @rarepolymorph

Well said. thehindu.com/news/internati…

@AnchitGupta9 24 Sqn!

#MiG21 Daily Pic: D minus 18 Low, cold, unseen: a pair of MiG-21bis hug the Kashmiri snowline. 📷 Wg Cdr AP Mote #MiG21India #IAFHistory

@AnchitGupta9 Yes! youtube.com/clip/UgkxUhIDK…

@prganapathy My bad Guns! Was it the MiG-21?

The MiG-21 wasn’t just an IAF workhorse — it had a Bollywood career. From combat strike passes to formation glamour shots, the Fishbed starred in films for decades. Here’s how IAF squadrons & pilots took the MiG-21 to the big screen. 🎥✈️1/11 #MiG21nuggets #IAFHistory