Prof Ravi Kant, Padam Shri Awardee & Surgeon

With High Commissioner of Britain Honourable Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith KCMG. He is a British career diplomat.

There is a singular pride in watching a young person grow, but there is something deeply moving about watching a protege exceed even the high hopes you held for them. This past Sunday, as I looked out at the graduating class at the Fletcher School, my eyes kept returning to one face in particular: @ArmaanMathur, now officially a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy. I first encountered Armaan when he was a high school student, sending an email filled with a rare earnestness and a sharp, inquisitive mind for international affairs. He had his heart set on St. Stephen’s, my own alma mater, and while the cruel mathematics of admissions cutoffs meant he didn't secure his spot there, I told him then what I believe now: Make them regret it. He took that challenge to heart. At @Hansraj_College, Armaan didn’t just succeed; he flourished — excelling in the classroom, leading student societies, and proving his mettle on the cricket pitch. When he joined me as an intern, our correspondence shifted from advice to a genuine intellectual partnership. His reflective emails and deep insights into the world made it clear to me that he was a scholar of the highest calibre, as well as a genuinely likeable human being. When he looked toward graduate studies, I knew exactly where he belonged. I was thrilled to support his application to my alma mater, the @FletcherSchool. And this time, the doors swung wide. He didn't just attend; he conquered. He secured a fellowship, maintained straight As, represented the school on the national & world stage, and ultimately achieved something that touches me more than I can adequately express: he became the Editor-in-Chief of the @FletcherForum of World Affairs. In 1975, I helped found that journal and chaired its editorial board. To stand there a half-century later, serving as the Commencement Speaker for his class, and to watch Armaan take up the mantle of that very journal was a moment of pure, overwhelming gratitude. A journey that has, for me, come full circle. Armaan, you have been a constant source of inspiration. You are a brilliant scholar, a leader of integrity, and a true inheritor of the work that has defined so much of my own life. Watching you accept your degree and standing alongside your parents after you did so was the highlight of my year, and I cannot wait to see how you change the world. Congratulations, Armaan. The future is yours.

1894 :: Swami Vivekananda In Greenacre , Eliot , U.S.A

Had the honour to hand over a facsimile of two handwritten epigrams by the influential Indian author Rabindranath Tagore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. The poems were located in the Swedish National Archives. The gift is a testament to the long-standing relations between Sweden and India. Photo: Government Offices of Sweden

Everything happens at the right moment, just as it should be…

The real story of life

A man spends 50 years teaching at MIT. He knows his time is running out. So he records one last lecture — everything he knows, distilled into a single hour. He died 5 months later. This is that lecture. The most important hour you'll watch this week. 👇 Bookmark it for later

IIT Delhi to IIM Bangalore to IAS. I got the best education my country had to offer. It taught me how to crack tough exams and manage big responsibilities. But it never taught me how to quiet my own mind or handle loneliness. We spend many years learning how to achieve, but not a single day learning how to be happy. My thoughts on what is missing in school education. Emotional Regulation: We memorized the periodic table, but no one explained the chemistry of a broken heart. School demanded we stay quiet, confusing silence with peace. Now, we don't know how to host our own storms without drowning in them. We feel lost because we were taught to suppress, not to process. Deep Communication: We were taught to write perfect essays, but not how to say "I’m hurting" or "No." While there is a strong emphasis on communication, we are not taught the vocabulary of the adult life. There is no course on how to stand our ground in face of bullying by a boss or how to protect our work boundaries by saying 'No' Critical Thinking: In school, the person with the most answers won. In life, the person with the most questions survives. This is the reason many adults can repeat opinions confidently without ever questioning where those opinions came from. We are told everything as the gospel truth. So we end up just following blindly Financial Literacy: We spent years learning maths and solving for x, but never learned how to keep ourselves from falling in a debt trap. Money isn't just about math; it’s about the dignity of choice. We do not learn how to use debt effectively without it controlling our freedom. How impulsive spending compounds over time, or how money affects stress, relationships, and mental peace. Financial literacy is missing because education often focuses on earning money someday, not managing it wisely once it arrives. Self-Discipline School is a world of bells and schedules. Someone else always tells you what to do and when. But adulthood is a world of total silence. We feel stuck because we were never taught how to push ourselves without a teacher watching. Discipline is simply the habit of keeping promises to yourself. This is a habit many of us are lacking Handling Loneliness In school, you are always shrouded by people. You never realize how loud the silence of adulthood can be until you’re in it. We feel lonely because we weren't taught how to be our own best friends. Peace is learning that being alone doesn't mean being lonely. It is a sacred space, not a sign of being unwanted. Reading People School is a time of innocence where friendships are often given to you. But as we go along, not everyone retains that purity. We feel cheated because we weren't taught to see the hidden intentions or the masks people wear. Reading people is the quiet wisdom of seeing the truth behind the words. Mental Health Maintenance We have gym class for our bodies, but nothing for our souls. We are taught to push through exhaustion to finish a project, which is exactly how we end up in burnout. Honoring your nervous system is the only way to make sure the light inside you doesn't go out. We should know when we are dealing with a stressor and unable to handle it anymore. We should know when to reach out for help if we feel that we are drowning in that distress Knowing Yourself We spend years trying to be the "best" student, only to realize we don't know who we are without a gold medal. We are left inadequate because we studied every subject except our own souls. The ultimate education is discovering what truly matters to you before the world tells you what to want.

Make in India, Make for the World 🚆🌍 With the final batch of two 3,300 HP locomotives manufactured at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) reaching Maputo, Indian Railways completes the supply of a total of 10 locomotives to Mozambique—showcasing India’s strength in global rail manufacturing.

At 10 years old, my father made me a bet: If I could master tennis, he would get me to America on a scholarship. For the next 6 years, I woke up at 4 AM and hit thousands of tennis balls until my arms went numb. I skipped a normal childhood for one shot to go to America. The night before my US visa interview, my father and I slept on a cardboard box on the sidewalk outside the American Consulate in New Delhi. They didn't take appointments. It was first-come, first-served, and only 50 people were allowed inside each day. If you weren't in the first 50, you got turned away. We waited 16 hours on that concrete. We bribed a stranger to hold our spot in line so I could change into clean clothes. We did everything we could to give me the best possible chance. When I finally got inside, the interview lasted 45 seconds. A woman looked at my application, then looked at me. "I think you will do great. I'm going to send you to the United States." She stamped my application. I walked out and hugged my parents. At 16, I left India. I haven't really been back since. This moment showed me the biggest moments in life aren't luck. They're years of invisible work compressed into a single decision by someone who believes in you. Your moment is coming. Keep building toward it.

India had already done this with Inzamam-ul-Haq 😜... the fielding team wants to get the batsman out, for that they can do anything that comes under the described rules' spirit of the game. Kuch nhi hai yehi ek run chahiye hota jeetne ko team ko to koi baat nhi krta 😅😅 @MohammadKaif ji chalta hai hai sab

@MohammadKaif Remember this match #INDvPAK

Canadian PM Mark Carney cracks a joke about PM Modi "Every weekend he (Modi) is out campaigning..Except Modi gets 250,000 people at his rally and you get 25"

שלום, नमस्ते 🇮🇱🇮🇳 We just sent tomorrow’s paper to print in Jerusalem ahead of PM @narendramodi’s historic visit to Israel, his first since 2017. This is our special @Jerusalem_Post cover for the occasion. What do you think? If you want to join me in welcoming Modi, please like, comment, and share 🙏🇮🇱🇮🇳

Scientists have identified a reversal of the long-standing Flynn effect—the roughly 200-year trend of rising average intelligence (measured via IQ and cognitive tests) across generations. For the first time in modern recorded history, Generation Z (born roughly 1997–2012) shows lower performance than previous generations in key cognitive domains, including attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function, problem-solving, and general IQ—despite spending more years in formal education than ever before. Neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on January 15, 2026, highlighting this shift. In his written testimony, he stated that cognitive development in children across much of the developed world has stalled or reversed over the past two decades, with declines evident in international assessments (e.g., PISA, TIMSS) and other large-scale data starting around the mid-2000s and accelerating post-2010. Horvath attributes the primary driver not to reduced schooling, but to the widespread integration of digital screens and educational technology (EdTech) in classrooms. He argues that human brains evolved for deep, focused learning through face-to-face interaction and sustained attention, not fragmented skimming or constant task-switching encouraged by devices. Key points from his testimony include: - Teens now spend over half their waking hours on screens, with significant portions in school involving computers or tablets—often leading to off-task behavior and shallower processing. - Evidence from meta-analyses and national/international studies shows a consistent pattern: higher classroom screen exposure correlates with weaker outcomes in reading, math, science, and higher-order reasoning. - Digital tools may aid narrow, repetitive skill practice in controlled settings, but in core academic contexts, they tend to reduce depth of understanding, retention, and critical thinking. Horvath describes this as a "structural mismatch" between human cognition and how digital platforms are designed (to capture and fragment attention), warning that unchecked EdTech adoption risks long-term harm to workforce skills, innovation, and societal reasoning. [Horvath, J. C. (2026). Written testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. U.S. Senate]

India built its first “Red Road” on NH45 in Madhya Pradesh to protect wildlife. The 2 km bright, slightly raised surface warns drivers to slow down in animal corridors, reducing collisions and saving wildlife and human lives. x.com/MarchUnofficia…

1974 to 1978 I studied in Sri Ramakrishna Misson Vidyalaya, Coimbatore. Reason to go there : City colleges fees: Rs 1000 to 3000. Hotel fees : 200 per month. In SRMV: (25 kms from city) College fees: 300 Hotel fees : 75 per month. Reason to travel by train: I could not afford even that Hostel fees. I found a Govt Harijan hostel in city which was free. But bus fare was 60 paise one way. Monthly Rs. 30. That also sounded too costly. A passenger train used to run in that route and its student quarterly pass was Rs. 7. Reason to talk about this platform: Train In: Dep : 5:50 am. Arrival: 6:25 am. Out: Departure: 6:10 pm. Arrival 6:45 pm. College started at 9:00 am. Ended any time. Time to kill: 6:30 am to 9:00 am. Any time to 6:00 pm. Average daily 6 hrs. What I did: Sat in this Railway platform and studied Maths Physics Chemistry How did I get BARC job: My 1000 days and 6000 man hours intense focus on Avagadros, Ohms and Pythagoras Those days my mother was only earning member of family. Rs. 3 a day. So I had to do all sacrifice to get a degree without denting her arithmetics much. She gave her 4 bangles to pay my college fees. What I wish to say is: “Fortunately I was poor”. Be it college or Career or business “Patience, Focus, Frugality and Discipline “ Gives slow but sustainable success. I took my wife to show how a railway platform made a Scientist. Pic :2015.

ॐ हमारे वेदों का, शास्त्रों का, पुराणों का, उपनिषदों और वेदांत का सार है। ॐ ही ध्यान का मूल है, और योग का आधार है। ॐ ही साधना में साध्य है। ॐ ही शब्द ब्रह्म का स्वरूप है। ॐ से ही हमारे मंत्र प्रारंभ एवं पूर्ण होते हैं। आज सोमनाथ स्वाभिमान पर्व में 1000 सेकंड्स तक ओंकार नाद के सामूहिक उच्चार का सौभाग्य मिला। उसकी ऊर्जा से अंतर्मन स्पंदित और आनंदित हो रहा है। ॐ तत् सत्!!

The 1524 AD, map of Tenochtitlan, published in Europe, a significant depiction of the Aztec capital, likely based on sketches by Hernán Cortés and indigenous sources. This map, appearing in Venice and Nuremberg, showcases the city's layout, including its temples, palaces, canals, and causeways, while also referencing Aztec practices like human sacrifice.... The map of Tenochtitlan, published in 1524 AD, one of the earliest European visual representations of the Aztec capital. It was included in a letter written by Hernán Cortés to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and gave Europeans their first glimpse of the magnificent city. The map depicts a city of remarkable urban planning, built on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco and connected to the mainland by causeways. It shows the city's grid-like layout, its temples, and the central ceremonial precinct, providing a visual testament to the awe-inspiring sophistication that Cortés and his men described. In stark contrast, Diego Rivera's 1945 mural, "The Great City of Tenochtitlan," offers a vibrant, indigenous perspective of the same city before the Spanish conquest. As part of his larger work "Epic of the Mexican People" at the National Palace in Mexico City, Rivera's mural is a powerful piece of historical and political art. It depicts Tenochtitlan as a bustling, thriving metropolis filled with market scenes, agricultural activities, and a flourishing cultural and religious life. Rivera's work aims to reclaim the pre-Hispanic history of Mexico, portraying the Aztec capital not just as a marvel of engineering, but as the heart of a complex and rich civilization that was tragically destroyed. Together, the 1524 map and the 1945 mural provide two distinct yet complementary views of Tenochtitlan. The map, while a tool of a conqueror, highlights the city's impressive structure and organization. The mural, created centuries later by a Mexican artist, celebrates the life, culture, and power of the civilization that built it. Both works underscore the scale of the city that left the Spanish so astounded they questioned if they were "dreaming." #archaeohistories

In 1901, the world’s top scientists were certain of one thing. Radio waves could not bend around the Earth. Wireless signals, they said, were limited to line of sight. Sending one across the Atlantic was not just unrealistic. It was impossible. Global communication relied on expensive undersea telegraph cables, controlled by powerful companies with no interest in change. A 27-year-old Italian inventor named Guglielmo Marconi disagreed. He believed radio waves would follow the curve of the Earth. From Poldhu, England, he transmitted a signal westward, then crossed the Atlantic himself to listen. On December 12, 1901, standing in freezing winds on Signal Hill in Newfoundland, he raised a simple wire antenna using a kite and waited. At 12:30 p.m., through heavy static, he heard it. “Dot. Dot. Dot.” The Morse code letter “S.” That signal traveled over 2,100 miles without a wire. The explanation would come later with the discovery of the ionosphere. The impact was immediate. Cable monopolies were broken. Wireless communication became reality. The world got smaller that day, not because of wires, but because someone challenged what everyone else thought was impossible. #archaeohistories

For over 150 years, scholars have studied a mysterious cuneiform tablet discovered in the hidden library of King Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, Iraq. Initially thought to date to the Assyrian period around 650 BC, modern computer analysis has traced its origins back to 3300 BC, confirming it as a Sumerian creation. This revelation makes it one of the oldest surviving records of human observation of the heavens. The tablet functions as an ancient astrolabe, featuring a segmented circular design with angular measurements etched along its edges. Researchers believe it may have been used to track celestial events, including early observations of the Köfel impact event. Its precise markings demonstrate advanced understanding of astronomy in early Mesopotamia and reflect the sophistication of Sumerian science. As both a star map and an instrument, the tablet provides an extraordinary window into early human curiosity about the cosmos. It highlights how ancient civilizations systematically recorded celestial phenomena, bridging the gap between mythology, observation, and science. This artifact remains a testament to the ingenuity and intellectual achievements of Sumerian culture. #archaeohistories