Manohar Parrikar

1. 🎓 In 1978, Manohar Parrikar graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Bombay, becoming the first IIT alumnus to enter active state politics as Goa’s MLA in 1994. 2. 🇮🇳 In 2013, during the BJP parliamentary elections convention held in Goa, Parrikar was the key figure who proposed Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, a pivotal moment in Indian political history. 3. 🛡️ From October 2014 to March 2017, Parrikar served as India’s Defence Minister, overseeing critical national security operations including the response to the 2015 Pathankot air base terrorist attack. 4. In 2000, Parrikar first became Chief Minister of Goa, and over four terms (2000–05, 2012–14, 2017–19) he repeatedly returned to power, reflecting a unique political resilience in a volatile state landscape. 5. Despite being diagnosed with terminal-stage pancreatic cancer, Parrikar continued as Chief Minister from 2017 until his death in 2019, marking him as one of the few Indian leaders to govern through serious illness. 6. 🎖️ In 2020, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, recognizing his service as a defence minister and multiple terms as Goa’s chief minister. 7. ❓ How did an IIT-trained engineer from a modest Goan family balance grassroots RSS discipline with high-stakes national defense and state leadership until his final days?