Shivakumara Swamiji: A sea of humanity that he was…
A country like India can never be devoid of swamijis and mutts almost at every nook and corner of the cities and villages. We even see some fake swamijis being exposed increasingly too. Known as godmen at some point of time, most of them are spending their days inside the jails for their crimes. Hindu dharma that had saints and social reformers like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Narayana Guru etc is being humiliated to the core by fake swamijis.
Many swamijis are in news owing to gruesome crimes too. Despite this, being a swamiji is a matter of benefit for many. They can earn crores in the name of service to humanity and open medical/engineering and other colleges from their mutts. They can be involved in real estate deals without being anxious about being caught some day. Any politician would pour massive amount of black money should someone turn into a swamiji and a thus a safe haven for many misdeeds. Because the IT officers don’t even touch spiritual gurus. A senior Indian politician hence remarked one that “Black money in India is more in mutts than in swiss banks”.
But there are some swamijis who are an exception to such misdeeds. Their humongous service, sacrifice and values are what make them ideal role models to the world. They show how a swamiji or a saint should actually be, to the country, the nation and to the world. One such gem of a saint has silently passed away. Dr Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt who lived to be an excellent example of silent social reformers who never delivered speeches or discourses and involved himself in only serving the humankind has breathed his last. Vachanakaras says the quality of a Sharana is seen in his farewell from the world applies very well to Siddaganga Swamiji. The response of the society to the death of Swamiji who lived a full life of 111 years and passed away says volumes about the life he led and the affection people had about him. This response to a death in the recent times is a very rare one, with Swamiji being the only exception. Normally those who mourn departed swamijis would be people from that community itself. But the demise of Siddaganga Swamiji has a sea of tears flowing from across all communities.
Swamiji was among those rare saints who followed 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s ‘work is worship’ and service by feeding the hungry – kaayakave kailaasa and daasoha. Through his life, Swamiji showed us the way a real Lingayata should live. Today a lot of Swamijis are aligning with political parties. Hardly any swamiji stays away from proximity to power circles. Someone like Pejawar Shree indulges in politics all in the open. Swamijis from every community have chosen their particular favourite political party. Many politicians are nurturing many mutts, swamijis and hence it is appropriate to conclude mutts are moneybags and political spaces that generate votes.
But Shivakumara Swamiji never identified with any political party while every politician wanted to be seen with the swamiji. He never used service as a mode to make money. He literally begged to bring contributions to feed his disciples in the mutt. All mutts have engineering and medical colleges. If Shivakumara Swamiji wished to, he could have got scores of such professional colleges for his mutt and minted money. But he wasn’t greedy. He was focused on setting up more primacy schools. He accommodated scores of children in those institution and served them food and education, totally free of cost. He did not allow casteism to enter into his mutt in any form. When someone made girl students stand out in the name of taboo associated with menstrual cycle, this swamiji told them it was a natural process and they must not be ashamed about whatever god had given them in the body. He asked them to sit in the same row as the others and served them food.
Siddaganga Swamiji did not build castles in the air with speech like the others. He always walked with a hunch and showed that those who bend, can grow beyond Bahubali in stature. People called him ‘moving god’ and are in a hurry to turn him into some sort of a miracle man. This happened with Mother Teresa too. Mother Teresa showed god need not come from the heaven to serve the needy, poor and the sick. She served them with her own hands. How would her service be any great if she was the form of some god? The greatness of Teresa is that she was human, yet she served everyone like she was serving god. This is the big possibility people have to see and understand. Shivakumara Swamiji has shown how a man can be a sea of humanity with his focus and service. Let us retain him as a human being who lived a noble life, instead of turning him into god and making him an impossible goal. Personalities like Mother Teresa and Shivakumara Swamiji should remain humans amongst us who turned divine with their deeds.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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