Col Santosh Mahadik,SC (Posthumous), SM* was born in a small village Pogarwadi of district Satara, Maharashtra.
The officer completed his schooling from Sainik School, Satara and later joined IMA, Dehradun. He was commissioned in Elite 21 PARA (Special Force) in 1998 and was an accomplished Paratrooper and
Combat Underwater Diver.
While serving as Young Officer in Lolab Valley, Kupwara in 2003 he was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) for fighting with the terrorists. After taking over the command of *Fearless 41 Rashtriya Rifles* he led several successful operations and brought laurels for the battalion. Other than operations, he made his place in the hearts of the locals because of his compassion to bring the youth of Kupwara into mainstream away from terrorism and also for his efforts to revive tourism in Kupwara.
On 17 Nov 2015, Colonel Santosh Mahadik, Sena Medal, *attained martyrdom* leading his troops from the front in a search operation in Kashmir Manigah village of Kupwara district. Later, he was awarded Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) for his act of dynamic leadership and bravery.
Following the footsteps of The Braveheart, *Capt Swati Santosh Mahadik* (wife of Col Santosh Mahadik) joined the Indian Army, setting example of patriotism and inspiration for entire nation.
Family of Fearless 41 Rashtriya Rifles paid tribute to *Dauntless Tiger* by laying wreath in war memorial followed by inspirational speeches and motivational poems. In his remembrance, the battalion has conducted 13 Cricket Tournaments*, *7 Girls kho kho tournaments* and various *Marathons for the youth of Kupwara so that the *The Hero* remains etched in their hearts and he keeps inspiring fighting spirit among troops in Kupwara.