Major Mukund Varadarajan Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Maddy
Profession	Army Personnel
Famous for	Receiving India's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 65 kg in pounds- 143 lbs
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Military Service
Service/Branch	Indian Army
Rank	Major
Service Years	18 March 2006 - 25 April 2014
Unit	22nd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment
Service Number	IC-72861M
Military Decoration	Ashoka Chakra, India's highest gallantry award awarded in peacetime (26 January 2015)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	12 April 1983 (Tuesday)
Birthplace	Source 1: Paruthipattu, Avadi, Tamil Nadu, India [1]The Hindu Source 2: Tambaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India [2]Deccan Chronicle
Date of Death	25 April 2014
Place of Death	Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir
Age (at the time of death)	31 Years
Death Cause	Gun shot wounds [3]NDTV
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Chennai
School	SDV English Medium Higher Secondary School, Alappuzha, Kerala
College/University	• Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Viswa Maha Vidyalaya, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu • Madras Christian College, Chennai, India
Educational Qualification(s)	• B.Com from Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya • Diploma in Journalism from Madras Christian College
Caste	Brahmin [4]Rediff
Blood Group	A+
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Indhu Rebecca Varghese (teacher)
Marriage Date	28 August 2009
Family
Wife/Spouse	Indhu Rebecca Varghese (teacher) Note: Wife's image in children's section
Children	Son- None Daughter- Arsheya
Parents	Father- R. Varadarajan Mother- Geetha Varadarajan
Siblings	Brother- None Sister(s)- 2 • Nithya Varadharajan • Swetha Varadharajan
Favourites
Food	Dosa, Puttu and Kadala Curry, Idiyappam

Some Lesser Known Facts About Major Mukund Varadarajan

• According to his father, Mukund expressed his desire to become an officer in the Indian Armed Forces when he was in class 3.

• For this, R. Varadarajan decided to enrol Mukund into a Sainik School; however, he dropped the idea as he got posted to a different location.
  

  A childhood photo of Mukund

• He met Indhu while studying at the Madras Christian College. According to his mother, he initially introduced her to her parents as a friend; however, he later clarified that they were in a relationship.

• After completing his formal education, Mukund joined a BPO in Chennai. He worked there for a month.

• While working in Chennai, Mukund appeared in and cleared the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE).

• He joined the Officer’s Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai in 2005.

• As per his father, he did not wish Mukund to join the army but pursue a master’s degree in business administration. He talked about it, in an interview, and said,
  

  I remember him telling me when he was in Class III that he wanted to join the forces. After graduating in journalism, he studied diploma in MCC only because he wanted to study there. He worked in a call centre for a month before passing the SSB, though I encouraged him to study MBA.”

• Mukund received inspiration from his grandfather and two uncles who served in the Indian Armed Forces.

• According to his family, Mukund initially aspired to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). He, however, changed his decision later.

• Vadarajan was commissioned as a short service officer in the Rajput Regiment as a second lieutenant on 18 March 2006.
  

  A photo of Major Mukund taken after his passing out parade from Officers Training Academy in Chennai

• After commissioning, he went to Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, where he attended the Young Officers (YOs) course.

• He later went to Belgaum, Karnataka, where he underwent a month-long training course.

• Thereafter, he was posted to the Infantry School in Mhow as an instructor.

• Mukund was later deployed in Kashmir, where he was injured after a bullet grazed his shoulder.

• Mukund was among the few officers chosen to serve in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. He served there for two years.

• Mukund was given a permanent commission in the army on 18 March 2011.

• In 2012, Mukund was sent to Shopian, where he served in the 44th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR). He assisted the unit in conducting many counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley.
  

  Major Mukund Varadarajan’s photo taken when he was serving in the Rashtriya Rifles

• In the early morning of 25 April 2014, Mukund was asked to lead a counter-insurgency operation in the Qazipathri Shadab Karewa in Shopian district after his unit received intelligence about the presence of three militants, who were reportedly involved in the killing of election officials in Kashmir a day ago.

• At around 3 p.m., Mukund’s assault team came under heavy fire from the militants hiding in a house in the village. During the firefight, Mukund, along with his men, entered the village house from where the militants were firing. During the house-clearing process, Mukund sustained three gunshot wounds.

• After getting injured, he was evacuated to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. However, he passed away while being taken there.
  

  Army officers carry the coffin of Major Mukund Varadarajan

• After his death, J. Jayalalithaa, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, announced that the state government would give a bereavement check of Rs. 10 lakh to the family.

• His wife, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, penned a heartfelt poem as a tribute to Mukund.

• The Indian Army placed his bust at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on 1 June 2015 as a tribute.
  

  Major Mukund’s family members standing next to his bust installed at the OTA, Chennai

• Mukund had a sweet tooth and after every meal, he asked for sweets.

• According to sources, Mukund’s last words were “Please take care of my parents, wife, and child.”

• In 2024, it was announced that a Tamil film titled Amaran, based on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan, would be released. In the film, Sivakarthikeyan will portray his character.
  

  Actor Sivakarthikeyan as Major Mukund in the film Amaran