- Social media hosts frequent racist posts targeting Indians using a man's photo from Pune
- Rajendra Panchal suffered TMJ ankylosis for 38 years, limiting his jaw movement severely
- He survived on liquid diets until surgery in 2017 restored his jaw function free of cost
Social media has become a cesspool of anti-India sentiment with anonymous psyop accounts from the subcontinent as well as Western handles routinely sharing derogatory, xenophobic and racist posts. One of the common ways to launch a racist tirade against Indians is to use the photo of a man whose physical features are mocked to suggest that an average Indian looks the same way.
The man in the pic widely shared by racist accounts is of Rajendra Panchal from Pune. Panchal was just a year old when he fell on his face while walking, damaging and misplacing his jaw. The parents were unable to provide proper medical care to Panchal, owing to their poor financial condition. Consequently, little Panchal's jaw was fused in place, leaving him unable to open his mouth more than approximately 1.5 cm -- a rare condition called Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) ankylosis.
For 38 years, Panchal suffered as he could not eat solid food and survived on a liquid and semi-solid diet. Panchal's inability to consume food properly led him to be malnourished as well. In 2017, he finally underwent surgery at MA Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre where his jaw was restored, with maxillofacial surgeon Dr Sameer Garde performing the surgery free of cost.
"It is a rare case. Normally in such cases it is diagnosed and treated without much delay. But, here, the patient has persisted with the condition for 38 years, making it even more extremely rare," said Garde at the time.
"The surgery lasted more than four hours, during which his fused skull bone was released and we achieved a satisfactory opening in the mouth of 45 millimetres."
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Racism Against Indians
The racism against Indians is not limited to individuals posting derogatory content online. Earlier this week, the American cryptocurrency-based prediction market, Polymarket, posted a now-deleted post that contained ethnic slurs. The post reportedly used racial insults while accusing some of its users based in India, Nigeria, and Turkey of pretending to be women.
The company's Chief Legal Officer, Neal Kumar, took to social media to address the message, apologising for it and saying the company "takes full responsibility".
"The post earlier this week from an unofficial Company account was unacceptable, and we take full responsibility. As an Indian American, looking up the history of the term sucked," wrote Kumar.
"I've always found engagement to be far more effective than rage, and believe this came from a place of misunderstanding, not hate. Uncomfortable conversations to understand each other is a practice to live and breathe, and we had one here this week to make us stronger. We apologise for the pain and we are committed to doing better."
