Girish Bharadwaj, the Padma Shri-winning "Bridge Man of India", passed away at 76. He built over 150 low-cost hanging footbridges across Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, transforming rural connectivity. His first bridge in 1989 cost under Rs 2 lakh and was crowd-funded with villagers' shramdaan. He recalled how these bridges helped people reach hospitals faster and thanked him for the lifeline.