Abhinandan's moustache has lit social media on fire

The whole of India is celebrating the return and heroism of Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistani forces after being shot down.

Social media is abuzz with activity about his return to Indian soil. However, his return is not the only thing that is trending. The pilot’s moustache has caught the fancy of many on social media.

His smart gunslinger moustache promises to be a trend that will stay on in the months to come.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were flooded with messages about the guts, valour, determination, courage, grit and resolve of the MiG 21 pilot - and many of them also praised his ‘mooch’.

His photos, portraits and paintings have been put up at various places.

"Wanna grow a moustache like IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman !!!," wrote Debarshi on Facebook.

"Can we speak for a moment how amazing Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman's moustache is?," Ken Dennis posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

An interesting post by Ian Bremmer said: "Captured Indian pilot + his moustache released, officially crosses border from Pakistan to India."

"Back with a bang," wrote Soumyabrata Adhikary, and posted a portrait on Instagram.

Piyush wrote on Twitter: "Happy home return Wing Commander Abhinandan... your bravery and of course moustache has given a boost to my dream to join the Indian armed forces."

The IAF officer earned sobriquets like ‘Tiger’ and ‘Lion’.