Today’s Motto: ‘A man is a product of his decisions, not of circumstances’

This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History !

On this day, 15 Mar….

1564 – Akbar removed ‘Jeziya’ or toll-tax for his non-Muslim subjects.

1892 – An escalator design was patented in the U.S. by inventor Jesse W. Reno of New York City. It had a conveyor belt that moved people up a 25 degree slope.

1907 – Finland is 1st European country to give women the right to vote (map credit-www.orangesmile.com).

1946 – British Prime Minister Clement Attlee agrees with India’s right to independence but with division. (The Indian Independence Act 1947 partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. The act received Royal Assent on 18 July 1947 and thus modern-day India and Pakistan, comprising west (modern day Pakistan) and east (modern day Bangladesh) regions, came into being on 15 August).

1950 – The Planning Commission of India was formed. In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to reconstitute the Planning Commission. It has since been replaced by a new institution named NITI Aayog.

1969 – Indian Navy’s first Helicopter Squadron was commissioned in Goa. (The Indian Navy currently operates twenty-five air squadrons. Of these, eleven operate fixed-wing aircraft, ten are helicopter squadrons and the remaining three are equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles).

1996 – Kashmiri militants and Central govt hold talks on ending violence and to initiate the democratic process in J&K.

1998 – Mr. Vajpayee is appointed Prime Minister for 2nd time lasting 13 months. The number of MPs supporting the formation of a government by the BJP stands at 264 in a house of 539, just short of the working majority of 270. However, the President sees the figure as crossing the half-way mark as the Telugu Desam decides to remain neutral. Earlier, the Congress(I) conveys to the President its decision not to stake claim to form a government.                                                                                                                                     2019 – Climate change strikes held by schoolchildren take place around the world, inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.

Born…. 1901 – Guru Hanuman was born at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. He was the pioneer and development  of wrestling in India. He was bestowed with the Padamshri in 1983. His pupil Satpal and Kartar Singh won Gold Medals in Asian Games. India have won 23 medals in  Asian and World Wrestlings. In Olympics we have 8 medals, including  a Bronze by KD Jadhav in 1952 and  Sushil Kumar twice  (Bronze in 2008 and Silver in 2012), Bronze by Sakshi Malik in  2016.

1934 – Kanshi Ram, prominent  Indian dalit leader  after BR Amedkar, Babu  Jagjivan Ram and others. Born in a Ramdasia Sikh family in Rupnagar (Punjab), he worked for the upliftment of lower castes and weaker sections of Indian Society. He founded Bahujan Samaj Party in 1984 and helped form a State Govt. in  Uttar Pradesh  under his  deputy Mayawati  in 1995  with  support from BJP. Also called Manhyawar, Kanshiram was honored with Bharat Ratna  in 2024 by  NDA Govt.

1954 – Ila Arun, actress, TV personality and Rajasthani folk-pop singer. She  sang songs for films  Jodha Akbar, Well Done Abba, Karan Arjun, Slumdog Millionaire, Khal Nayak and Raat Akeli Hai etc. She won a Filmfare, an IIFA, Apsara Film Producers Guild,  Screen Award and IMM Digital  award etc. (pic credit-thepatriot.in)

1960 – Waldemar Mordecai Wolfe Haffkine was a Russian-British bacteriologist who worked to reduce deaths by cholera.                                                                                                                                                      1977 – Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, an Army officer serving in the elite Special Action Group of the National Security Guards was martyred in action during the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He was consequently awarded the Ashoka Chakra. The Mother Dairy Double Road in Bangalore, a 4.5 km road from Federal-Mogul on Doddaballapur Road to MS Palya junction, within Yelahanka New Town, was renamed Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road in his honour (pic credit-alchetron.com).

1993 – Alia Bhatt, daughter of vetertan  film director, producer  Mahesh Bhatt and  popular actor Soni Razdan. A British passport holder, Alia is known for portrayal of women in challenging  roles in  films. She acted in Udta Punjab, 2 States, Gully Boy, Highway, Raazi, Dear Zindagi and Gangubai Kathiawadi  etc. She has won a National award, 6 Filmfare and several other awards. She  married   Ranbir Kapoor, scion of  legendary filmy family of Raaj Kapoor, in  April 2022 and has a daughter.

RIP….1941 – Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, an Indian theatre artist, entrepreneur and filmmaker who was widely regarded as the Father of Telugu cinema. He produced Bhishma Pragna, the first Telugu silent film  in 1921. He set up Gaity Theatre in 1910, Mint Theatre, Globe Theatre later in Madras etc.  and exhibited The Million Dollar Mystery and Broken Coin  English films there.

1985 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, a historian, thinker, and writer. He has contributed to the historical and archaeological studies of Bihar as well as to Maithili literature.

1992 – Dr. Rahi Masum Raza, poet, film screenplay, story and dialogue writer. He wrote in Urdu and Hindi, won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for the hit film Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki in 1979, followed by Mili and Lamhe, which he won posthumously.

You may have known…. Dr. Rabindranath Tagore is credited not only for writing the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, but the Bangladeshi national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, as well. He was also offered knighthood by the British but refused the honour after the Jalianwala Bagh massacre.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}