Today’s Motto: ‘Every forest has some crooked trees’

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

On this day, 25 Jan….
(National Tourism Day: Celebrated today  to promote awareness about the importance of tourism in the Indian economy).

1565 – Battle at Talikota: the Deccan sultanate destroy Vijayanagar’s army and the last Hindu kingdom of Southern India.

1914 – An mass meeting of Indian workers   in Durban (South Africa)  unanimously endorse the agreement between General J.C. Smuts and  lawyer MK Gandhi regarding voluntary registration, poll tax, recognition of Indian marriages and other matters.

1950 – The post of the Governor General of India was abolished.

1950 – The Election Commission of India was established as a constitutional body to regulate elections. This has been observed as National Voters’ Day since 2011 to encourage young voters.

1955 – Columbia University scientists developed an atomic clock accurate to within one second in 300 years.

1957 – Kashmir becomes Indian State thru’ an Assembly Resolution and Indian President’s  stamp.                                                                                                                                                                                             1971 – Himachal Pradesh becomes 18th Indian State.                                                                                1980 – Renowned Albania born,  missionary Mother Teresa was awarded India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, for her humanitarian work.  She established Missionaries of Charity in India..

1983 – Acharya Vinoba Bhave, a prominent Gandhian and  social reformer, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. He worked on Bhoodan Andolan, coaxing big land owners to donate their excess land to poor farm workers.

1981 – Mao’s widow Jiang Qing sentenced to death.  A popular actor in Shanghai,  she participated in the Communist Revolution, became  Mao  Zedong’s personal secretary and later married him.  After  Mao’s death, she was accused of  plotting against the central Communist govt. alongwith the Gang of Four and sentced to death. Later it  was changed to Life sentence, but it was  reported  she committed suicide in May 1991.

2000 – The Centre begins the process of privatising the country’s domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, and also approves the sale of majority equity in Modern Foods India Limited.    2005 – A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258.
Born….  1914 – Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (Swaminathan), freedom fighter, who attended Indian Military Academy course at Dehradun.  She was taken prisoner by the Japanese army  in World War -II on Burma Front.   She was later released  and joined  Netaji’s   Azad Hind Fauz in  North Eastern sector and  fought the British army in Tripura, Andeman & Nicobar islands.

1958 – Kavita Krishnamurthy, popular Indian  singer with a very versatile voice. She sang many popular songs and Bhajans  in Hindi, Tamil, Malyalam, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and many other languages. Devdas, Rockstar, Ham Dil De Chuke Sanam, Koi Mil Gaya etc. said to have done 50,000 songs. She won Filmfare, Zee Cine, Mirchi and a National Film award.

1988 – Cheteshwar Pujara, very successful Indian batsman, especially on Australian pitches. He represented Saurashtra in domestic cricket and played for national team for 13 years scoring  7,195 runs thru’ 19 Test centuries and 35 half-centuries. His top score was 206*.  Also played for Sussex Cricket Club in English County Championships.  He retired from all forms of cricket in August  1985.

RIP….  2001 – Vijayaraje Scindia, was a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.  She was known as the “Rajmata of Gwalior”. She was the mother of  former central  minister Madhav Rao Scindia and grandmother of  present central minister   Jyotiraditya Scindia.

You may have known….It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments for the lower body and sometimes shawls or scarf like garments called ‘uttariya’ for the upper body, have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years. Saree is now considered a brand for Indian wear worldwide. It is an art to wrap the sari like a circle around the body and create elegant folds.

{Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}