Today’s Motto: ‘Instead of wishing for less problems, let us wish for more skills’

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

On this day, 18 Mar….

1801 – The first Ordnance Manufacturing Factory was established in India.                                                                                        1818 – US Congress approves 1st pensions for government service

1910 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale proposed before the British Legislative Council for the provision of free and compulsory primary education. Gokhle was one of the Troika  (Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhle , Lala Lajpat Rai)  who lead Freedom Movement and social reforms before MK Gandhi came to India.

1919 – Rowlatt Act, intended to perpetuate the extraordinary powers enjoyed by the British   Government under Lord Chelmsford during the war, it provokes countrywide protests. This  led to firing on innocent  and unarmed  citizens  having a meeting  in Jalianwala Bagh, Amritsar on April 13, 1919 and firing by   Col. R. Dyer’s  troops . Over 220 citizens were killed and several injured.

1922 – British magistrates in India sentence Mohandas K. Gandhi to 6 years in prison for disobedience.

1944 – Azad Hind Fauj entered India (Japanese army) from the border of Burma and invaded north eastern India, releasing large parts of region  from British  control.              1965 – Alexei Leonov  became the first human to have climbed out of a spacecraft in space launched into space when he left the Voskhod 2 while still tethered to the vessel. While outside, he took motion pictures and practiced moving outside of the spacecraft for 10 minutes.

1978 – Pakistani former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto sentenced to death  by the Pakistan Supreme Court under  President Gen. Zia-ul Haq. Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979 for killing  political  opponents. He  had  earlier  refused  to accept  Sheikh  Muzibur Rehman’s premiership  despite  Mujib’s  majority  in  Parliamentary  elections  in  1970.

1997 – Indo-Bangladesh friendship treaty, signed 25 years ago, expires.

2006 – United Nations approved the proposal to set up a ‘Human Rights Council’.

2008 – Sunil Bharti Mittal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Enterprises, became the first Indian to join America’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Academy. He’s the co-founder and current Chairman of Bharti Enterprises  (Airtel).

2014 – Russia formally annexes Crimea, previously part of Ukraine. by signing Treaty on Accession. This state was separated from erstwhile USSR in 1991-92.  (map credit-www.britannica.com).

Born…. 1858 – Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, a German engineer who invented the internal-combustion engine that bears his name.

1916 –  Dina Nath Nadim. Known as  one of  the premier  Kashmiri poets. Also credited with  helping build up  public opinion  for joining Indian Union during partition.

1937 – Gurbachan Singh Bhullar. popular Punjabi writer, short story teller.  He was awarded  Sahitya Akademy  award  for  his collection Agni-Kalas in 2005. His  stories Kutta Ate Manukh, Opra Mard, Mein Ghaznavi Nahin   and Rohi  Biabaan  were  also  very  pupular  and  classic narration of social issues.

1938 – Shashi Kapoor, famous film actor,  producer, director, and a dramatist.  Son of legendary  actor/producer Prithviraj Kapoor, the doyen of Bollywood’s  Kapoor family, he is considered as one of the popular  actors in the history of Hindi cinema. His popular films are 36 Chowringee Street,  Aag,  Jab Jab Phool Khile, Waqt, Deevar, Junoon, Fakira, Trishool, Sharmilee,  Chor Machaye Shore, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan etc. He was the  recipient of several accolades, including  Padma Bhushan,  four National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards

1948 -Eknath (Dhondu)  Solkar, a  slow-arm bowler  and  specialist close-in fielder. He played 27 Tests and 7 ODIs  totalling about 6,851  runs and 8 centuries. He also got 53 catches (6 in a Test match) out of 276 wickets to his credit. He was part of Indian teams that  won first  series  against West Indies in 1970-71.  and  beat England in Lord’s Test in 1972. He appeared in Wisdon Book of Cricket  and was honoured with  Arjuna Award in 1972.

1965- Alish Chenai (Sujata). Famous Indian pop singer.  Known for film songs  kajra re, Made in India etc. and films Slumdog Millionaire, Bunty & Babli,  Don, Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani etc. She is believed to have quit singing following  sexual exploitation by a famous co-singer.

Titbits…. 1991 – Apple computer head Steve Jobs weds activist billionaire  Laurene Powell (pic credit-abtc.ng).                                                    You may have  known…. Diamond mining in India extends back into antiquity. From ancient times, India was the source of nearly all the world’s known diamonds, and until diamonds were discovered in Brazil in 1726, India was the only place where diamonds were mined. Golconda Mines  near Hyderabad  (in  Telangana) have been sources of famous  Diamonds  including Koh-i -Noor, which  was plundered by the British govt. (pic credit-nauraldiamonds.com).                                                                                                       {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)   Raj Kadyan}