Today’s Motto: ‘It requires deep thought to give up a happy middle, hoping for a happier ending’

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

On this day, 27 Jun….

1955 – 1st automobile seat belt legislation enacted (Illinois, US).

1964 – Teen Murti Bhavan, which had been the official residence of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, was converted into the Nehru Memorial Museum.

1967 – First Indian made AVRO aircraft passenger Plane HS748 handed over to Indian Airlines.

1978 – The first pen with truly erasable ink, the Gillette Eraser Mate, was invented.

1979 – Heavyweight Muhammad Ali confirms that his 3rd retirement is final (it wasn’t).

1990 – Salman Rushdie, condemned to death by Iran, contributes $8600 to help their earthquake victims.

2000 – The Clinton administration rejects a demand by 21 U.S. Congressmen for declaring India a terrorist state in the wake of attacks on Christian priests and churches.

2008 – India and Pakistan resolved roadblocks to commissioning a gas pipeline project coming from Iran.

2015 – The United Nations decided to display a picture of Satyajit Ray at its HQs. Ray  has a special place in the film history of India.

Born…. 1939 – RD Burman (Pancham Da), composer, singer and actor. He was one of the greatest music composers of the Indian film industry. Due to his unparalleled musical talent, he is considered one of the best musicians in the world. It is believed that many musicians imitate his style even today. Panchamada also lent voice to 18 films he composed. He also acted in Bhoot Bangla (1965) and Pyaar Ka Mausam (1969).

1964 – P.T. Usha is a sprinter  from Kerala. In 1976, Kerala government opened a sports school for women, and Usha was elected as the representative of her district. Considered the Queen of Indian TTrack and Field,  PT Usha has been in Indian sports since 1979.  No Indian female athlete could have achieved the success and fame that PT Usha has achieved in the nineties. She’s now the President of Indian Olympic Association.

RIP…. 1839 – Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of Punjab and the most famous king of the Sikh Empire. He  is popularly known as “Sher-e Punjab”. He not only kept Punjab united as a strong province, but also did not allow the British to come near his empire while he was alive. On April 12, 1801, Ranjit Singh assumed the title of Maharaja. His coronation was done by a descendant of Guru Nanak. He was not educated, but he gave great encouragement to education and art in his state. He established law and order in Punjab and never gave death sentences to anyone.

2008 – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, former Indian Army Chief. Under his leadership India won the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War resulting in the birth of Bangladesh. His friends affectionately called him ‘Sam Bahadur’.

Titbits…. 1932 – In Britain, the Baird Laboratories exhibited a range of domestic TV sets. The first  screen size was only 9″   by 4″.

You may have known…. India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition:  said  Mark Twain.

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