Today’s Motto: ‘Loss of honour is worse than loss of life’

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

On this day, 18 Feb….

(Year 3,102 BCE). According to Puranic sources, the beginning of the Kali Yuga is dated to February 17/18, 3102 BCE, marking the departure  of  Bhagwan Shri Krishna from the mortal world.  Kali Yuga is believed to be  432,000 years (1,200 divine years)  long  and will end in  428,899 CE (pic crerdit-swastika.in). 

1614 – Mughal Emperor Jahangir captured Mewar by dislodging Maharana Pratap. It was  ealier the independent Kingdom of Hindu Rajas, called Rajputana (ruled by Gohila dynasty followed by Sisodiyas).

1665 – The Portuguese handover Mumbai island to England.

1911 – The first official flight with Airmail takes place in Allahabad, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters at Naini, about 10 km away.                                 1930 – The planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh, when comparing two photographic plates taken six days apart the previous month.

1946 – 2nd Revolt in the (Royal) Indian Navy. From the initial flashpoint in Bombay, the revolt spread and found support throughout British India, from Karachi to Calcutta and ultimately came to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000 sailors. Indian Naval personnel began calling themselves the “Indian National Navy” and offered left-handed salutes to British officers. Notably, the revolting ships hoisted three flags tied together – those of the Congress, Muslim League, and the Red Flag of the Communist Party of India (CPI), signifying the unity and downplaying of communal issues among the mutineers. In Madras and Poona, the British garrisons had to face some unrest also within the ranks of the Indian Army. The revolt was called off following a meeting between the President of the Naval Central Strike Committee (NCSC), M. S. Khan, and Vallab Bhai Patel of the Congress, who had been sent to Bombay to settle the crisis. Patel issued a statement calling on the strikers to end their action, which was later echoed by a statement issued in Calcutta by Mohammed Ali Jinnah on behalf of the Muslim League. Under these considerable pressures, the strikers gave way.

1951 – Nepal becomes a constitutional monarchy under new king  Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev, who ruled until his death  on  March  13, 1954. His son Prince  Mahendra followed him.                                               1979 – Snow falls in Sahara Desert.  Sahara is the largest land piece having  little vegetation or life, spread over 9,200,000 sqkm area in Africa. Low altitude areas of the Sahara desert recorded their first snowfall in living memory.

1994 – India rejects OIC offer to mediate on Kashmir.

2007 – In a tragic sabotage , 68 people were killed in a terrorist bombing of the Samjhauta Express train near Panipat, Haryana, while it was travelling from Delhi to Lahore.

Born…. 1048 -Omar Khayyam was a Persian poet and polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and Persian literature.

1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bengali saint, bhakti yoga preacher. He founded Hare Krishna movement under his Chaitanya Gaudiya Vaishnavism  following.  It has millions of followers world over.

1836 – Swami Ramakrishna  Parmhans (Gadadhar Chatterji). He was God-intoxicated Bengali Shakta saint, Guru of Swami Vivekananda. He exemplified the bhakti dimension of ‘Shakta Universalism’.

1926 – Nalini Jaywant, popular  and stylist Bollywood actor. She is known for her films Behn, Nirdosh, Railway Platform, Munimji, Kala Pani, Jadoo, Aankh Michauli, Nastik, Raj Kanya etc. She was awarded Filmfare in 1959 and Dadasaheb Phalke honor in 2005.

1931 – Swraj Paul, Indian/British industrial/multi-millionaire. Born to a  modest  Jalandhar family manufacturing small  kitchen buckets and farming equipments, he rose to  be nominated to the House of Lords in  1996 by PM John Major of Labour Party on England. He went to England in 1966 for getting his daughter treated for Leukamia  and settleed there, set up Caparo Group and  became one of the leading  NRI businessman in UK (rank 38). He also co-founded Apeejay group and  educational institiutions,  (pic credit-dnaindia.com).

1933 – Nimmi, legendary Bollwood actor of Golden era  who played mainly tragedy roles. Known for films Barsaat, Arpan, Alif Laila, Deedar, Aan, Udan Khatola, Daag, Basant Bahar, Kundan, Amar etc. She was nominated to Filmfare awards but didn’t get one. She was though  hpnoured with a  Critics award.
RIP…. 2002 – Manu Bhaker, is  an Indian Shooter. She has won 2 Bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She has won  23 medals at the World Championships and World Cups, as well as 12 medals at the Asian Games and  Commonwealth Games.

You may have known…. While the long-accepted, traditional figure for India’s total coastline—including the mainland, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands—is 7,516.6 km, recent, more precise calculations by the National Hydrographic Organisation (NHO) in 2024–2025 have updated this figure to 11,098.81 km. This updated measurement resulted from higher-resolution mapping tech niques (using 1:250,000 scale) that now include previously unaccounted for offshore islands, coastal inlets, and bays.

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