Today’s Motto: ‘Nature is kind and patient, but equally wrathful to ecocide’

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

On this day, 24 Jan….
(National Girl Child Day: Celebrated  to promote awareness about Girls’ Rights to education, health, and nutrition)

1848 – Gold  deposits were  discovered in California. This initiated the famous Gold Rush in California. It is estimated that over 7,50,000  pounds of Gold (worth $ 192 million at those times rates) was extracted from this area  in about 7 years.

1900 – Newcastle Badminton Club, world’s oldest, opened  in England.

1857 – The University of Calcutta, the first multidisciplinary western-style university in South Asia, was founded.

1934- Gandhi announces that he will retire from politics. He announced in Bombay Session of Congress Party following differences over ways to lead Freedom struggle and co-operating with the British in World War-II. Muslim leaders of Congress gathered separately, and demanded  either MA Jinnah to replace JL Nehru and Sardar  Patel ordivide India to  give them separate  country for Muslims.

1950 – The song “Jana Gana Mana,” originally composed in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was officially adopted as the National Anthem of India. “Vande Mataram,” which played a vital role in the freedom movement, was given equal status to the National Anthem.

1947 – Prem Mathur became the first Indian woman to obtain a commercial pilot’s license  and flew  Deccan Airways flights from  Hyderabad. .She flew high profile  leaders like PM Nehru  and Lord Mountbatten  during  her carrier.

1952- The first International Film Festival of India was held in Mumbai.

1966 – Indira Gandhi becomes Prime Minister of India after death of 2nd PM of India Lal Bahadur Shastriji. She was the first woman Prime Minister of India. This day was later designated  as National Girl Child Day in 2008.

Born…. 1921 – General T. N. Raina, former Army Chief and High Commissioner of India in Canada.  He was 10th Army Chief of India from 1975 to 1978. He commanded a brave battle in 1962 as a Brigadier, against Chinese troops in Chushul and saved the region from going into the aggressor’s control. He also commanded Khulna sector during Bangladesh War as Lt. Gen. (General Officer Commanding).  He’s believed to have refused to obey PM Indira and Sanjay  Gandhi’s orders during Emergency to support their  autocratic rule in India by suspending the Constitution of India . Also served as Indian High Commisioner to Canada, in 1979-80 and  was awarded Padma Bhushan.

1943 – Sharon Tete. American actor known for films like The Wrecking Crew, Twelve  Plus One, Fearless Vampire Killers, Pardon Me, Your Teeth Are in My Neck, Valley of Dolls and Eye of the Devil etc. (pic credit-tcm.com)

1945 – Subhash Ghai, film producer, director, actor, scriptwriter, Araadhana music director,  known as Showman after legendary Raj Kapoor. Ghai debuted as actor in Taqdeer (1967), Araadhana, Umang, Gumrah and went on  to produce and direct blockbusters like Kalicharan,  Vidhata, Karma, Saudagar, Taal, Hero, Meri Jang, Ram Lakhan, Pardes, Yaden, Aitraj, Iqbal etc. under his banner Mukta Arts. He startede a Film Training Institute Whistling Woods International in 2008. He has a project for makinmg biopic  Osho Rajneesh in hand with an Italian production company. Ghai has won a National Film and 3 Filmfare awards and IFA,  Business Today and  Screen awards.  He was also honored with  Lifetime Achievement awards in 2019 by Diorama International and in 2022 by Filmfare.

1981 – Riya Sen, Bengali model and Bollywood actor is the grand daughter of legendary heroine  Suchitra Sen and daughter of Moon Moon Sen. Riya has acted in Bengali, Hindi, English , Telugu and Malyalam films like Nouka Dubi, Kashmkash, Zindgi 50-50 and Hero 420 etc.

RIP…. 1556 –Mughal emperor Humayun died at Delhi. Two days earlier he had slipped on the staircase of a library being constructed at the Old Fort.

1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, physicist. Known as Father of Indian Nuclear Program as director of BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) and AEC (atomic Energy Commission).  he was awarded Adam’s Prize in  1942  and Padma Bhushan in 1954. He was nominated for Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951 and 1953-56 but not given due to alleged  opposition by some  powerful nations.  Following Chinese Nuclear blasts in  October 1964, he advised PM Indira to allow him  a develop a Nuclear capability as an umbrelle. He died in an  Air Crash on Jan. 24, 1966 flying over Mount Blanc near Geneva Airport. (it was later alleged, US agency CIA was behind his assasination, to  derail India;s Nuclear Energy program).

2011 – Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Indian Musician, Bharat Ratna Laureate.  He was a renowned Hindustani classical  vocalist from India, known for his khayal and devotional singing. He received many awards, including the Bharat Ratna, and  the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. You may have known…. India, with a record output of over 150 million tonnes, is the world’s biggest producer of rice.

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