Today’s Motto: ‘No one can make us feel inferior without our consent’

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

On this day, 31 May….

1774 – The first postal service office was opened in India in  Kashmere Gate, Old Delhi..

1884 – To improve the vegetarian diet of his hospital patients, Kellogg accidentally left a pot of boiled wheat to stand and become tempered. That was the beginning of the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Co.

1907 – Taxis 1st began running in New York City.

1917 – 1st jazz record released (Dark Town Strutters Ball).

1921 – The flag of the Indian National Congress was adopted.

1941 – Electric eye detectors were first used to measure high-jumping height attained.

1941 – 1st issue of “Parade” goes on sale.

1959 – The Buddhist religious Dalai Lama was granted asylum in India after his exile from Tibet. Exiled Buddhists have formed a Tibetan Govt in Exile at Dharamshala (H.P.)

1971 – Indira Gandhi called for international help as the civil war in Bangladesh, or East Pakistan, had turned two million people into refugees. Many of them were suffering from cholera and smallpox. The authorities of West Pakistan refused to care for them, and India couldn’t afford to.

1987 – Daman and Diu to remain as union territories after Goa becomes the 25th state of India. These are small coastal island Distts.  on the Western  coast of  India, having borders with Gujarat and Maharashtra.

2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7m/s) 9.72 seconds.

2021 – China’s ruling Communist Party announces it will allow married couples to have three children, in effort to boost falling birthrates.

Born….1577 – Nur Jahan, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Her original name was ‘Mehrunnisa‘. After marriage, Jahangir conferred upon him the titles of ‘Nurmahal‘ and ‘Nur Jahan’. In 1613 AD, Nur Jahan was made ‘Pattamahishi’ or ‘Badshah Begum‘. Nur Jahan was a woman with extraordinary personality and intelligence, Jahangir left all the weight of governance on her.

1725 – Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, wife of Khanderao, son of Malharrao Holkar, and the hereditary noble sardar of the Maratha Empire. Ahilyabai’s husband Khanderao Holkar was killed in the battle of Kumher in 1754. Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar died then, Rani Ahilyabai took charge of the kingdom. Rani Ahilyabai ruled the state with great skill till her death in 1795. What she did during her reign is surprising. She was a brave warrior and skilled archer and led her army in many wars and fought with valour, riding on elephants.

1925 – Raj Khosla, one of the top directors, producers, and screenwriters in Hindi films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He is credited for the success of actors like Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna etc.. After starting his career under Guru Dutt, he continued to make hit films like C.I.D, Mera Saaya, Woh Kaun This, Do Raste,  Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, Anita,  Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Dostana and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki. His films were mainly women centric stories. He ewon a Filmfare award and some nominations.

1928 – Pankaj Khirod Roy, opening  batsman  who  put up  413 runs  partnership with Vinoo Mankad on January 07, 1956  against  New Zealand in Chennai. The record remained unbeaten for 53 years  (until 2008). Pankaj played 43 Tests and scored over 11,868 runs with 33 First Class Centuries. He was appointed Sheriff of Calcutta and later awarded with Padma  Shri and  CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumously) in 2016.

1954 – Rajeev Chandrasekhar, politician and entrepreneur, and  Rajya Sabha Member representing  BJP. He belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Having launched  BPL Mobile and other investment companies, he  joined politics and has won a lone  Assembly seat for BJP  in Keralam  in  recent elections.

RIP…. 1935 –  A massive Earthquake kills 50,000 in Quetta Pakistan.

2002 – Subhash Gupte, one of the finest leg break  spinners and googlie expert  cricketer. He played 36 Tests with 149 wickets,  In 115 First Class matches he took 530 wkts with average of 23.71. (including 10 for 78 runs in 1954.) He was honoured with CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award in 2001 (pic credit-indocarribeanworld.com)..

2009 – Kamala Das,   (earlier pen name Madhavikutty), poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Keralam. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography.

You may have known…. We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count,  (beginning from Zero to 10  and beyond.)  without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. Albert Einstein.  Indian mathematicians also devised  Tables of  Numbers for calculations, area measurements etc.

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