Today’s Motto: ‘Potential has a shelf life’
As Every Day makes a new beginning in life, it brings new opportunities, opens new avenues, to perform, make a mark and write a Page in the History Books!
This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History !
On this day, 20 Mar….
(World Sparrow Day is aimed to raise awareness and protect the common house sparrows, which are not so commonly seen now due to increasing noise pollution).
1602 – Dutch East India Company was founded. Its establishment led to significant Dutch involve
ment in Indian trade. It set up trading posts in regions like Gujarat, Bengal, and the Malabar Coast, influencing local economies and contributing to the complex tapestry of colonial interests in India (map credit-encyclopediabritanica.com).
1665 – Guru Tegh Bahadur ascended as the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. His leadership was i
nstrumental in defending religious freedoms against Mughal oppression, and his martyrdom later became a pivotal moment in Sikh history, symbolizing resistance against tyranny.
1739 – Persian ruler Nadir Shah invaded Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire. His forces massacred inhabitants and looted the city, seizing immense wealth, including the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. This invasion marked a significant decline in Mughal power and had lasting implications for the Indian subcontinent.
1916 – Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was published as an academic paper.
1945 – British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma from the Japanese. The Japanese had captured Mandalay in May 1942.
1959 – For the first time, officials of the Indian government confirmed reports of widespread resistance to the Chinese occupying forces in Tibet. Open warfare erupted in the capital city of Lhasa.
1966 – The World Cup was stolen while on display at Westminster Hall in London.
1977 – Prime Minister Indira Gandhi loses Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Sanjay Gandhi from Amethi, in the election held after 21 months of Emergency from JUne 1975 to March 1977.
1997 – Maharashtra (like H.P.) proposes to make caring for aged parents mandatory.
2000 – Unidentified militants gun down 35 Sikhs in the south Kashmir village of Chatti Singhpora in one of the worst incidents of violence in the State.
2017 – Indian rivers Yamuna and Ganges are declared “living entities” by a court in the state of Uttarakhand. (Later overturned by Supreme Court).
2020 – The four men involved in 2012 gang rape and murder of woman on a bus in New Delhi, were hanged.
Born…. 1952 – Anand Armitraj, tennis player the elder brother of Vijay Amritraj. Both paired togather to 
win Davis Ciup for India against South Africa in 1974. Their youngest brother Ashok and cousin Prakash also played international tennis. Stephan Amritraj, son of Anand lives in California and plays plays for America.
1966 – Alka Yagnik, popular singer of many younth romance, passion songs of 1980s onwards like Ek Do Teen…… etc. Alka has sung over 2500 songs in 45 years of musical journey including pop, devotional bhajans etc. She has won 2 National Film, 2 BFJA and 7 Filmf
are awards including 37 nominations.
RIP…. 1727 – Sir Isaac Newton. English physicist and mathematician who made seminal discoveries in several areas of science, and was the leading scientist of his era. His study of optics included using a prism to show white light could be split into a spectrum of colours. The statement of his three laws of motion are fundamental in the study of mechanics. He was the first to describe the moon as revolving (in a circle) around the earth) under the same influence of gravity as a Falling Apple, embodied in his law of universal gravitation. 2000 – Unidentified militants gun down 35 Sikhs in the south Kashmir village of Chatti Singhpora in one of the
worst incidents of violence in the State.
2014 – Khushwant Singh, author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician. He workede with major national dailies like Times of India, Hindustan Times and was Indian Ambassador to England. His experience in the Partition of
India in 1947 inspired him to write Train to Pakistan in 1956, which became his most well-known novel He also wrote Delhi, A Novel with Humor ad Truth, The Company of Women, Truth Love ans a Little Malice. He was awarded Padma Bhushan and several other literary honours. He loved regular drinking and lived over 100 years and a month.
Titbits…. 1966 – The FIFA World Cup trophy was stolen while on display at Westminster Hall in London (pic credit-
football-espina.net).
You may have known….According to 2025 data, Delhi is the 4th most populous city in the world. 
Kolkata is 9th and Mumbai 12th.
{Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R) Raj Kadyan}
