Today’s Motto: ‘Trees that are slow to grow, bear the best fruit’

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

On this day, 11 Aug ….

1908 – Khudiram Bose was hanged on this day in Central Jail at Mujaffarpur, Bihar at the age of 19 years. He along with Prafulla Chaki had planned to bomb the carriage supposed to be carrying Kingsford, unfortunately he was betrayed and was caught and finally was sentenced to death and hanged. This day is observed as “Martyr’s Day” in memory of the great freedom fighter. Even today the soul stirring songs composed in his honour are sung by Bengali folk-singers.

1909 – SOS 1st used by an American ship, Arapahoe, off Cape Hatteras.

1928 – General Electric broadcast the play ‘The Queen’s Messenger’ for first time over TV and Radio at the same time, called Simulcast (pic credit-faroutmagazine.co.uk).

1946 – The first mobile long-distance car-to-car telephone conversation took place (in US).

1952 – The first artificial Aortic valve was successfully fitted in the heart of a 30-yr-old patient  by surgeon Charles A Hufnagel at Georgetown. (pic credit -ar.inspiredpencil.com).

1961 – Dadra and Nagar Haweli declared as Union Territory States.

1984 – Carl Lewis duplicates Jesse Owens’ 1936 feat, wins 4 Olympic track golds.

1999 – The death of an 83-year-old man Virgil Foster, a bee-keeper stung by a swarm of Africanized Killer  Bees  marked the first fatality by that cause in the state of California (USA).  His three hives had been taken over by wild Africanized honeybees. Originally hybridized in Brazil in the 1950s, the killer bees had migrated north through Mexico.

2008 – Abhinav Bindra wins the men’s 10 m air rifle at the Beijing Olympics, achieving the first individual Olympic gold medal for India and the country’s first gold medal in any Olympic event since 1980.

Born…. 1916 – General Gopal  Gurunath Bewoor,  8th Chief of Indian Army between  Jan. 16, 1973 and May 31, 1975.  Coming from a  Kannda Deshstha Brahmin family, Gen. Bewoor was edicated in RIMC Dehradun and IMA, joined the 10th Baluch Regiment in 1938, faught on Burma border, later  overlooked the bifurcation of  India-Pakistan Army at Partition of india in 1947  as  Secreary Army Partition Committee.  He was appointed DG National Cadet Corps, rose to be the first Army Chief  coming from NCC  arm.  After retirement he served as Ambassador to Denmark and  Senate Member, University of Pune. He was honoured with War Medal,  PVSM and Padma Bhushan.

1924 – Lalmani Mishra, a sage of the Indian music world, was as well known for his scholarship as his art. Rich in versatility, he did research on the history and development of Indian musical instruments, along with developing the technique of playing the veena secretly by listening to Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan of Patiala. To preserve these received swaras of Samaveda, he created ‘Raag Sameshwari’. For the first time in human history, it was possible to listen to the twenty-two Shrutis ordained by Bharata Muni on the Shruti-Veena, a musical instrument created by Dr. Mishra.

1943 – Pervaiz Musharaf, General and politician, 10th President of Pakistan. Delhi-born. General of Pakistan, deposed PM Navaz Sheriff (who had appointed him Army  Chief  in 1998) and became 10th President/dictator  of Pakistan (2001-08).   He was also responsible for attacking India in 1999 in Kargill Hills (J&K) and was defeated  squarely by the Indian Forces.

1961 – Suniel Shetty, popular Bollywood   actor.  He worked in Hndi, Tamil and Telugu films. He is also a producer/director. He won filmfare award for film Dhadkan in 2001. Zee Cine award and GIFA and Stardust awards.  His popular films are; Mohra, Waqt  Hamara Hai, Dilwale, Gopi Kishen, Vinasak,  Border, Hera Pheri series, Mein Hoon Na, Rudrakash, A Gentleman etc.

1974 – Anju Jain, Indian Opener r(women’s team). She was also a wicketkeeper and played 8 Tests, 65 ODIs. She was awarded Aruna award in 2005. She has a record  (jointly with SJ Taylor of England)  for 51  stumping in ODIs. She has coached  Bangladesh women’s team and now coaches Indian domestic teams

. RIP…. 2018 – V.S. Naipaul, a Trinidadian-born British writer of Indian  origin and Nobel Prize Laureate. His father Seepersad  Naipaul  and brother  Shiva  have also been journalists.  His novels  A House of Mr. Visawas, In A Free State,  won him Booker Prize (1971), Trinity Cross, Jerusalem Prize and Knoghthood  in 1990.   Also wrote London, the Carribean Voices,  Marriage, The Middle Passage, India: Area of Darkness, A Flag on the Island etc. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Literature  in 2001.

You may have known…. The infant mortality rate in India (death per 1000 births) in 1950-1955 was 165. In 2005-2010 it had dropped to 52.9.

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