Today’s Motto: ‘We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it’

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

On this day, 18 Sep ….

1803 – Puri was captured by Britishers from the Marathas without any struggle.

1967 – English was adopted the official language of Nagaland.

1976 – Mao Zedong’s funeral takes place in Beijing. He died at an age of 73 (pic credit-www.picryl.com) .

2015 – Government of Uttar Pradesh confirms 2.3 million people applied for 238 menial office jobs.

2018 – China announces new $60 billion tariffs on US imports a day after the US imposes $200 billion worth of new tariffs on Chinese goods.

2019 – Indian government proposes a ban on e-cigarettes (pic credit-sverigesradion.se) .

2023 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says “agents of the Indian government” carry out the killing of a Sikh community leader, who advocates for Sikh separatism, in British Columbia in June.

Born…. 1906 – Kaka Hathrasi  (real name – Prabhu Lal Garg),  legendary  satirist,  humourist  and  comedy poet. He was the lifeline of every Kavi Sammelan from 1930s to 1990s. He wrote about 42 collections  viz., Kaka Tarang, Kaka Ki Chaupal, Jai Bolo Beiman Ki, Mera Jeevan -A-One and a series Kakaji Kahin. He produced a film Jamuna Kinare in Braj Bhasha  with story by veteran  homourist Ashok Chakradhar, Kaka’s  son-in-law., with  started a magazine Sangeet and established a Sangeet Karyalay. He wa honoured with Padma Shri and several other awards.

1950 – Shabana Azmi, Bollywood  actress daughter of famous Urdu poet, screenwriter  Kaifi Azami and wife of  famous film personality  Javed Akhtar.  She has acted in  Shyam Benegal’s  Ankur,  KA Abbas’s  Faslah and KL Rathore’s Parinay.  She has acted in about 160 fims including Amar Akbar Anthony, Nishant, Junoon, Mandi, Sushma, Masoom, Arth, Paar, Picnic,  Satyjit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Sparsh, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, Disha and English  Roland Joffe’s  City of Joy  etc. She has won 5 National Film and 5 Filmfare awards, Padma Bhushan and several  international accolades.

RIP…. 1958 – Dr. Bhagwan Das, great philosopher, freedom fighter, Hindi writer, politician and litterateur. He was an  Yogi who lived in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. He wrote many books in Sanskrit, Hindi and English on Hindu  culture and  theories of life.  He worked in Theosophical Society of India  with Anne Basent, opposed  J Krishnamoorti  ideology  and represented  in Constituent Assembly. He co-founded Kashi Vidya Peeth, was honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1955.

1995 – Kaka Hathrasi, famous satirist, humourist,  comedy poet. (real name- Prabhu Lal Garg) as above- (he has same date of Birth and Death.)

You may have known….  As of 2020-21, female enrolment in higher education had increased to around 49% of the total. Women show a greater inclination towards fields like Arts, Education, and Medical Sciences, while Engineering and Technology remain male-dominated areas.

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