Indian Night Air Mail Service Launched in 1949

"Night Air Mail Service" was launched on January 30, 1949 in India by Rafi Ahmed Kidwai to improve the postal service. Air Mail Service was introduced when Railway Mail and Motor Mail had reached saturation point.

Since space was a premium at daytime flights, it was decided that air mail would move at night and this had the added advantage of making overnight delivery possible in what may very well be also the world's first example if not one of the earliest examples of a hub-and-spoke operation. Under this system, the four main cities of India also happened to form each of the four corners of a diamond- New Delhi to the north, Bombay to the west, Calcutta to the east, and Madras to the south. Connecting these cities was a central location at the city of Nagpur in central India. 

The system was quite simple- letters postmarked for overnight air mail were delivered to each of the corners of the NAM system in the evening and loaded on aircraft. These aircraft, all then flew in the first part of the night to the central processing and sort facility at the Nagpur Airport. Mail would be offloaded and sorted to waiting aircraft that would return to their origin airports in the second half of the night. The following morning, the mail would be delivered- a speed and convenience not only unheard of an India's business environment of the day, but probably in just about any business center worldwide in 1949! For an aircraft like the Douglas DC-3 that was ubiquitous in those days, each leg would take about four hours, making overnight delivery possible. To facilitate the sort process, any aircraft leaving any of the cities already had the mail sorted and stowed aboard in batches, minimizing the ground sort and loading time at Nagpur. 

The Indian Night Air Mail Service ran continuously until 1973 (ironically when Federal Express launched its overnight package delivery service). The low postal rates provided by the Indian government were cited as not being enough to warrant continuation of this historic service. Various attempts were made up into the 1980s to restart the NAM, but were never profitable enough to last long. 

 

Svetoslav Roerich Death Anniversary

 

Svetoslav Roerich, who passed away on 30 January 1993, was Russian and Indian painter, son of Helena and Nicholas Roerich, studied from a young age under his father's tutelage. He studied architecture in England in 1919 and entered Columbia University's school of architecture in 1920. He won the Grand Prix of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1926.

He was married to famous Indian actresses Devika Rani.

Makanlal Chaturvedi Death Anniversary

 

Makhanlal Chaturvedi, who passed away on 30 January 1968, was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and a journalist who is particularly remembered for his participation in India's national struggle for independence and his contribution to Chhayavaad, the Neo-romanticism movement of Hindi literature. He was awarded the first Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi for his work Him Taringini in 1955. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1963.

Karpatri Maharaj Death Anniversary

Swami Karpatri Maharaj, who passed away on 30 January 1980, was born as Har Narayan Ojha into a Saryupareen Brahmin family of a village called Bhatni in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He was a sannyasi in the Hindu Dashanami monastic tradition.

Franklin D. Roosvelt Birth Anniversary

Franklin D. Roosevelt, born on 30 January 1882, was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the leader of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. He built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended in victory shortly after he died in office.

Amrita Sher-Gil Birth Anniversary

 

Amrita Sher-Gil, born on 30 January 1913 in Budapest, Hungary, is often referred to as India's Frida Kahlo for aesthetically blending traditional and Western art forms. Amrita Sher-Gil was one of the most famous painters of India. She is also considered as a revolutionary woman artist and the originator of modern art in India. Though her artworks mainly depicted Western style and culture during the initial stages of her career, the painter gradually began to rediscover herself by depicting Indian subjects using traditional methods. Apart from painting, she was also well-versed in playing piano and fond of reading. She even travelled to different parts of India, France and Turkey and managed to incorporate ideas gained from different techniques into her own works. Throughout her career, she painted her friends, lovers and also made quite a few self-portraits, for which she is often considered as a narcissistic by many. 

National Cleanliness Day (India)

 

National Cleanliness Day is celebrated in India every year on January 30 with the aim of promoting cleanliness and sanitation as a way of life. The significance of this day lies in its ability to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining cleanliness and the role of each individual in keeping the environment clean.

The history of National Cleanliness Day dates back to 2014, when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a nationwide cleanliness campaign aimed at transforming India into a clean and hygienic nation. The campaign focuses on creating awareness about the importance of cleanliness and hygiene and encouraging citizens to take responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.

Martyrs' Day/ Mahatma Gandhi's Death Anniversary

 

Martyrs' Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas or Amar Shaheed Diwas, is observed in India annually on January 30 to commemorate the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, the 'Father of the Nation', who was assassinated on this day in 1948.

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse at around 5:17 pm, when he was heading to Birla Bhavan, Delhi, to address an evening prayer.

The assassin, Godse, a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, disagreed with Gandhi's views on the partition of India.

Nathuram Godse fired three bullets into Mahatma Gandhi's chest, and it said that the last words Gandhi uttered were "Hey Ram".

Gandhi led the freedom movement in India and emphasised the use of non-violent and peaceful methods to fight the British rule.