International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement founded in 1863

 

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded on 9 February 1863 to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

Volleyball was created in 1895

On 9 February 1895, William G. Morgan created a game called Mintonette, which later came to be referred as volleyball.

For a sport that has been around for over a century, the origin of volleyball traces its roots to a rather humble beginning.

History has it that William G. Morgan, who invented the game of volleyball in 1895, came up with the idea so that people who found basketball’s ‘bumping’ or ‘jolting’ too strenuous could have an alternative physical activity to fall back on.

William G. Morgan, who served as the physical director at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Holyoke, Massachusetts, looked at the sports around and picked the aspects that he thought suited his brief the best.

The ball came from baske`tball, the net from tennis and the use of hands from handball. While this made up a game of volleyball, it was lent some competitive tone with the introduction of innings - later to be called sets - that was borrowed from baseball.

Morgan introduced the sport -- called mintonette, the original name of volleyball -- at the YMCA Physical Director's Conference a year later at Springfield College, Massachusetts.

"In search of an appropriate game, tennis occurred to me, but this required rackets, balls, a net and other equipment, so it was eliminated, but the idea of a net seemed a good one," Morgan explained. "We raised [the net] to a height of... just above the head of an average man. We needed a ball and among those we tried was a basketball bladder, but this was too light and too slow. We therefore tried the basketball itself, which was too big and too heavy.”

A new specially designed ball, which was lighter and smaller, was introduced in 1900.

Though it was incomplete with no fixed rules and a format to follow, the sport did enough to win over the delegation and soon became a part of YMCA’s wide network throughout the USA with a new name - volley ball (initially it was termed as two words). Volleyball was officially selected to spell as a single word in 1952.

A sport that traced its origin to basketball, baseball, tennis and handball - and now estimated to be played by over 800 million globally - had thus been established.

T. Balasaraswati Death Anniversary

 

T. Balasaraswati, who passed away on 9 February 1984, was a celebrated Indian dancer, and singer in the Karnatak (South Indian) tradition, who was one of the 20th century’s foremost exponents of the bharata natyam style of classical dance. She was instrumental not only in expanding the performance of this dance form beyond the precincts of the temples where it was traditionally performed but also in cultivating international appreciation of the art form.

For her contributions to Indian arts and culture, Balasaraswati received a Sangeet Natak Akademi (India’s national academy of music, dance, and drama) award in 1955 and the Padma Vibhushan, one of the country’s top civilian honours, in 1977. Although she danced extensively throughout her life, she was seldom filmed. In 1976, however, the acclaimed Indian film director Satyajit Ray made a short documentary, Bala, as a tribute to her artistic achievement. In 2006 Aniruddha Knight, Balasaraswati’s grandson, also produced a short documentary.

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande Death Anniversary

 

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande, who passed away on 9 February 1897, is recognized as the “Father of the Trade Union Movement in India.”  Lokhande dedicated his life to championing the rights of workers and spearheading the labour movement in the country.

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande's journey began in the late 19th century when he witnessed the plight of mill workers in Bombay (now Mumbai). Deeply affected by their poor working conditions, low wages, and lack of basic rights, Narayan Lokhande took it upon himself to fight for their rights and improve their lives.

In 1890, Narayan Meghaji Lokhande founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association, one of the earliest trade unions in India. Through this association, he led several strikes, protests, and movements, demanding better wages, improved working conditions, and legal protections for workers. His charismatic leadership and unwavering commitment to the cause garnered significant attention and support.

Apart from being a labour leader, Narayan Lokhande was also a social reformer. He actively worked towards eradicating social evils like child labour, gender inequality, and caste discrimination. He believed in the empowerment of workers and fought for their overall well-being, including access to education, healthcare, and social justice.

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande's contributions laid the foundation for the trade union movement in India. His relentless efforts paved the way for significant labour reforms and the recognition of workers' rights. 

Baba Amte Death Anniversary

 

Baba Amte, who passed away on 9 February 2008, was an Indian lawyer and social activist who devoted his life to India’s poorest and least powerful and especially to the care of those individuals who suffered from leprosy. His work earned him numerous international awards, notably, the 1988 UN Human Rights Prize, a share of the 1990 Templeton Prize, and the 1999 Gandhi Peace Prize.

Amte was born into an affluent Brahmin family and grew up in a life of privilege. After earning a law degree in 1936, he set up a legal practice. In 1942 he acted as a defense lawyer for those imprisoned for participating in Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India campaign against the British occupation of India. Influenced by Gandhi’s nonviolent fight for justice, Amte abandoned his legal career in the 1940s and settled in Gandhi’s ashram in Sevagram, Maharashtra, India, working among the downtrodden.

After an encounter with a man suffering from advanced leprosy, Amte’s attention turned to that disease. He studied leprosy, worked at a leprosy clinic, and took a course on the disease at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine. In 1949 Amte founded Anandwan, an ashram dedicated to the treatment, rehabilitation, and empowerment of leprosy patients. The centre came to encompass programs in health care, agriculture, small-scale industry, and conservation and to serve people with disabilities.

In addition to his work with lepers, Amte was involved in various other causes, including environmentalism and religious toleration. In particular, he opposed the building of hydroelectric dams on the Narmada River, both for environmental reasons and because of the effects on those displaced by the dams. In 1990 Amte left Anandwan to devote himself to this cause, but toward the end of his life he returned to the ashram. Amte’s sons, Prakash and Vikas Amte, became doctors and continued their father’s philanthropic work.

Chocolate Day

Chocolate Day - the third day of Valentine's Week - is celebrated on February 9 every year. On this day, you can gift your favourite box of chocolate to your beloved, friends, and family and let them know they matter to you, by adding a little sweet delight to their lives.

Chocolates are a universally loved dessert that is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face.

There is an assortment of chocolates that you can choose from --- from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and mint chocolate, to chocolates with nuts and raisins.

Chocolates not only taste good but the cocoa in them is healthy and rich in antioxidants. Chocolate also plays a vital role in building relationships and is often used as an icebreaker as well. So, it is only befitting that an entire day is dedicated to this sweet indulgence!