Phanishwar Nath's Death Anniversary

Phanishwar Nath Mandal 'Renu' who passed away on 11 April 1977, aged 56, was one of the most successful and influential writers of modern Hindi literature in the post-Premchand era. He is the author of Maila Anchal, which after Premchand’s Godaan, is regarded as the most significant Hindi novel. Phanishwar Nath (Mandal) Renu was born on 4 March 1921 in a small village Aurahi Hingna near Simraha railway station in Bihar. The mandal community of Bihar to which Renu belonged constitutes an under-privileged social group in India. Renu's family, however, enjoyed the benefits of land, education, and social prestige. Renu's father, Shilanath Mandal, had been active in the Indian National Movement and was an extremely enlightened individual, taking a keen interest in modern ideas, culture and art.

Phanishwar Nath Renu is best known for promoting the voice of the contemporary rural India through the genre of Aanchalik Upanyas ('regional story'), and is placed amongst the pioneering Hindi writers who brought regional voices into the mainstream Hindi literature. Renu was very close associate of Bengali novelist Satinath Bhaduri. He wrote a memoir named Bhaduriji (Mr. Bhaduri) in Bengali.

His short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam" was adapted into a film Teesri Kasam (The Third Vow), by Basu Bhattacharya (produced by the poet-lyricist Shailendra) in 1966 for which he also wrote the dialogues. Later his short story "Panchlight" (Petromax) was made into a TV short film. The 2017 Bollywood Fim Panchlait is also based on this short story.

 

 

 

K.L. Saigal's Birth Anniversary

 

Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal, born on 11 April 1904, was an Indian singer and actor who worked in Hindi cinema, which was centred in Calcutta (Kolkata) during Saigal's time, but is currently based in Bombay (Mumbai). Saigal's unique voice quality which was a mixture of baritone and soft tenor was the benchmark for most of the singers who followed him. In fact, it remains the gold standard even today shining through very early and practically primitive recording technology.

Jamini Roy's Birth Anniversary

 

Jamini Roy, born on 11 April 1887, Baliatore, India, is one of the best-known Indian artists of the 20th century. In the late 1920s and early ’30s he rejected his academic training and instead developed a linear, decorative, colourful style based on Bengali folk traditions. During the 1930s and ’40s the popularity of his paintings represented the passage of modern Indian art from its European academic leanings to a renewed interest in traditional iconography and abstract forms. Roy’s subject matter ranged from the Ramayana to Christ to portraits of contemporary figures such as Mahatma Gandhi.

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule's Birth Anniversary

 

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, born on 11 April 1827, Bombay Presidency [now Maharashtra], was an Indian social reformer, writer, and champion of equality for all people, including poor labourers and women. He was a strong critic of the Hindu caste system, a means by which people are differentiated and ranked according to the social group into which they are born.

Phule deplored the discrimination experienced by those placed at the bottom of the caste system, including the Shudras (artisans and labourers) and the groups today called Scheduled Castes, or Dalits. He led a movement in India that called for the creation of a new social order in which no one would be subordinate to the upper-caste Brahmans. Phule also fought for women’s rights. Believing that education was essential to bringing about social change, he established schools for girls and for children of lower castes.

Kasturba Gandhi's Birth Anniversary

Kasturba Gandhi, born on 11 April 1869 in Porbandar, was an Indian political activist who was a leader in the struggle for civil rights and for independence from British rule in India. She was the wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Kasturba Kapadia was born to Gokuladas Kapadia, a wealthy merchant, and his wife, Vrajkunwerba, in the city of Porbandar (now in Gujarat state) along the Arabian Sea coast. Her family and that of Mohandas Gandhi (who was several months younger than she) were friends, and in 1882, when she was age 13, the two were married. She went to live in the Gandhi home in Rajkot. Kasturba had received no schooling prior to her marriage, and Mohandas took it upon himself to give her an elementary education.

A child was born to the couple in 1885 but died shortly after birth. Their first child to survive—a son, Harilal—was born in 1888, six years into their marriage. Mohandas left shortly after Harilal’s birth to study law in London (returning in 1891), while Kasturba stayed behind with the new baby. She bore three more sons: Manilal (1892), Ramdas (1897), and Devdas (1900).

Kasturba again remained in India when Mohandas went to South Africa in 1893 to practice law, but he returned for them in 1896, and the family arrived in South Africa early the next year; their last two children were born there. The Gandhi family returned to India in 1901 before deciding to move back to South Africa in 1903.

Kasturba first became involved in politics and social activism in South Africa. In 1904 she helped Mohandas and others establish the Phoenix Settlement near Durban, a cooperative village where residents shared chores and grew their own food; later the family lived there for several years. In 1913 she was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison for participating in a protest against the treatment of Indian immigrants in South Africa. The family left South Africa for the final time in July 1914, traveling to England before arriving in India in early 1915.

Kasturba began experiencing serious medical problems while in South Africa, and thereafter she often was in poor health. She was nevertheless also strong-willed and continued to participate in the increasing number of civil actions and protests across India that Mohandas and others organized. She often took her husband’s place when he was in prison. Sometimes she undertook activities against his wishes, as he was concerned for her health. Much of her time, however, was devoted to helping to manage the various ashrams that she helped Mohandas found.

In mid-1917, while Mohandas was working to improve the lot of indigo farmers in Champaran, Bihar, Kasturba concerned herself with the welfare of the women there. In 1922 she participated in a nonviolent civil disobedience (satyagraha) movement in Borsad, Gujarat. Although she did not take part in Mohandas’s famous Salt March in 1930, she did join in a number of civil disobedience campaigns in the early 1930s and was arrested and jailed several times.

In early 1939 she participated in nonviolent protests against the British in Rajkot, after the women in the city appealed directly to her. She was arrested and kept in solitary confinement for a month near the city, during which time her health further deteriorated. In 1942 she was arrested again prior to the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned (along with Mohandas and many other pro-independence leaders) in the Aga Khan Palace at Pune. While in prison her chronic bronchitis worsened, and she contracted pneumonia and suffered a series of heart attacks before dying in early 1944.

 

International Labour Organization founded in 1919

 

International Labour Organization (ILO), is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) dedicated to improving labour conditions and living standards throughout the world. 

Established on 11 April 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League of Nations, the ILO became the first affiliated specialized agency of the United Nations in 1946. In recognition of its activities, the ILO was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1969.

The functions of the ILO include the development and promotion of standards for national legislation to protect and improve working conditions and standards of living. The ILO also provides technical assistance in social policy and administration and in workforce training; fosters cooperative organizations and rural industries; compiles labour statistics and conducts research on the social problems of international competition, unemployment and underemployment, labour and industrial relations, and technological change (including automation); and helps to protect the rights of international migrants and organized labour.

In its first decade the ILO was primarily concerned with legislative and research efforts, with defining and promoting proper minimum standards of labour legislation for adoption by member states, and with arranging for collaboration among workers, employers, government delegates, and ILO professional staff. During the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s the ILO sought ways to combat widespread unemployment. With the postwar breakup of the European colonial empires and the expansion of ILO membership to include poorer and less developed countries, the ILO addressed itself to new issues, including the social problems created by the liberalization of international trade, the problem of child labour, and the relationship between working conditions and the environment.

Among intergovernmental organizations the ILO is unique in that its approximately 175 member states are represented not only by delegates of their governments but also by delegates of those states’ employers and workers, especially trade unions. National representatives meet annually at the International Labour Conference. The ILO’s executive authority is vested in a 56-member Governing Body, which is elected by the Conference. The International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland, composed of the permanent Secretariat and professional staff, handles day-to-day operations under the supervision of an appointed director general. The ILO has international civil servants and technical-assistance experts working in countries throughout the world. Among the ILO’s many publications are the International Labour Review and the Year Book of Labour Statistics.

 

 

World Parkinson's Day

World Parkinson's Day is observed annually on April 11 to raise awareness about Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. This day serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by individuals living with Parkinson's, as well as their caregivers and families. It's an opportunity to educate the public, advocate for better treatment and support, and ultimately work towards finding a cure for this debilitating condition.

DATE AND HISTORY:

World Parkinson's Day is commemorated on April 11 each year, marking the birthday of Dr James Parkinson, the British physician who first described the symptoms of the disease in his groundbreaking essay, ‘An Essay on the Shaking Palsy,’ published in 1817. Dr. Parkinson's work laid the foundation for the understanding of Parkinson's disease, and his contributions are honoured on this day.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The significance of World Parkinson's Day extends beyond simply raising awareness about the disease. It's a day to highlight the impact Parkinson's has on individuals and communities worldwide and to emphasise the importance of early diagnosis, access to quality care, and ongoing research efforts. Parkinson's disease is characterised by symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with balance and coordination. These symptoms can significantly impair a person's quality of life, making it challenging to perform daily tasks and maintain independence.

Through increased awareness and understanding of Parkinson's, individuals living with the disease can receive the support and resources they need to manage their symptoms effectively. Moreover, World Parkinson's Day serves as a platform to advocate for policies that improve access to healthcare, promote research funding, and enhance the quality of life for those affected by Parkinson's and their caregivers.