Pingali Venkayya's Death Anniversary

 

Pingali Venkayya, who passed away on 4 July 1963, aged 84 or 86, was an Indian freedom fighter. He was the designer of the flag on which the initial Indian National Flag was based. He was also a lecturer, author, geologist, educationalist, agriculturist, and a polyglot.  

At the age of 19, Venkayya had enrolled in the British Indian Army and was deployed to South Africa during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). During the war when the soldiers had to salute the Union Jack, the national flag of Britain, Venkayya realised the need for having a flag for Indians. When Venkayya attended the AICC session in 1906 in Calcutta, he was inspired to design a flag for the Indian National Congressas he opposed the idea of hoisting the British flag at Congress meetings.

Various flags had been used by members of the Indian independence movement before independence was achieved in 1947. Pingali Venkayya designed the National Flag and presented it to Mahatma Gandhi during the latter's visit to Vijayawada on 1 April 1921. Venkayya's first draft of the flag was in red and green — the red representing Hindus and green the Muslims living in the country. On Gandhi's suggestion, Venkayya added a white stripe to represent all other denominations and religions present in India. Since 1921, Venkayya's flag has been used informally at all Congress meetings. The flag was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947. Pingali Venkayya studied in Hindu high school in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Venkayya was an agriculturist, as well as an educationist who set up an educational institution in Machilipatnam.  He died in relative poverty in 1963 and was largely forgotten by society. A postage stamp was issued to commemorate him in 2009. In 2012, his name was proposed for a posthumous Bharat Ratna though there has been no response from the central government on the proposal.

Swami Vivekananda's Death Anniversary

Swami Vivekananda, who passed away on 4 July 1902, at Belur Math, Howrah, aged 39, was a Hindu spiritual leader and reformer in India who attempted to combine Indian spiritualty with Western material progress, maintaining that the two supplemented and complemented one another. His Absolute was a person’s own higher self; to labour for the benefit of humanity was the noblest endeavour.

Born into an upper-middle-class family of the Kayastha (scribes) castes in Bengal, he was educated at a Western-style university where he was exposed to Western philosophy, Christianity, and science. Social reform became a prominent element of Vivekananda’s thought, and he joined the Brahmo Samaj (Society of Brahma), dedicated to eliminating child marriage and illiteracy and determined to spread education among women and the lower castes. He later became the most-notable disciple of Ramakrishna, who demonstrated the essential unity of all religions.

Always stressing the universal and humanistic side of the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as belief in service rather than dogma, Vivekananda attempted to infuse vigour into Hindu thought, placing less emphasis on the prevailing pacifism and presenting Hindu spirituality to the West. He was an activating force in the movement to promote Vedanta philosophy (one of the six schools of Indian Philosophy) in the United States and England. In 1893 he appeared in Chicago as a spokesman for Hinduism at the World’s Parliament of Religions and so captivated the assembly that a newspaper account described him as “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament.” Thereafter he lectured throughout the United States and England, making converts to the Vedanta movement.

On his return to India with a small group of Western disciples in 1897, Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission at the monastery of Belur Math on the Ganges (Ganga) River near Calcutta (now 

Kolkata). Self-perfection and service were his ideals, and the order continued to stress them. He adapted and made relevant to the 20th century the very highest ideals of the Vedantic religion, and, although he lived only two years into that century, he left the mark of his personality on East and West alike.

 

Sir George Everest's Birth Anniversary

 

Sir George Everest, born on 4 July 1790, in Gwernvale, Brecknockshire, Wales, was a was a British geodesist who completed the trigonometric survey of India, on which depended the accurate mapping of the subcontinent.

Everest distinguished himself during engineering training at military schools in England. He joined the East India Company in 1806 and served the next seven years in Bengal. During the British occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Everest worked on the survey of Java (1814–16), then returned to India. From 1818 to 1843, except for two leaves to recover his health, he worked on the survey of India, as superintendent from 1823 and as surveyor general from 1830. During his term as surveyor general, Everest introduced the most accurate surveying instruments of the day; in the course of the project, Everest and his predecessors measured the meridional arc of 11.5 degrees from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, the southernmost point of the Indian subcontinent. Everest was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1827 and was knighted in 1861. Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, which had been called Peak XV, was renamed in his honour in 1865.

Jackfruit Day

Jackfruit Day is celebrated on 4 July every year. The tropical fruit is a popular meat substitute for those who are trying to follow a plant-based diet. It is high in vitamins and antioxidants, making it a great addition to any diet. The ripe jackfruit can be eaten raw and the raw ones can be cooked into a yummy curry.

Jackfruit Day: History & Significance

The fruit has a spiky outer skin and is native to parts of South and South-East Asia. It is mostly produced in Asia, but attempts were made to grow it in Hawaii before 1888. The word "jackfruit" is thought to have been derived from the Portuguese "jaca," which can also be translated to "chakka." The word was used in a book written by Portuguese naturalist and scholar Garcia da Orta in 1563.

Due to colonialism, the jackfruit has spread throughout the globe. It is now cultivated in several countries that were once colonies of European empires.

Jackfruit is used in a variety of cuisines across the world. It can be found in jams, pickles, ice creams, desserts, and other dishes. The fruit is also gaining popularity as a meat substitute. It is a great way to incorporate the fruit into your diet.

Jackfruit Day is a great way to celebrate the fruit's versatility and promote its health benefits. It is a fun and delicious day to try something new and healthy.