Jhaverchand Meghani Death Anniversary

  

Jhaverchand or Zaverchand Kalidas Meghani, who passed away on 9 March 1947, was an Indian poet, writer, social reformer and freedom fighter. He is a well-known name in the field of Gujarati literature. 

Yuri Gagarian Birth Anniversary

 

Yuri Gagarin, born on 9 March 1934, near Gzhatsk, Russia, U.S.S.R. [now Gagarin, Russia], was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first man to travel into space.

The son of a carpenter on a collective farm. Gagarin graduated as a molder from a trade school near Moscow in 1951. He continued his studies at the industrial college at Saratov and concurrently took a course in flying. On completing this course, he entered the Soviet Air Force cadet school at Orenburg, from which he graduated in 1957.

Gagarin’s 4 3/4-ton Vostok 1 spacecraft  was launched at 9:07 AM Moscow time on April 12, 1961, orbited Earth once in 1 hour 29 minutes at a maximum altitude of 187 miles (301 km), and landed at 10:55 AM in the Soviet Union. His spaceflight brought him immediate worldwide fame. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and given the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Pilot Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union. Monuments were raised to him, and streets were renamed in his honour across the Soviet Union.

Gagarin never went into space again but took an active part in training other cosmonauts. He made several tours to other nations following his historic flight, and from 1962 he served as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Gagarin was killed with another pilot in the crash of a two-seat jet aircraft while on what was described as a routine training flight. His ashes were placed in a niche in the Kremlin wall. After his death in 1968 the town of Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin.

Devika Rani Death Anniversary

Devika Rani Chaudhuri, usually known as Devika Rani, who passed away on 9 March 1994, aged 85, was an actress in Indian films who was active during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani had a successful film career that spanned 10 years.

Her persona, no less than her film roles, were considered socially unconventional. Her awards include the Padma Shri (1958), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1970) and the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1990).

Maha Shivaratri

 

Maha Shivaratri, (Sanskrit: "Great Night of Shiva") is being celebrated this year on 8 March.

Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - waning) of the lunar month of Phalguna. The festival commemorates the wedding of Shiva and Parvati and the occasion that Shiva performs his divine dance, called the Tandava.

It is a notable festival in Hinduism, marking a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, and meditating on ethics and virtues such as honesty, non-injury to others, charity, forgiveness, and the discovery of Shiva. Ardent devotees stay awake throughout the night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on a pilgrimage to the Jyotirlingams. The festival is believed to have originated in 5th century BCE.

In Kashmir Shaivism, the festival is called Har-ratri or phonetically simpler Haerath or Herath by Shiva devotees of the Kashmir region.

International Women's Day

 

In the year, 1975, United Nations first acknowledged International Women's Day. Two years hence, the UN General Assembly adopted Women's Day resolution and International Women's Day has been celebrated since on 8 March.

Sir Viv Richards' Birthday

 

Viv Richards, full name: Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, born on 7 March 1952, in St. John’s, Antigua, was a West Indian cricketer, arguably the finest batsman of his generation.

The son of Malcolm Richards, Antigua’s leading fast bowler, Viv Richards followed in a family tradition that included two brothers who also played cricket for Antigua. Richards began his Test (international) match career for the West Indies team at age 22 in 1974. In the course of a career that encompassed 121 Test matches and lasted until 1993, he distinguished himself as one of the most feared and productive batsmen of all time. Though he did so in an era when some of the game’s most dominant fast bowlers thrived, he defiantly and famously refused to wear a batting helmet. In the process of scoring 8,540 runs and averaging more than 50 runs per innings in Test competition, Richards recorded 24 centuries (100 runs in a single innings), leading the West Indian team that he captained from 1985 to 1991 to sweeping international success. Richards was also an “off-spin” bowler and took 32 wickets in Test competition. But it was as a batsman that the “Master Blaster,” who also had a distinguished career in English county cricket, will always be remembered. Richards was knighted by the Antiguan government in 1999. His autobiography, Sir Vivian: The Definitive Autobiography, written with Bob Harris, was published in 2000.

Foundation Day of Norfolk Island

 

Norfolk Island, is a tiny Australian island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Foundation Day is a public holiday in Norfolk Island commemorating the arrival of the original British settlers on 6 March 1788.

On the aforementioned day, Lieutenant Philip Gidley King arrived with the first settlers - a party of 15 convicts, 9 males, 6 females and 7 free men, to take control of Norfolk Island so the Island didn't fall into the hands of French who were also interested in the South Pacific.

Each year on Foundation Day, local residents gather at the beach in Kingston and re-enact the arrival of the First Fleeters. They put on costumes to dress up as British sailors and row boats.