Pakistan Day

 

Pakistan Day (Urdu: یومِ پاکستان, lit. Yaum-e-Pakistan) observed on 23^rd March is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic, which remains a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations. The day also celebrates the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Muslim League at the Minar-e-Pakistan (lit. Pakistan Tower) which called for the creation of an independent sovereign state derived from the provinces with Muslim majorities located in the North-West and East of British India (excluding autonomous princely States) on 23 March 1940.

The day is celebrated annually primarily by Government officials and army staff throughout the country and is a public holiday for civilians. While civilians do not celebrate the public holiday, the Pakistan Armed Forces usually hold a military parade to celebrate both the passing of the Lahore Resolution in 1940 and the Constitution of Pakistan of 1956.

Ram Manohar Lohia's Birth Anniversary

 

Ram Manohar Lohia, born on 23 March 1910, in Akbarpur, India, was an Indian politician and activist who was a prominent figure in socialist politics and in the movement toward Indian independence. Much of his career was devoted to combating injustice through the development of a distinctly Indian version of socialism.

Lohia was born to a family of merchants. Following the death of his mother when he was two, he was raised primarily by his grandparents, although his father’s commitment to Indian nationalism influenced him during his childhood. Lohia attended Banaras Hindu University before earning a bachelor’s degree (1929) from the University of Calcutta and a doctorate (1932) from the University of Berlin, where he studied economics and politics.

In 1934 Lohia became actively involved in the Congress Socialist Party (CSP), founded that year as a left-wing group within the Indian National Congress; he served on the CSP executive committee and edited its weekly journal.

A vehement opponent of Indian participation on the side of Great Britain in World War II, he was arrested for anti-British remarks in 1939 and again in 1940; the latter incident resulted in an 18-month imprisonment. With the emergence in 1942 of the Quit India movement—a campaign initiated by Mohandas K. Gandhi to urge the withdrawal of British authorities from India—Lohia and other CSP leaders (such as Jaya Prakash Narayan) mobilized support from the underground. For such resistance activities, he was jailed again in 1944–46.

During and after India’s transition to independence in 1947, Lohia continued to play an active role in its politics. At loggerheads with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on several issues, however, Lohia and other CSP members left the Congress in 1948. He became a member of the Praja Socialist Party upon its formation in 1952 and served as general secretary for a brief period, but internecine conflicts led to his resignation in 1955. Later that year Lohia established a new Socialist Party, for which he became chairman as well as the editor of its journal, Mankind. A spellbinding orator and a passionate and perceptive writer, he advocated for various sociopolitical reforms in his capacity as party leader, including the abolition of the caste system, the adoption of Hindi as India’s national language, and stronger protection of civil liberties. In 1963 Lohia was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of parliament), where he was noted for his sharp criticism of government policies. Although his parliamentary influence was ultimately limited, his progressive views, which he expressed in numerous publications, proved inspirational to many Indians.

 

Bihar Day (Bihar Diwas)

 

Bihar Day (Bihar Diwas) is observed every year on March 22,^]marking the formation of the state of Bihar, in India. On 22 March 1912, the Bihar and Orissa divisions of the Bengal Province were separated to form the Province of Bihar and Orissa in British India. The day is a public holiday in Bihar.

Bihar Day was started and celebrated on large scale by Bihar Government in the tenure of Nitish Kumar. Apart from India, it is celebrated in countries including the United States, Germany, Britain (Scotland), Australia, Canada, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius.

World Wood Day

World Wood Day, conceived by the International Wood Culture Society, is celebrated on March 21, coinciding with the International Day of Forests, to raise awareness about the importance of wood in a sustainable world and to promote harmonious coexistence between people and nature.

Its inaugural celebration took place in 2013 in Tanzania. The event was coordinated by the World Wood Day Foundation. Specially designated events and activities focus on a particular theme that changes every year. They include (but are not limited to) symposia, woodcraft workshops, activities for children and teenagers, online programs, tree planting, etc.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

 

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March since declared by the United Nations in 1966. In South Africa, the country in which the event took place that gave rise to the observance, the Sharpeville Massacre, the day is commemorated as Human Rights Day, and is a public holiday.

Background

On 21 March 1960, police opened fire at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the pass laws. In the event known as the Sharpeville massacre, 69 people were killed and 180 injured.

Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

International Fragrance Day

 

International Fragrance Day is celebrated annually on March 21st to promote the art and science of perfumery and encourage appreciation for fragrance in daily life. This day was officially established in 2018 as a project of The Fragrance Foundation in collaboration with brands and retailers.

People have been enjoying fragrances for thousands of years. The world’ first recorded chemist was Tapputi, a perfume maker mentioned on a stone tablet from the second millennium BCE in Mesopotamia. The oldest perfumery was discovered on the island of Cyprus and dated back to the Bronze Age. This perfumery covered an estimated surface area of over 4,000m², meaning that perfume manufacturing was industrial.

In the Book of Exodus, the Bible also describes a particular sacred perfume consisting of liquid myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, fragrant cane, and cassia. Today, France is widely considered the world centre of perfume and cosmetic manufacture.

 

World Flour Day

 

World Flour Day is acclaimed and celebrated on March 20 every year. On this day, bakers, cooks, farmers, millers, flour professionals, and all of us will celebrate flour, also known as “white gold.” For some, flour is about sustenance, survival, and satisfying satiation and hunger; for others, it is about cultivating culinary creativity and creating the best food and goods for human consumption. Flour is made from various types of grains, such as amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, barley, corn, millet, and rye. Bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, crackers, cereals, pastries, pies, pizza, and many other foods are made from flour.

History of World Flour Day

For centuries, humans have consumed grains that were ground into flour. Flour was part of the human diet 32,000 years ago. Scientists found a tool much like a pestle that grinds stones in a cave called Grotta Paglicci in Puglia, Southern Italy. They discovered that it was used to crush kernels to make coarse flour.

World Flour Day was created by the Flour World Museum on March 20, 2019, to celebrate the international importance of flour in people’s lives. It was authorized and proclaimed in 2019 that World Flour Day would be observed annually on March 20. The date was chosen because it is in the midst of the equinox, which occurs between March 19 and 21, the time for seeding, planting, and spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn and harvest in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Flour World Museum in Wittenberg, Germany, opened its doors in 2008, and it houses the world’s largest collection of flour sacks, intending to remind and show people the magnificence of this simple yet vital basic ingredient. Many rooms are featured in the museum, and one central feature is the Sackotheque, which contains over 3,600 exhibits. The museum also aims to give tribute and show gratitude to the millers through its close ties with the International Milling Family. Their website invites anyone and everyone to tell their personal stories about “white gold,” also known as flour.