Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Birth Anniversary


Hrishikesh Mukherjee, born on 30 September 1922, in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, India), was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades, and is named the pioneer of the 'middle cinema' of India. Renowned for his social films that reflected the changing middle-class ethos, Mukherjee "carved a middle path between the extravagance of mainstream cinema and the stark realism of art cinema”.

He is known for a number of films, including Anari, Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Majhli Didi, Chaitali, Aashirwad, Bawarachi, Khubsoorat, Kisse Se Na Kehna and Namak Haraam.

He also remained the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The Government of India honoured him with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1999 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. He received the NTR National Award in 2001 and he also won eight Filmfare Awards.

Monday, September 29, 2025

Mehmood's Birth Anniversary


 

Mehmood Ali, popularly known simply as Mehmood, born on 29 September 1932, in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India, was an Indian actor, singer, director and producer, best known for playing comic roles in Hindi films.  

During his career of more than four decades, he worked in over 300 Hindi films and was known as Bollywood's Original Bhaijaan. Mehmood received 25 nominations for film awards, 19 for 'Best Performance in a Comic Role', while the awards started in 1954, awards for the best comedian category started only in 1967. Prior to that Mehmood also received 6 nominations for 'Best Supporting Actor'.

Miguel de Cervantes' Birth Anniversary


Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, born on 29 September 1547 (assumed), in Alcala de Henares, Spain, was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his novel Don Quixote, a work considered as the first modern novel. The novel has been labelled by many well-known authors as the "best book of all time" and the "best and most central work in world literature".

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Lata Mangeshkar's Birth Anniversary


 

Lata Mangeshkar, born Hema Mangeshkar on 28 September 1929, in Indore, Indore State, British India, was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Her contribution to the Indian music industry in a career spanning eight decades gained her honorific titles such as the "Queen of Melody" and "Voice of the Millennium".

Mangeshkar recorded songs in over thirty-six Indian languages and a few foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi, Bengali and Marathi. She received several accolades and honours throughout her career. In 1989, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was bestowed on her by the Government of India. In 2001, in recognition of her contributions to the nation, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, becoming only the second singer to receive India's highest civilian honour. In 2009, France made her an Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the country's highest civilian award.

She was the recipient of three National Film Awards, 15 Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards, four Filmfare Best Playback Awards, before declining further ones, two Filmfare Special Awards, the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award amongst others. In 1974, she became the first Indian playback singer to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

She appeared in the Guiness World Records as the most recorded artist in history before being replaced by her sister, Asha Bhosle.

 

 

 

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Raja Ram Mohan Roy's Death Anniversary


Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who passed away on 27 September 1833, in Stapleton, Bristol, England, United Kingdom, aged 61, was an Indian reformer and writer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent. He has been dubbed the "Father of Indian Renaissance." He was given the title of Raja by Mughal emperor Akbar II (r. 1806–1837).

His influence was apparent in the fields of politics, public administration, education and religion. He was known for his efforts to abolish the practices of sati and child marriage. Roy wrote Gaudiya Vyakaran which was the first complete Bangla grammar written book.

 

Friday, September 26, 2025

World Environmental Health Day


World Environmental Health Day is observed annually on September 26 to raise awareness about the connection between environmental factors and human health. It was established in 2011 by the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH).

Significance and purpose

The day promotes the crucial role of environmental health in ensuring human well-being and addresses global challenges such as: 

·        Pollution (air, water, and soil)

·        Climate change

·        Urbanization

·        Disaster risk reduction

·        Poor sanitation 

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Deendayal Upadhyaya's Birth Anniversary


 

Deendayal Upadhyaya, known by the epithet Panditji, born on 25 September 1916, in Nagla Chandraban, Mathura, United Provinces, British India (present day Deendayal Dham, Uttar Pradesh, India), was an Indian politician, a proponent of integral humanism ideology and leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Upadhyaya started the monthly publication Rashtra Dharma, broadly meaning 'National Duties', in the 1940s to spread the ideals of Hindutva revival. Upadhyaya is known for drafting Jan Sangh’s official political doctrine, Integral humanism, by including some cultural-nationalism values and his agreement with several Gandhian socialist principles such as sarvodaya (progress of all) and swadeshi (self-sufficiency).

 

International Geodiversity Day

  International Geodiversity Day is celebrated worldwide on October 6. Proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021 at its 41st General Conference, this an...