Utpal Dutt's Birth Anniversary

 

Utpal Dutt, born on 29 March 1929, Barisal, Bengal [now in Bangladesh] was an Indian actor, director, and writer who was a radical figure in Bengali theatre and cinema for more than 40 years.

Dutt was educated in Calcutta, where he founded the Calcutta Little Theatre Group in 1947. He twice toured with the Shakespearean International Theatre Company (1947–49; 1953–54) and was acclaimed for his passionate portrayal of Othello. From 1954 he wrote and directed controversial Bengali political plays, notably Angar (1959). He was perhaps best known for such political dramas, which he often produced on open-air stages in rural Bengal, as well as for his commitment to communist ideology. He was arrested in 1965 and detained for several months because the ruling Congress Party feared that his play Kallol was provoking antigovernment protests in West Bengal. During the 1970s three of his plays drew crowds despite being officially banned.

Dutt appeared in some 200 films, beginning with Michael Madhusudan (1950), and had considerable success as a director, particularly for Megh (1961), Jhar (1978), and Mother (1984). An intense, dramatic actor, he did some of his best work with the directors Satyajit Ray (Jana Aranya; Agantuk), Mrinal Sen (Bhuban Som; Chorus), and James Ivory (Shakespeare Wallah; The Guru). He also published books on Shakespeare and the revolutionary theatre.

International Mermaid Day

 

International Mermaid Day is observed on March 29. Tales of mythical sea creatures described as having the head and body of women and fishtails are present all around the globe. In Africa, they are the mythical water spirits, Mami Wata, in Eastern Europe, the Rusalki, which are nymphs of fertility and agriculture. In Ireland, they are called merrows. In Southeast Asia, Suvannamaccha. The symbol of the mermaids is ever-changing! In some cultures, they represent life and fertility, while in others, the destructive nature of water. The day was created in 2018 to mark the premiere of a new series Siren. Still, it can be celebrated as a continuation of humans' fascination for the creatures that lie beneath the water...

Good Friday

Good Friday is a Christian holiday that is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God, and his death at Cavalry. This year Good Friday is being observed on March 29.

The history of Good Friday dates back to the early days of Christianity, when Jesus was arrested by the Roman authorities and sentenced to death by crucifixion. According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, which is why the day is called Good Friday. It is also known as Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday.

Good Friday is an important day in the Christian calendar, as it marks the beginning of the Easter weekend and the culmination of the Holy Week. It is a day of mourning and reflection for Christians all over the world, as they remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his suffering on the cross.

Good Friday is also a public holiday in many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

There are many traditions associated with Good Friday, such as fasting, attending church services, and participating in processions. Some Christians also observe the day by abstaining from meat or other animal products. In some countries, it is customary to eat hot cross buns, which are sweet bread rolls with a cross on the top, to symbolise the crucifixion.

Overall, Good Friday is a solemn and meaningful day for Christians around the world. It is a time to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to reflect on the importance of selflessness and love for others, and to renew one's faith and commitment to Christian principles.

Virginia Woolf commits suicide in 1941

 

Virginia Woolf, who committed suicide on 28 March 1941, aged 59, was an English writer. She was a significant figure in London literary society and a central figure in the influential Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals.

Woolf was one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century. Her novels, through their nonlinear approaches to narrative, exerted a major influence on the genre.

While she is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power. A fine stylist, she experimented with several forms of biographical writing, composed painterly short fictions, and sent to her friends and family a lifetime of brilliant letters.

Maxim Gorky's Birth Anniversary

 

Maxim Gorky, born on 28 March 1868, was a Russian writer, nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His most famous works are his short stories, written early in his career, including Chelkash (1894) and Twenty-Six Men and a Girl (1899).

Gorky also wrote plays, such as The Lower Depths (1902) and Children of the Sun (1905), and poems, for instance, The Song of the Stormy Petrel (1901).

He was associated with both Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov, two fellow Russian writers, and was an active opponent of the Tsarist regime and proponent of the Bolshevik movement. Gorky was also closely associated with Lenin for a time.

Despite this early agreement between Gorky and the coming Soviet regime, he was exiled from the Soviet Union for a period and only returned in 1932 after being invited back personally by Joseph Stalin.

Maundy Thursday

 

Christians mark Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper, every year on the Thursday before Easter. This year it is on March 28. It's also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, and the Thursday of Mysteries in various traditions.

Maundy refers to the foot-washing Jesus provided the apostles to the Last Supper. Christians around the world, especially Catholics, mark the day with a special mass and prayers.

The word "Maundy" itself comes from an Anglo-French word derived from the Latin "mandatum," which means "commandment."

Yuri Gagarian's Death Anniversary

 

Yuri Gagarin, who passed away on 27 March 1968, aged 34, 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.