Master Tara Singh's Birth Anniversary

Tara Singh, born on 24 June 1885, in Haryal, near Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India (present-day Pakistan), was a Sikh leader known chiefly for his advocacy of an autonomous Punjabi-speaking Sikh nation in the Punjab region. He was a champion of Sikh rights against the dominant Hindus, Muslims, and British.

Tara Singh was born a Hindu, but while a student in Rawalpindi he became attracted to Sikhism and underwent the required initiation ceremony. Upon graduation from Khalsa College at Amritsar in 1907, he entered the Sikh school system in Lyallpur, becoming a high school teacher, or “master,” a title associated with him thereafter.

A devout worker for the cause of Sikh religious and political integrity, Tara Singh often found himself in opposition to civil authority. He was jailed for civil disobedience 14 times between 1930 and 1966. In 1930 he became deeply involved with the civil disobedience (satyagraha) movement of Mohandas K. Gandhi and was a leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD; Supreme Akali Party), the principal Sikh political organization, and of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (Supreme Committee of Temple Management), which oversees the gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). He was best known as an agitator for a Punjabi-speaking state as a means of keeping Sikh religious and political traditions intact.

In 1961, Tara Singh declared that he would fast until the Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, ceded a portion of the Punjab as a Sikh state or until death claimed him. He began his fast in August at the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar, but Nehru responded that submission to Tara Singh’s demands would be against India’s secular constitution and unfair to the Hindus in Punjab. After a personal letter from Nehru promising to investigate Sikh claims, Tara Singh broke his 48-day fast, incurring the wrath of the Sikh people. Tara Singh was brought to trial before a council of pijaras (Sikh religious leaders) and pleaded guilty. His failure to starve to death in defence of his ideals had discredited him as a leader of the SAD, and Sant Fateh Singh was elected in his place. Tara Singh’s dream of a Punjabi-speaking state was realized in 1966, when the Indian state of Punjab was divided and the Hindi-speaking portion of it was created as the separate state of Haryana.

 

Balaji Baji Rao's Death Anniversary

 

Balaji Baji Rao, often referred to as Nana Saheb I, passed away on 23 June 1761, aged 40, at Parvati Hill, Pune, Maratha Confederacy (modern day Maharashtra, India). He was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, Peshwa Bajirao I. 

During his tenure, the Chhatrapati (Maratha Emperor) was a mere figurehead. At the same time, the Maratha empire started transforming into a confederacy, in which individual chiefs—such as the Holkars, the Scindias and the Bhonsles of Nagpur kingdom — became more powerful. During Balaji Rao's tenure, the Maratha territory reached its zenith. A large part of this expansion, however, was led by the individual chiefs of the Maratha Empire.

Balaji Bajirao's administration worked with his cousin Sadashivrao Bhau, introducing new legislative and financial systems in the state. Under his leadership, the borders of the Maratha Empire expanded to Peshawar in present-day Pakistan, Srirangapatna in Karnataka, and Medinipur in West Bengal. Nanasaheb built canals, bridges, temples and lodges for travellers in the capital city of Pune and in other parts of the Maratha Empire. In his twenty-year reign as the Peshwa, Nanasaheb subdued three major powers under his tenure, viz. Mughals in the North, the Nizam in the South and the Bengal Sultanate. Along with that he also weakened the Afghan control over Punjab, stopped their repeated invasions on the imperial capital of Delhi, subdued the Rajputs and Rohillas and neutralized the state of Oudh.

Giuseppe Mazzini's Birth Anniversary

Giuseppe Mazzini, born on 22 June 1805, was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Ital (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century. An Italian nationalist in the historical radical tradition and a proponent of a republicanism of socio-democratic inspiration, Mazzini helped define the modern European movement for popular democratic in a republican state.

Mazzini's thoughts had a very considerable influence on the Italian and European republican movements, in the Constitution of Italy, about Europeanism and more nuanced on many politicians of a later period, among them American president Woodrow Wilson, British prime minister David Lloyd George, Mahatma Gandhi, Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indian independence activist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar's Death Anniversary

 

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, also known by his moniker Doctorji, who passed away on 21 June 1940, aged 51, in Nagpur, was an Indian physician who founded the Hindutva paramilitary organization, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur in 1925.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was part of the movement against British rule and as a response to rioting between Hindus and Muslims.

Hedgewar was heavily influenced by the writings of the Hindu nationalist ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and adopted much of his rhetoric concerning the need for the creation of a “Hindu nation.” Hedgewar formed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a disciplined cadre consisting mostly of upper-caste Brahmins who were dedicated to independence and the protection of Hindu political, cultural, and religious interests. 

World Wi-Fi Day

 

World Wi-Fi Day is celebrated on June 20th each year. It's a global initiative by the Wireless Broadband Alliance to highlight the importance of Wi-Fi and bridge the digital divide. The day aims to connect the unconnected and recognize the contributions of those working to improve internet access. 

Here's a bit more detail:

Purpose:

World Wi-Fi Day focuses on the role of Wi-Fi in connecting people and promoting social mobility, computer literacy, and educational opportunities. 

Organizer:

The Wireless Broadband Alliance, under the leadership of the Connected Communities Forum, organizes World Wi-Fi Day. 

Digital Divide:

The initiative aims to address the growing digital divide, where many people lack access to reliable internet. 

Global Impact:

The day recognizes efforts to connect people in both developed and developing countries. 

How to Participate:

People can get involved by sharing information about World Wi-Fi Day on social media using the hashtag #worldwifiday and by downloading and using the "I Love Wi-Fi" campaign materials. 

World Productivity Day

World Productivity Day is celebrated on 20 June every year. The day is dedicated to honouring and celebrating productivity, and it's an opportunity to reflect on how we can improve our daily lives to be more productive.

Do you find it hard to stay productive and efficient in your daily life and work? If so, you're not alone. With so much constant demands, it can be tough to strike a balance between work and leisure time.

World Productivity Day is a reminder to individuals and organizations to reflect on their efficiency, effectiveness, and overall productivity. It is a crucial day to take stock of your progress and identify areas where you can improve.

World Productivity Day: History & Significance

The word productivity has a long history of being associated with economics and the corporate world. It's now a boxed-up understanding of the term, with many people defining it as "efficiency, purely in dictionary terms." However, productivity has a broader and more holistic meaning. It's about making informed choices, the art of balancing professional and personal goals, and finding ways to live a more fulfilling and productive life.

No matter how you choose to celebrate, World Productivity Day is a reminder of the importance of productivity in our daily lives. It's a day to reflect on our progress and to renew our commitment to creating a more productive and fulfilling life for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

International Tennis Day

 

International Tennis Day is an annual celebration on 20 June to raise the profile and catalyze interest in the game of tennis—real tennis, court tennis, jeu de paume. Founded in 2014, International Tennis Day is funded by the U.S. Court Tennis Preservation Foundation, directed by the U.S. Court Tennis Association and supported by all the other national tennis governing bodies and associations in the world. The aim is to motivate current players and to mobilize new ones who have not played tennis before.

June 20 was chosen for the celebration of International Tennis Day as it falls on the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath, taken on 20 June 1789 by nearly 600 people at a tennis court near the Palace of Versailles. The Tennis Oath was a pivotal event at the start of the French Revolution. Jacques-Louis David’s iconic 1791 painting “Le Serment du Jeu de Paume” is perhaps the most famous image of a tennis court. To celebrate the painting and its communal message of hope and change, International Tennis Day was started on 20 June in 2014.