07 September - Krishna Janmashtami 2023

Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Gokulashtami, is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. This festival is observed on the Ashtami (eighth day) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, which typically falls in August or September.

The festival is marked by various rituals and traditions, which vary across different regions of India:

1. Fasting and Devotion: Devotees observe a fast on Janmashtami, which is broken at midnight, the time believed to be Krishna's birth. Throughout the day, they engage in devotional singing, dancing, and prayers.

2. Dahi Handi: In some parts of India, especially in Maharashtra, the festival includes the Dahi Handi tradition, where groups of young men form human pyramids to break a pot of curd hung high above the ground. This symbolizes the playful and mischievous nature of young Krishna, who is known for stealing butter.

3. Rasa Lila: In regions like Vrindavan and Mathura, where Krishna is believed to have spent his childhood, dramatic enactments of scenes from Krishna's life, known as Rasa Lila, are performed. These plays depict various episodes from Krishna's early life, including his divine love for Radha.

4. Midnight Celebrations: Temples are beautifully decorated, and the idol of baby Krishna is placed in a cradle. At midnight, the birth moment of Krishna is celebrated with chanting, conch blowing, and ringing bells, followed by the offering of sweets and fruits to the deity.

5. Cultural Significance: Krishna Janmashtami is not only a religious observance but also a cultural celebration that highlights the importance of righteousness, love, and devotion in Hinduism.

This festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm across India and by Hindus around the world.

Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsav, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda Baba distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth.

#ShriKrishna_VS_SupremeGod

#ShriKrishna #KrishnaJanmashtami2020 #Krishna #HappyJanmashtami #krishnashtami 

10 August - Lion Day

 

Lion Day aims to raise awareness of the majestic hunter, the ultimate feline, the king of the jungle,

On #WorldLionDay, let us resolve to protect & conserve the King of Jungle so that their number increases in the country. These magnificent species are a beauty to behold. We need to also save the natural habitat of the lions to ensure their survival.

Each year on August 10, lion lover’s around the globe use this day to bring awareness to the declining population of lions. Furthermore, we suggest learning about ways to help the preservation of lion habitats, as well.

The lion species, also known as Panthera leo, is one of the largest species on earth. Typically weighing 300 to 550 pounds, the lion can vary from a light buff color to a deep reddish brown color.  Surprisingly, there is also the rare white lion found in the wild. Easily recognized by it’s thick mane, the lion is also muscular and has a loud, deafening roar.  Unfortunately, as majestic lions my seem, they are slowly disappearing.

10 August - World BioFuel Day

 

Every year 10th August is observed as World Bio-Fuel Day in a bid to create awareness about non fossil-fuels (Green Fuels), "World Biofuel Day" is observed every year on 10th August. 

Biofuels are environment friendly fuels and their utilization would address global concerns about containment of carbon emissions. Biofuels are derived from renewable bio-mass resources and, therefore, provide a strategic advantage to promote sustainable development and to supplement conventional energy sources in meeting the rapidly increasing requirements for transportation fuels associated with high economic growth, as well as in meeting the energy needs of India’s vast rural population.

Biofuels have the benefits of reducing import dependency on crude oil, cleaner environment, additional income to farmers and employment generation in rural areas. 

09 August - Vinayaka Krishna Gokak birth anniversary

Vinayaka Krishna Gokak was an eminent Indian writer, scholar, and academician, known for his contributions to literature and education in the Kannada language. He was born on 09 August 1909, in Savanur, Karnataka, and passed away on 28 April 1992.

Gokak was a prolific writer in Kannada literature, known for his poetry, plays, essays, and critiques. He played a significant role in the Navodaya movement, which aimed to bring about modernization and progress in Kannada literature. His poetry is known for its lyrical quality, social consciousness, and philosophical depth.

Gokak's notable works include "Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi," an epic poem that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of India, and "Vishwa Kannada," a collection of essays that reflects his vision for the global spread of Kannada language and culture.

Apart from his literary pursuits, Gokak had a distinguished career in academia. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore and later as the Chairman of the National Book Trust of India. He was also honored with several awards for his contributions to literature and education, including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.

Vinayaka Krishna Gokak's legacy continues to inspire writers, scholars, and students of Kannada literature, and he is remembered as one of the towering figures in the cultural and intellectual landscape of Karnataka.

08 August - International Cat Day

International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August, every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

International Cat Day is also referred to as World Cat Day in some countries and since its inception, it has been growing worldwide.While most countries now observe this unofficial holiday on August 8th, Russia celebrates National Cat Day on 1 March and the U.S. celebrate both International Cat Day and their own National Cat Day on October 29th.

International Cat Day is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them. Cat Day is another unofficial Cat Holiday observed on February 22, that originated in Japan and has become a social media sensation and is growing worldwide as people across the globe share their cat pictures and videos.

In 2020 custodianship of International Cat Day passed to International Cat Care, a not-for-profit (charitable) organisation that has been striving to improve the health and welfare of domestic cats worldwide since 1958.

For International Cat Day 2020 a coalition of NGOs, volunteers and cat professionals will be working together to spread knowledge and build understanding of the individual needs of cats. A dedicated website will host content accessible to cat lovers all over the world where they will be able to learn, get involved and celebrate cats.

#internationalcatday

#cats

#catlovers

#catsofinstagram

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cat_Day

08 August - Bhisham Sahni born in 1915

Bhisham Sahni (8 August 1915 – 11 July 2003) was an Indian writer, playwright in Hindi and an actor, most famous for his novel and television screenplay Tamas ("Darkness, Ignorance"), a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for literature in 1998,and Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2002. He was the younger brother of the noted Hindi film actor, Balraj Sahni.

08 August : 1942 The Quit India Movement

The Quit India Movement , also known as the August Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule of India

The Cripps Mission had failed, and on 8 August 1942, Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.The All-India Congress Committee launched a mass protest demanding what Gandhi called "An Orderly British Withdrawal" from India. Even though it was at war, the British were prepared to act. Almost the entire leadership of the Indian National Congress was imprisoned without trial within hours of Gandhi's speech. Most spent the rest of the war in prison and out of contact with the masses. The British had the support of the Viceroy's Council (which had a majority of Indians), of the All India Muslim League, the princely states, the Indian Imperial Police, the British Indian Army, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Indian Civil Service. Many Indian businessmen profiting from heavy wartime spending did not support the Quit India Movement. Many students paid more attention to Subhas Chandra Bose, who was in exile and supporting the Axis Powers. The only outside support came from the Americans, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressured Prime Minister Winston Churchill to give in to some of the Indian demands. The Quit India campaign was effectively crushed.The British refused to grant immediate independence, saying it could happen only after the war had ended.

25 October - Shambel Abebe Bikila death anniversary

Shambel Abebe Bikila (August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first sub-Saharan African Olympic gold medallist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he won his second gold medal. In turn, he became the first athlete to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title. In both victories, he ran in world record time.

07 August : Mata Hari birth anniversary

Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeod (7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. Despite her admitting under interrogation to taking money to work as a German spy many people still believe she was innocent because the French Army needed a scapegoat. She was executed by firing squad in France.

07 August - National Handloom Day

The National Handloom Day is observed annually on 7th of August to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight the handloom industry.

National Handloom Day seeks to highlight the contribution of handloom to the socioeconomic development of the country and increase income of the weavers.

The Union government had declared 7 the August as the National Handloom Day in July 2015 with the objective to generate awareness about the importance of handloom industry.

August 7 was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against partition of Bengal by the British Government. The movement had aimed at reviving domestic products and production processes.

The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated on 7 August 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai.

Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani tweeted “On 3rd National Handloom Day, let us pledge our support to weavers by promoting our diverse handloom sector & adopting it in our daily lives."

#NationalHandloomDay