22 March - World Water Day

 

World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.The theme of each year focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) is released each year around World Water Day.

World Water Day is an international observance day. The intention is to inspire people around the world to learn more about water-related issues and to take action to make a difference.In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an additional focus on hand washing and hygiene.

This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. In December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water.

22 March - Ramasamy Ganesan death anniversary

 

Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005),better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films.Ganesan was one of the "three biggest names of Tamil cinema", the other two being M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan excelled in dramatic films and M. G. Ramachandran was popular as an action hero, Gemini Ganesan was known for his romantic films. A recipient of the Padma Shri in 1971, he had also won several other awards including the Kalaimamani, the MGR Gold Medal, and the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award. He was one of the few college graduates to enter the film industry then.

After a prolonged illness due to kidney failure and multiple organ failure, Gemini Ganesan died surrounded by Bobji and their daughters at his residence on 22 March 2005, 13:30 IST.

22 March - Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan death anniversary

 

Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan (01 October 1904 – 22 March 1977), popularly known as A. K. Gopalan or AKG, was an Indian communist politician. He was one of 16 Communist Party of India members elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1952. Later he became one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

22 March - Hanuman Prasad Poddar death anniversary

 

Hanuman Prasad Poddar (1892–1971) was an Indian independence activist, littérateur, magazine editor and philanthropist. He was the founding editor of the spiritual magazine, Kalyan which was published by Gita Press setup by Ghanshyam Jalan and Jay Dayal ji Goeyendka. His work in fostering pride among the people regarding India's history and philosophic tradition earned him praise from Mahatma Gandhi. He was affectionally called "Bhai Ji" or "Lovingly Brother". The Government of India issued a postage stamp in his memory in 1992.

22 March - Surya Sen was born in 1894

 

Surya Sen, also called Surya Kumar Sen (22 March 1894 – 12 January 1934), was an Indian revolutionary who was influential in the Indian independence movement against British rule in India and is best known for leading the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid.

Sen was a school teacher by profession and was popularly known as Master Da ("da" is an honorific suffix in Bengali language). He was influenced by the nationalist ideals in 1916 while he was a student of B.A. in Berhampore College (Now MES College).In 1918, he was selected as president of the Indian National Congress's Chittagong branch. Sen was known for recruiting a group of young and passionate revolutionaries known as the Chittagong group. The group included Ananta Singh, Ganesh Ghosh and Lokenath Bal, and fought against the British stationed in Chittagong.

He was an active participant in the Non-co-operation movement and was later arrested and imprisoned for 2 years from 1926 to 1928 for his revolutionary activities. A brilliant and inspirational organiser, Sen was fond of saying "Humanism is a special virtue of a revolutionary.

21 March - World Puppetry Day

 

World Puppetry Day is March 21. The idea came from the puppet theater artist Javad Zolfaghari from Iran. In 2000 at the XVIII Congress of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette, (UNIMA) in Magdeburg, he made the proposal for discussion. Two years later, at a meeting of the International Council of UNIMA in June 2002 in Atlanta, the date of the celebration was identified. The first celebration was in 2003.

Each year the day comes with a theme. In 2024, the theme was "The Climate!" encouraging puppeteers to celebrate the day using some form of that theme.

World Puppetry Day is celebrated by puppet festivals,donating to puppet organizations, making puppets, or watching a puppet show. Some communities will put on puppet shows in honor of the day reminding people of this versatile and dying art form.

Puppets have been around for almost 4000 years in almost every civilization. Today puppets come in all shapes and sizes and are used to tell different stories.

21 March - World Poetry Day

 

World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999, "with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard".Its purpose is to promote the reading, writing, publishing, and teaching of poetry throughout the world and, as the original UNESCO declaration says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional, and international poetry movements".

21 March - International Day of Forests

 

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2013.Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional and subregional organizations.International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

 

SPECIAL CANCELLATION ON SPECIAL COVER INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS ISSUED ON 21/03/2023 in India , in Pune city

21 March - Ustad "Bismillah" Khan born in 1916

 

Ustad Qamruddin "Bismillah" Khan (21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006) (born as Qamaruddin Khan) was dedicated shehnai maestro from India. The much-celebrated musician was born into the family of musicians on March 21, 1916. Ustad Bismillah won prestigious awards, such as the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan and was a popular name all over the world. He mastered the art of playing the shehnai and also had the honour of playing on the eve of Indian's independence in 1947. Even today, the annual Republic Day celebrations broadcast to the opening notes of Ustad Bismillah's music.In August 2006, Khan's health deteriorated and he was admitted to the Hospital in Varanasi. He bid adieu to the world on August 21, 2006, due to a cardiac arrest.

21 March - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

 

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws; 69 people were killed, and 180 were 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.