04 April - Sagarmal Gopa death anniversary

 

Sagarmal Gopa, passed away on 4 April 1946, was a freedom fighter and patriot from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. His father Akhairaj gopa was a courtier in Maharawal Jawahar Singh's court. Sagarmal Gopa had recorded the atrocities of Jawahar Singh, the contemporary ruler of Jaisalmer, in his book "Jaisalmer ka Gundaraj", after which the enmity between Jawahar Singh and Sagarmal Gopa increased. He took active part in the Non-cooperation movement in 1921. He opposed anti-people policies of then rulers of Jaisalmer. He was expelled from Jaisalmer and Hyderabad. Even in exile he continued to work for freedom movement. After his father's death in 1941, on his return to Jaisalmer he was arrested on 25 May 1941. Sagermal gopa tortured in prison for years. He was burnt to death in the prison on 4 April 1946. "Gopal Swaroop Pathak commission" was formed to investigate the murder of Sagarmal Gopa, which under the influence of Jawahar Singh, declared this murder as suicide. 3 books were written by gopa
1) aajadi ke diwane
2) jaisalmer ka gundaraj
3) raghunath singh ka mukadma.

04 April - Mahavir Jayanti 2023

 

Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most significant festivals among the Jain community and is celebrated across the world. In 2023, Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated on the 4th of April. As per Jain religious scripts, Lord Mahavira took birth on the 13th day on Chaitra month (Hindu calendar)  in Bihar, a few kilometres from Patna.
When  he was 30, he left his throne and family in search of truth. He lived in exile for 12 years as an ascetic. During this time, he preached non-violence treated all everyone with reverence. He got his name "Mahavira" after showing exceptional skills in controlling the senses, It is widely belied that when Mahavira was 72, he attained enlightenment (Nirvana).

03 April - The first cell phone call ever in 1973

 

On April 3, 1973, an engineer named Martin Cooper stood nervously along a busy midtown Manhattan street, about to make a phone call. It was a call that would change life as we know it: The first cell phone call ever. 

The phone Cooper used that day — a prototype — was a bulky, 2-pound monster that looked a bit like a shoe with an antenna sticking out of the top. In the half-a-century since, this technology has changed more about the way we communicate and connect than Cooper could’ve ever imagined.

03 April - The Central Bureau of Investigation Postage stamp issued 2023

 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India.It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmental corruption, in 1965 it received expanded jurisdiction to investigate breaches of central laws enforceable by the Government of India, multi-state organised crime, multi-agency or international cases.The CBI has attracted numerous controversies and criticisms due to various reports of irregular practises, excessive political influence, and a poor conviction rate.CBI is exempted from the provisions of the Right to Information Act.CBI is India's officially designated single point of contact for liaison with the Interpol.

The CBI headquarter is located in CGO Complex, near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and confered the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Gold Medal for Best Investigating Officers of the agency.

 

03 April - Marlon Brando Jr. born in 1924

 

Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century,he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Cannes Film Festival Award and three British Academy Film Awards. Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements. Having studied with Stella Adler in the 1940s, he is credited with being one of the first actors to bring the Stanislavski system of acting, and method acting, to mainstream audiences. 

03 April - John Harrison birth anniversary

 

 

John Harrison (03 April 1693 – 24 March 1776) was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea.

Harrison's solution revolutionized navigation and greatly increased the safety of long-distance sea travel. The problem he solved had been considered so important following the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 that the British Parliament was offering financial rewards of up to £20,000 (equivalent to £3.35 million in 2023) under the 1714 Longitude Act,though Harrison was never fully able to receive these rewards due to political rivalries.

Harrison presented his first design in 1730, and worked over many years on improved designs, making several advances in time-keeping technology, finally turning to what were called sea watches. Harrison gained support from the Longitude Board in building and testing his designs. Toward the end of his life, he received recognition and a reward from Parliament.

03 April - Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay birth anniversary

 

 

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay ( 03 April 1903 – 29 October 1988) was an Indian social reformer and freedom activist. She was most remembered for her contribution to the Indian independence movement; for being the driving force behind the renaissance of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and theatre in independent India; and for upliftment of the socio-economic standard of Indian women by pioneering the co-operation. She is the first lady in India to stand in elections from Madras Constituency although she lost in the elections but she pioneered the path for the women in India.

Several cultural institutions in India today exist because of her vision, including the National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the Crafts Council of India. She stressed the significant role which handicrafts and cooperative grassroot movements play in the social and economic upliftment of the Indian people. To this end she withstood great opposition both before and after independence from the power centres.

In 1974, she was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by the Sangeet Natak Academy, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.She was conferred with Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan by Government of India in 1955 and 1987 respectively. She is known as Hatkargha Maa for her works in handloom sector. 

03 April - Shivaji Maharaj death anniversary

 

Shivaji (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), an Indian Warrior and the scion of Bhosle Maratha clam. He is credited with the genesis of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. He died on 3 April 1680.

Over the course of his life, Shivaji engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the Sultanate of Golkonda, Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers. Shivaji's military forces expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy. Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil rule with well-structured administrative organisations. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of the Marathi and Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian in court and administration.

Shivaji's legacy was to vary by observer and time, but nearly two centuries after his death, he began to take on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus.
 

02 April - Death anniversary of Ranjitsinhji

 

 

Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933),often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Maharaja Jam Saheb, and a noted Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team.He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, and county cricket for Sussex.

Ranji has widely been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era.Neville Cardus described him as "the Midsummer night's dream of cricket". Unorthodox in technique and with fast reactions, he brought a new style to batting and revolutionised the game.Previously, batsmen had generally pushed forward; Ranji took advantage of the improving quality of pitches in his era and played more on the back foot, both in defence and attack. He is particularly associated with one shot, the leg glance, which he invented or popularised. The first-class cricket tournament in India, the Ranji Trophy, was named in his honour and inaugurated in 1935 by the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. His nephew Duleepsinhji followed Ranji's path as a batsman playing first-class cricket in England and for the England cricket team.

Away from cricket, Ranji became Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar in 1907. He was later Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes, and represented India at the League of Nations.

Ranjitsinhji died of heart failure on 2 April 1933 after a short illness.

02 April - International Children’s Book Day

 

International Children’s Book Day is celebrated on April 2 annually. For centuries the importance of reading has been taught in schools. Still, International Children’s Book Day brings awareness to reading and how essential it is in molding the young minds of the future. Books provide kids with a sense of escapism from their mundane realities or their difficult circumstances and allow them to discover stories on their own terms in a language they understand. Next time you don’t know what to get your little niece or nephew, buy them a book that meant something to you when you were growing up, and share the adventure.

One of the greatest joys in life is gifting a child a book and watching them discover the magical world of reading. This is something that has been celebrated through International Children’s Book Day since April 2, 1967, which is also known as the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author famous for his fairy tales that include “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Thumbelina.”

The sponsor country for International Children’s Book Day 2023 is Latvia, and the well-known Latvian author and poet Inese Zandere has been chosen to write the message to the children.

The theme of this year’s event is ‘the small is big in a book’.