04 April - World Rat Day

 Rats have been around for over 50 million years, and it may surprise you to learn that they haven’t always had a bad reputation! In fact, the Chinese zodiac honors the humble rat as the first animal in the twelve-year cycle and associates those born in the year of the rat with various positive personality traits, including optimism, intelligence and diligence.

Generally speaking, however, rats have had it pretty tough over the years. The Hindu god Ganesha is frequently depicted riding a rat and believers usually ascribe it negative connotations, with the little critter viewed as a symbol of selfish desires and destructive habits that Ganesha can help us overcome.

World Rat Day was founded in 2002 by a group of pet rat enthusiasts who wanted to challenge the stigma surrounding these creatures and give them the celebration they truly deserve. The day aims to shed a positive light on these animals and promote their care and welfare.

In India there is a temple in Rajasthan state known as Karni Mata Temple of Deshnoke. It is a prominent Hindu temple dedicated to Karni Mata at the town of Deshnoke, located 30 km south of Bikaner, in Rajasthan. It has become the most important pilgrimage site for devotees of Charani sagatis after access to Hinglaj was restricted following the partition of India. The temple is also a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims and is renowned, both in India and internationally, mistakenly as the “Temple of Rats” due to the numerous black rats (Rattus rattus) known as kābā which are considered holy and treated with utmost care by the devotees but the temple actually belongs to the deity Karni Mata and hence the name "Karni Mata Temple". This is sometimes upheld as exemplary of an "environmentally conscious Hindu ethos". The temple draws visitors from across the country for blessings, as well as curious tourists from around the world.

 

 

04 April - International Carrot Day

 

International Carrot Day, itself, was established in 2003 and it has spread throughout the world to all the places the carrot is known. By 2012. International Carrot Day Celebrations had found their way around the globe to several countries on different continents, including France, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom.   

As previously mentioned, there are multiple varieties of this popular vegetable, known as cultivars, that range away from the traditional orange color people typically think of.

The history of International Carrot Day is really the history of the carrot, and research of this incredibly popular root has revealed that it likely finds its origins in Central Asia. Through thousands of years of careful cultivation, the world has ultimately arrived at the bright orange, slightly sweet, not at all bitter variety of carrot that is regularly found in recipes today!

Due to the carrot’s longevity when stored in the refrigerator, it often makes appearances in dishes for all seasons, from spring to autumn to winter. Carrots are also among the vegetables that can be eaten raw and fresh, with only a little scrub under cool water as preparation. When raw, the crunch of a carrot can be heard from many feet away. Carrots can be served as a sweet treat in carrot cake, or as a savory accompaniment to meats such as salmon and chicken. 

04 April - Jhalkaribai death anniversary

 

Jhalkaribai, passed away on 4 April 1858, was a woman soldier who played an important role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She served in the women's army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. She eventually rose to a position of a prominent advisor to the queen, Rani of Jhansi herself. At the height of the Siege of Jhansi, she disguised herself as the Queen and fought on her behalf, on the front, allowing the Queen to escape safely out of the fort.

04 April - Microsoft was founded

 

Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by Windows. The company's 1986 initial public offering (IPO), and subsequent rise in its share price, created three billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires among Microsoft employees. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions, their largest being the acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in December 2016,followed by their acquisition of Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion in May 2011.

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft's best-known software products are the Windows line of operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface lineup of touchscreen personal computers. Microsoft ranked No. 14 in the 2022 Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue;[2] it was the world's largest software maker by revenue as of 2022. It is considered as one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet (parent company of Google), Amazon, Apple, and Meta (formerly Facebook).

04 April - Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated

 

On 4 April 1968, US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. A Black church leader and a son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi, he led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination in the United States.

04 April - Makhanlal Chaturvedi born in 1889

 

Makhanlal Chaturvedi ( 04 April 1889 – 30 January 1968) was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, and journalist. He was a prominent figure in Hindi literature and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Here are some key aspects of Makhanlal Chaturvedi's life and contributions:

1. Early Life: Makhanlal Chaturvedi was born in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, India.

2. Education: He studied at Victoria College in Gwalior and later at Morris College in Nagpur. He excelled in academics and showed an early interest in literature.

3. Journalism: Chaturvedi was actively involved in journalism and became the editor of various Hindi newspapers, including Prabha and Karmaveer. He used his platform to advocate for independence and social issues.

4. Literary Contributions: He was a prolific writer and poet in Hindi. Some of his notable works include the poetry collection "Himalaya," which earned him recognition for its patriotic and inspirational themes.

5. Freedom Movement: Makhanlal Chaturvedi actively participated in the Indian independence movement. He was imprisoned several times for his involvement in the struggle for freedom.

6. Awards: He was posthumously awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his epic poem "Yug Charan" in 1956.

7. Legacy: Makhanlal Chaturvedi's contributions to Hindi literature and his involvement in the freedom movement have left a lasting impact. The Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, is named in his honor. The university is dedicated to the study and promotion of journalism and communication.

Makhanlal Chaturvedi is remembered as a literary figure who used his pen to inspire and contribute to the cultural and social fabric of India during a critical period in its history.

04 April - Tallapaka Annamacharya passed away in 1503

 

Tallapaka Annamacharya (also popularly known as Annamayya)(22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was a 15th-century Hindu saint and the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the Lord Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu.He is the first known composer in carnatic music. The most famous composers of Carnatic music like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa also came after him. The musical form of the keertana songs that he composed, which are still popular among Carnatic music concert artists,have strongly influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions.Annamacharya is remembered for his saintly life, and is honoured as a great devotee of Vishnu by devotees and saintly singers.

He is believed to have been the creator avatar of Nandaka, the sword of Vishnu. He is widely regarded as the Andhra Pada kavitā Pitāmaha (Grandfather of Telugu song-writing).

04 April - Bābā Farīd born in 1179

 

Bābā Farīd, born on 4 April 1179, was a 12th-century Punjabi Muslim preacher and mystic. who went on to become "one of the most revered and distinguished ... Muslim mystics" of the medieval period.

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).