27 April - Samuel Morse birth anniversary

Samuel Morse was an American inventor and painter best known for his invention of the telegraph and the Morse code, which revolutionized long-distance communication. He was born on  27 April 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and died on 02 April 1872, in New York City.

Before his invention of the telegraph, Morse was primarily known as a painter. He studied at Yale College and then pursued a career in art, studying in Europe and gaining recognition for his work. However, it was during a voyage back to the United States from Europe in 1832 that he conceived the idea of a single-wire telegraph.

Morse spent several years developing his telegraph system, and in 1844, he successfully sent the first telegraph message from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland, with the famous message "What hath God wrought." Morse's telegraph and the Morse code, a system of dots and dashes representing letters and numbers, revolutionized communication by enabling messages to be sent quickly over long distances.

Morse's invention laid the foundation for modern telecommunications and had a profound impact on global communication networks. He is remembered as one of the most influential inventors in history, and his contributions to the field of communication are celebrated worldwide.

22 April - Rai Bahadur Sir Ganga Ram birth anniversary

Rai Bahadur Sir Ganga Ram CIE MVO (22 April 1851 – 10 July 1927) was an Indian civil engineer and architect. His extensive contributions to the urban fabric of Lahore, in modern Pakistan, caused Khaled Ahmed to describe him as "the father of modern Lahore".

He designed and built General Post Office, Lahore, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts (now the National College of Arts), Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore 1921, Lady Mclagan Girls High School, the chemistry department of the Government College University, the Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women), the Hailey College of Commerce (now Hailey College of Banking & Finance), Ravi Road House for the Disabled, the Ganga Ram Trust Building on "The Mall" and Lady Maynard Industrial School. He also constructed Model Town and Gulberg town, once the best localities of Lahore, the powerhouse at Renala Khurd as well as the railway track between Pathankot and Amritsar.

After the partition of Indian and Pakistan, another hospital Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi was built in 1951 in his memory.

17 April - Chandra Shekhar Singh born in 1927

Chandra Shekhar Singh (01 July 1927 – 08 July 2007) was an Indian politician who served as the eighth Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress as a stop gap arrangement to delay elections.[1] He is the first Indian Prime Minister who has never held any Government office. His government was largely seen as a "puppet" and "lame duck" and the government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.His government could not pass the budget at a crucial time when Moody had downgraded India and it further went down after the budget was not passed and global credit-rating agencies further downgraded India from investment grade making it impossible to even get short-term loans and in no position to give any commitment to reform, the World Bank and IMF stopped their assistance. Chandrasekhar had to authorise mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment and this action came in for particular criticism as it was done secretly in the midst of the election.The Indian economic crisis, 1991, and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.

05 April - Rememberence Kambar

Kambar (1180–1250 CE) (Tiruvaluntur, Thanjavur district, India) was a medieval Tamil Hindu poet and the author of the Ramavataram, popularly known as Kambaramayanam, Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.

Kambar also authored other literary works in Tamil, such as Thirukkai Vazhakkam, Erezhupathu, Silaiyezhupathu, Kangai Puranam, Sadagopar Anthathi and Saraswati Anthathi.

India Post issued a commemorative stamp on 05 April 1966.

03 April - Sam Manekshaw birth anniversary

Sam Manekshaw, full name Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, was a highly respected military leader who served as the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army. He was born on 03 April 1914, in Amritsar, Punjab, India, and he passed away on 27 June 2008.

Sam Manekshaw played a pivotal role in India's military history, particularly during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He served as the chief architect of India's victory in that war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. Manekshaw's strategic acumen and leadership were widely praised, and he became a national hero in India.

He was known for his straightforwardness, wit, and fearless leadership. Manekshaw was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, the highest rank in the Indian Army. Throughout his military career, he earned numerous accolades and awards for his service to the nation.

Sam Manekshaw's legacy continues to be celebrated in India, where he is remembered as one of the most distinguished military leaders in the country's history. His contributions to India's defense and his leadership during times of conflict have left an indelible mark on the nation.

Recently a movie "Sam Bahadur," a cinematic tribute to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, delves into the life of one of India's most celebrated military leaders was released in 2023

30 March - James Francis Cagney Jr. death in1986

James Francis Cagney Jr. (July 17, 1899 – March 30, 1986)was an American actor and dancer on stage and in film. Known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing, he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances.He is remembered for playing multifaceted tough guys in films such as The Public Enemy (1931), Taxi! (1932), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939) and White Heat (1949), finding himself typecast or limited by this reputation earlier in his career.He was able to negotiate dancing opportunities in his films and ended up winning the Academy Award for his role in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among its list of greatest male stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.Orson Welles described Cagney as "maybe the greatest actor who ever appeared in front of a camera".

23 March - Hemu Kalani birth anniversary

Hemu Kalani (23 March 1923 – 21 January 1943) was a Sindhi revolutionary and freedom fighter during the Indian Independence Movement. He was one of the youngest revolutionaries to be martyred for the nation's freedom struggle, being executed by the British when he was only 19, two months before his 20th birthday. He was a leader of Swaraj Sena,a student organisation

Hemu Kalani was born in Sukkur, Sindh (now in Pakistan) on 23 March 1923.He was the son of Pesumal Kalani and Jethi Bai. As a child and young man he campaigned with his friends for boycotts of foreign goods and tried to persuade people to use Swadeshi goods. He was drawn to revolutionary activities and started participating in acts of protests with the aim of driving out the British. He was involved in raids and in the burning of vehicles belonging to the Raj.

22 March - Pandit Sheel Bhadra Yajee born in 1906

Pandit Sheel Bhadra Yajee was born on 22nd March, 1906 at Bhaktiyarpur village in Patna district of Bihar.

Yajee's participation in the freedom movement began in 1928 when, as a student, he attended the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. He joined the Congress Socialist Party four years later and became involved in the Kisan movement. Later, he came in close touch with Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1939, he joined Bose to found the All India Forward Bloc. He was actively associated with the INA movement. Yajee raised his voice against caste prejudices and other social evils. He was a firm believer in the active participation of the peasants, workers and the middle classes in the struggle for the transformation of society. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 27 April 1957 to 2 April 1958, 3 April 1958 to 2 April 1964, and 3 April 1966 to 2 April 1972.

Yajee authored several books such as A Glimpse of the Indian Labour Movement, Forward Bloc and Its Stand, Is Socialism a Necessity to India, and True Face of Monopolistic American Democracy. The government of India issued a commemorative stamp on him on 28 January 2001.

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, 2012.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 sub regional organizations. International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

20 March - Homage to Avantibai

Avantibai (died 20 March 1858) is a freedom fighter and queen of what is now Dindori in Madhya Pradesh, which in her time was called Ramgarh. An opponent of the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, information concerning her is sparse and mostly comes from folklore. She is claimed as a member of the Lodhi caste and has been used as an icon in politics in the 21st century.

 

Said in folklore to be a member of the Lodhi caste,Avantibai was the queen of Vikramaditya Singh of Ramgarh estate,[2] which now lies in Dindori district, Madhya Pradesh.Upon the death of her husband in 1851, Avantibai attempted to act as regent for her son, Amar Singh, who was a minor. The British authorities did not accept this and the Court of Wards appointed an administrator to oversee his affairs.She threw the administrator out and declared war against the British.
When the revolt of 1857 broke out, Avantibai raised and led an army of 4000.[citation needed] Her first battle with the British took place in the village of Kheri near Mandla, where she and her army were able to defeat the British forces. However, stung by the defeat the British came back with vengeance and launched an attack on Ramgarh.   Avantibai moved to the hills of Devharigarh for safety. The British army set fire to Ramgarh, and turned to Devhargarh to attack the queen.
Avantibai resorted to guerilla warfare to fend of the British army.She committed suicide with her sword on 20 March 1858 when facing almost certain defeat in battle.