05 March - Alessandro Volta death anniversary

 

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta ( 18 February 1745 – 5 March 1827) was an Italian physicist and chemist who was a pioneer of electricity and power who is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He invented the voltaic pile in 1799, and reported the results of his experiments in 1800 in a two-part letter to the president of the Royal Society.With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debunked the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement and led others to conduct similar experiments, which eventually led to the development of the field of electrochemistry.

05 March - Gangubai Hangal born in 1913

 

Gangubai Hangal (5 March 1913 – 21 July 2009) was an Indian singer of the khayal genre of Hindustani classical music from Karnataka, who was known for her deep and powerful voice.Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana

Hangal's mother's family was considered to be of low social status and for women of her generation singing was not considered appropriate employment; Hangal struggled against this prejudice and made a career.She performed all over India and for All India Radio stations until 1945. Hangal had initially performed light classical genres, including bhajan and thumri, but concentrated on khyal.Later, however, she refused to sing light classical, saying she sang only ragas.Hangal served as honorary music professor of the Karnataka University.She gave her last concert in March 2006 to mark her 75th career year.
Gangubai died on July 21 in 2009. The Karnataka state government declared two days of mourning for Hangal.A state funeral was announced for 22 July in Hubli by the district commissioner of the Dharwad district.

In September 2014, a postage stamp featuring Hangal was released by India Post commemorating her contributions to Hindustani music
   

05 March - Sant Dnyaneshwar commemorative postage stamp released

 

A commemorative postage stamp on Dnyaneshwar, a 13th century Marathi saint-poet, authored Dnyaneshwari, the first book to translate Bhagavad Gita from Sanskrit to Marathi language : Issued by India Issued on Mar 5, 1997 Design : The commemorative postage stamp in honour of Saint Dnyaneshwar, has been designed by I.S.P. Nashik, on the basis of artwork provided by Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan Committee.

Sant Dnyaneshwar also referred to as Jnaneshwar, Jnanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296),as a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath Shaiva and Varkari tradition. In his short life of 21 years, he authored Dnyaneshwari (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita) and Amrutanubhav.These are the oldest surviving literary works in the Marathi language, and considered to be milestones in Marathi literature.Sant Dnyaneshwar's ideas reflect the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta philosophy and an emphasis on Yoga and bhakti towards Vithoba, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.[6] His legacy inspired saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram, and he is one of the founders of the Varkari (Vithoba-Krishna) Bhakti movement tradition of Hinduism in Maharashtra.Dnyaneshwar undertook samadhi at Alandi in 1296 by entombing himself in an underground chamber.

04 March - Geological Survey of India formed in 1851

 

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey in India after Survey of India (founded in 1767), for conducting geological surveys and studies of India, and also as the prime provider of basic earth science information to government, industry and general public, as well as the official participant in steel, coal, metals, cement, power industries and international geoscientific forums.

04 March - First Asian Games 4 to 11 March 1951

 

The 1951 Asian Games officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad. A total of 489 athletes representing 11 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 57 events from eight sports and discipline. The Games was the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the revival of the Western Asiatic Games. The 1951 Asiad were originally scheduled to be held in 1950, but postponed until 1951 due to delays in preparations. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Games Federation was formally established in Delhi, with Delhi unanimously announced as the first host city of the Asian Games.

04 March - Shyam Lal Gupta composed the song Raising the Flag In 1924.

 

Shyamlal Gupta, popularly known by his pen name Parshad, (9 September 1896 – 10 August 1977) was an Indian poet and lyricist. A song written by him which featured in the 1948 Hindi film, Azadi Ki Raah Par, (sung by Sarojini Naidu), has been accepted as the flag song of India and is sung every year during the flag hoisting ceremony at the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.He was the recipient of the fourth highest civilian award (Padma Shri) in 1969. In 1997, the Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor.

The song was originally written by Gupta in March 1924 as a patriotic poem and was released by Khanna Press in Kanpur, The poem sold over 5000 copies.The Indian National Congress adopted the song as the official flag song in 1924 and it was first sung at the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs' Day on 13 April 1924 at Phool Bagh in Kanpur, a function attended by Jawaharlal Nehru.In 1938, Sarojini Naidu presented the song at the Haripura Session of the Indian National Congress in the presence of freedom leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Govind Vallabh Pant, Jamnalal Bajaj, Mahadev Desai, and Purushottam Das Tandon.A decade later, the song was featured in the film, Azadi ki Raah Par, released in 1948.The film was directed by Lalit Chandra Mehta,and had Prithviraj Kapoor and Vanamala Pawarin the lead roles.The song, composed by Shekhar Kalyan and sung by Sarojini Naidu,is reported to have instilled a sense of patriotism among Indians during the pre-independence period. It is sung every year during the flag hoisting ceremony at the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.

The song in Hindi:

विजयी विश्व तिरंगा प्यारा, झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा।

सदा शक्ति बरसाने वाला, प्रेम सुधा सरसाने वाला। वीरों को हर्षाने वाला, मातृ भूमि का तन मन सारा।। झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा ...

स्वतंत्रता के भीषण रण में, रख कर जोश बढ़े क्षण-क्षण में। काँपे शत्रु देखकर मन में, मिट जाये भय संकट सारा।। झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा ...

इस झँडे के नीचे निर्भय, हो स्वराज जनता का निश्चय। बोलो भारत माता की जय, स्वतंत्रता ही ध्येय हमारा।। झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा ...

आओ प्यारे वीरों आओ, देश धर्म पर बलि-बलि जाओ। एक साथ सब मिल कर गाओ, प्यारा भारत देश हमारा।। झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा ...

शान न इसकी जाने पाये, चाहे जान भले ही जाये। विश्व विजयी कर के दिखलाएं, तब हो ये प्रण पूर्ण हमारा।। झण्डा ऊँचा रहे हमारा ...

03 March - Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee born 1962

 

Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time. She is on the board of directors for USA Track & Field (U.S.A.T.F.), the national governing body of the sport.

Joyner-Kersee is an active philanthropist in children's education, racial equality and women's rights.[3] She is a founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which encourages young people in East St. Louis to pursue athletics and academics.She collaborated with Comcast to create the Internet Essentials program in 2011, which provides high-speed internet access to low-income Americans.

Joyner-Kersee is one of the most famous athletes to have overcome severe asthma.

03 March - Hinamatsuri (Doll's Day or Girls' Day)

 

Hinamatsuri (雛祭り), also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a religious (Shinto) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3 March of each year.Platforms covered with a red carpet–material are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形, hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

03 March - World Hearing Day

 

World Hearing Day is a campaign held each year by Office of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness of the World Health Organization (WHO). Activities take place across the globe and an event is hosted at the World Health Organization on March 3. The campaign's objectives are to share information and promote actions towards the prevention of hearing loss and improved hearing care. The first event was held in 2007. Before 2016 it was known as International Ear Care Day. Each year, the WHO selects a theme, develops educational materials, and makes these freely available in several languages. It also coordinates and reports on events around the globe. Individuals and communities involved in hearing care are encouraged to organize activities to raise awareness about the importance of ear and hearing care and encourage them to seek services.

The theme for 2023 and subsequent years is "Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality". Not only will World Hearing Day 2023 highlight the importance of integrating ear and hearing care within primary care, as an essential component of universal health coverage but also provide tools for that integration or expansion of services. A a new training manual "Primary ear and hearing care training manual for health workers and general practitioners" is scheduled for released on March 3rd 2023, and it will be accompanied with trainer’s handbook and other community resources.

03 March - Florida admitted as the 27th state of USA

 

Florida is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico; Alabama to the northwest; Georgia to the north; the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean to the east; and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, it is the third-most populous. Florida's largest metro area is the Miami metropolitan area, anchored by the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, though its single largest city proper is Jacksonville. Florida's other large population centers include Tampa Bay, Orlando, Cape Coral, and the state capital of Tallahassee.

It was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. Florida was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the Indian Wars in U.S. history.