My Science School

            The Army, the Navy and the Air Force, three wings together known as the armed forces, defend a nation from extraneous threats. Indian Armed Forces Flag Day, celebrated on December 7, is observed to respect and cherish the services of the armed forces and to collect funds for the well-being of soldiers.

            The observance started in 1947 and ever since, the sacrifice of the men in uniform who valiantly fought on the borders to safeguard the country’s honour is remembered and appreciated. On this day, small flags are distributed to the general public across the country and the funds collected, are utilised for the welfare of defence personnel and their families.

             The Armed Forces are rendering invaluable services to our nation. The day is an opportunity to thank them and remember them in a special way.

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           December 4 is the Indian Navy Day. Indian Navy safeguards the Indian waters and coasts.

           The Naval Force or maritime force is designed to defend the nation against threats that come through the seas. The maritime history of India dates back about 6,000 years, as navigation was popular in the Indus Valley civilization.

           The Maurya Empire, the Kalinga Empire and the Vijayanagara Empire were known maritime powers during their reign. Shivaji Bhosale of the Maratha Empire is considered the Father of the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy founded by the East India Company came into force in 1612. Today, the Indian Navy plays a great role in securing the marine borders of the country as well as enhancing the international relations of India through many ways like seaport visits, joint exercises, humanitarian missions and calamity relief. The modern Indian navy has undergone speedy renovation in order to enhance its strength in the Indian Ocean region.

           Navy Day in India is observed to honour the courageous attack by the Navy on the Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971 and pay respects to all the martyrs of that war.

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            Everyone loves to be in the company of children. Their energy, cheerfulness and innocence are infectious, and we feel like growing younger and being one among them. Children’s Day in India is celebrated on November 14, on the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

            Jawaharlal Nehru loved children. He once said, ‘I may not have time for adults, but I have enough time for children’. His Letters from a Father to his Daughter, written when he was spending time in Allahabad Jail in 1928, is a testimony to his vision for bringing up children in a warm and proactive relationship with nature. He considered children as the future of the nation. Fondly called Chachaji, Nehru worked admirably for the education, progress and welfare of the children of India.

           Children’s Day should increase awareness regarding the rights, care and education of children. The day is an occasion to remember and strive to be like the great statesman, who loved children as much as he loved his country.

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            Have you ever sent an inland letter card to someone? In the age of the Internet and social media, ordinary post has become rare; and the arrival of a card or letter would bring nostalgic memories to the receiver. The Postal service has been providing invaluable services to the Indian society for over 150 years. National Post Day is celebrated on October 10.

            India Post was founded by the British in 1854. In 1864, the postal service was handling about 4.3 crore letters and over 45 lakh newspapers annually in a vast country like India. From then onwards, the magnitude of the task has only gone up and today in an age of emails, mobile phones and faxes, the postal service has remained the largest mode of communication in India.

            The Indian postal celebration is an extension of World Post Day. It is extremely difficult to deliver postal services in India with such diversity in culture, tradition and tough geographical terrains. Yet, the Indian postal department has kept serving the nation with admirable zeal and enthusiasm.

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                A nation defends and protects itself by virtue of three military forces: the Army, Navy and Air Force. On October 8, we observe Indian Air Force Day.

                 The Indian Air Force is one of the most competent forces in the world. Fourth largest in size, the force was established on October 8, 1932. It was the British who founded the force, then known as Royal Indian Air Force. The name continued to be in use even after India gained its Independence from the British. The prefix Royal was removed from the title when our government got our own constitution and became a republic in 1950. The uniforms, badges, brevets and insignia that the Air Force has today remain more or less the same that were adopted at the establishment of the Force in 1932.

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                    Gandhi was not merely a politician to India. Had he been one, he would have legitimately claimed to be the first prime minister of the nation. He was an incredible mix of a politician and spiritual master. Gandhi’s birthday, which falls on October 2, is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti in India.

                  Gandhi commanded a moral force that not many world leaders have ever managed to possess in their life. The whole of India was at his beck and call. When he started a fast-unto-death Sathyagraha, people took to the streets in support of the cause whatever it was. When Gandhi suggested boycotting of foreign goods, the crowd heaped all of them together and burned them in the streets. For his Dandi March, thousands of people joined him against the notorious salt law. Gandhi showed the world a new path: the pat of love and protest through non-violence.

                      Gandhi was not made of common clay; rather he was the fulfillment of the needs of the time. Einstein, one of the greatest scientists the world has ever seen, rightly said of him; ‘I believe that Gandhi’s views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time’.

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                    While the rest of the world celebrates Teachers’ Day on October 5, the celebrations in India are on September 5. September 5 marks the birth of a great teacher who went on to become India’s second President: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Dr. Radhakrishnan was not only a great teacher, but also an exemplary academician, scholar and philosopher.

                        Dr. Radhakrishnan was appreciated greatly by his students and colleagues. When he was the President, his students requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday on a grand scale, and he said that he would be glad if they celebrated the day as Teachers’ Day. Thus, September 5 was dedicated to the teachers since 1962.

                         Schools across the country come up with various activities to celebrate the special day. Students take up the role of the teacher and engage classes that day. Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to remind society of the importance of teachers in the formation of individuals in society.

Do you like to run, jump or skip and hold a contest with your friends about them? Sports not only entertain us, but also discipline our mind and body. The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29, the birthday of one of the greatest sportspersons India has ever produced, Dhyan Chand.

                                                Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the sport. Known for his extraordinary skill in scoring goals, Dhyan was instrumental in winning three Olympic gold medals for India in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era when India dominated the field hockey. National Sports Day, therefore, is observed each year to celebrate his spirit and to promote sporting activities in the country.

                                                Celebrating sports is to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and respect. The chief purpose of the National Sports day is to raise awareness about the significance of sports and bring to the attention of people its advantages on the human body and society in general.

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Do you like to run, jump or skip and hold a contest with your friends about them? Sports not only entertain us, but also discipline our mind and body. The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29, the birthday of one of the greatest sportspersons India has ever produced, Dhyan Chand.

                                                Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the sport. Known for his extraordinary skill in scoring goals, Dhyan was instrumental in winning three Olympic gold medals for India in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era when India dominated the field hockey. National Sports Day, therefore, is observed each year to celebrate his spirit and to promote sporting activities in the country.

                                                Celebrating sports is to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and respect. The chief purpose of the National Sports day is to raise awareness about the significance of sports and bring to the attention of people its advantages on the human body and society in general.

Picture Credit : Google

August 15 is the most important day for our nation because that is when we achieved our independence from British imperialists. One of the three national holidays in the country, August 15 celebrates our commitment to sovereignty and the sacrifices of the freedom fighters.

                                                The long years of slavery under the British rule saw India, a cultural powerhouse in the 17th and 18th centuries, declining in wealth and resources. The national independence movements in India chiefly led by Mahatma Gandhi and aided by the crumbling economy of Great Britain because of the two World Wars, achieved India’s freedom in 1947. The path to India’s political independence involved much violence and sacrifice, though. Thousands of people became victims British brutality. The partition that saw the formation of India and Pakistan was a violent process too.

                                                Indian Independence day presents each Indian with a host of duties and responsibilities towards maintaining the freedom that our ancestors achieved with commitment and tireless efforts.

Picture Credit : Google

August 15 is the most important day for our nation because that is when we achieved our independence from British imperialists. One of the three national holidays in the country, August 15 celebrates our commitment to sovereignty and the sacrifices of the freedom fighters.

                                                The long years of slavery under the British rule saw India, a cultural powerhouse in the 17th and 18th centuries, declining in wealth and resources. The national independence movements in India chiefly led by Mahatma Gandhi and aided by the crumbling economy of Great Britain because of the two World Wars, achieved India’s freedom in 1947. The path to India’s political independence involved much violence and sacrifice, though. Thousands of people became victims British brutality. The partition that saw the formation of India and Pakistan was a violent process too.

                                                Indian Independence day presents each Indian with a host of duties and responsibilities towards maintaining the freedom that our ancestors achieved with commitment and tireless efforts.

Picture Credit : Google

                                                The nation celebrates the Quit India Day on August 8 to remember the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942. The movement was designed to inspire Indians to wrest freedom from the British imperialists.

                                                The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement, was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for independence. There were mass protests against the British following its launch.

                                                However, the people remained non-violent. Gandhi proclaimed that any Indian who desires to be free and is ready to work towards liberty must be his/her own guide.

                                                Leaders across the country made passionate speeches urging people to rise against the British. Around 14,000 people were arrested and hundreds of people were killed in the violence.

                                                Most Indian National Congress leaders, including Gandhi, were put in prison. The movement accelerated the transition of power and the British passage from India.

                                                While the Quit India Day celebrations should fill us with proud memories, the day should also make us feel responsible for building the India that freedom fighters had once envisioned.

Picture Credit : Google

                                                The nation celebrates the Quit India Day on August 8 to remember the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942. The movement was designed to inspire Indians to wrest freedom from the British imperialists.

                                                The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement, was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for independence. There were mass protests against the British following its launch.

                                                However, the people remained non-violent. Gandhi proclaimed that any Indian who desires to be free and is ready to work towards liberty must be his/her own guide.

                                                Leaders across the country made passionate speeches urging people to rise against the British. Around 14,000 people were arrested and hundreds of people were killed in the violence.

                                                Most Indian National Congress leaders, including Gandhi, were put in prison. The movement accelerated the transition of power and the British passage from India.

                                                While the Quit India Day celebrations should fill us with proud memories, the day should also make us feel responsible for building the India that freedom fighters had once envisioned.

Picture Credit : Google

                                                Who won the first and only Nobel Prize for Literature from India? We all know it is none other than Rabindranath Tagore. Gitanjali, Tagore’s collection of poems, was a ‘work of a supreme culture’ as William Butler Yeats remarked in his introduction to the work. On May 7, his birthday, the nation celebrates Rabindra Jayanti.

                                                Tagore was a multifaceted genius. While his poetry inspired young men of India and abroad, his songs are renowned too. The genre of music that he propagated is known as Rabindra Sangeet. He is also the author of the national anthems of three countries: India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

                                                Rabindranath Tagore is not just another poet of India; he epitomizes Indian culture, nationalism and transnationalism. Therefore, Rabindra Jayanti is an occasion to remind ourselves to uphold the ideals he represented.

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                                                In 1886, labourers in Chicago had declared a general strike starting from May 1 in order to limit the working hours to 8 hours a day. In the commotion that ensued, police fired at the workers and killed eight of them. The event created further ripples in the society as riots broke out and the police and the military killed more civilians. In 1891, the anniversary of the Chicago protests was observed as the International Workers’ Day for the first time. The day is also known as May Day.

                                                In India, the day has another significance too. In 1923, a prominent Communist leader Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar raised the red flag in Chennai on May 1 and inaugurated communism in India. That was also the event when May Day celebrations were introduced in our country. May Day symbolizes the strength in union and fraternity and it tells the world that labourers who build the world are to be respected and their rights, protected.

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