On this Day in History

‘Naan oru thadava sonna, nooru thadava sonna maadiri’ (‘If I say something once, it’s like I’ve said it a hundred times’). When Rajinikanth said these words in the 1994 Tamil film Baasha, his fans were ecstatic, and another chapter was added to the ‘Rajini’ phenomenon. The country’s highest-paid actor who rose from a very ordinary background to become one of... Read More →

“I have seen vast, perhaps unbelievable, changes during the journey that has brought me from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi. I was a boy when Bengal was savaged by a famine that killed millions; the misery and sorrow is still not lost on me. We have achieved much . .... Read More →

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India and founder of the Swatantra Party — the first political party in India to openly espouse market-friendly economic policies — was born on December 10, 1878, in Thorapalli village in the Madras Presidency. Known as ‘Rajaji’ to friends, family and admirers, he was a writer, politician, lawyer and minister, played an active role... Read More →

Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader and widow of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was born on December 9, 1946, in Italy’s Màini district in a village called Lusiana. Her father, Stefano Maino, was in the housing business in Orbassano, the town where Sonia grew up. She went toEnglandin 1964 and enrolled at an English language school inCambridgecity. While she was working... Read More →

One of India’s most popular and versatile actors, Dharmendra was born inPunjabon December 8, 1935, and spent most of his childhood in Sahnewal village. His father, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol, was a school headmaster.   After completing his college education, Dharmendra won the ‘New Talent’ contest conducted by Filmfare magazine and, like many other star-struck youngsters of his generation, arrived... Read More →

Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, was born as Shantilal Patel on December 7, 1921, inGujarat’s Chansad village to Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel. Shantilal’s parents were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj and part of the Akshar Purushottam religious order. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) describes itself as a “socio-spiritual Hindu organisation with its roots in... Read More →

The 16th century Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, an event that polarised India and led to communal riots in many parts of the country. Many Hindus consider Ayodhya to be the holy city where Lord Ram was born. In 1528 one of Mughal emperor Babur’s generals erected a mosque that came to... Read More →

An Indian nationalist, spiritual leader and philosopher, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872, to Krishna Dhan, a senior medical officer, and Swarnalata Devi, who came from a Brahmo family. When he was around five years old, Sri Aurobindo along with his two brothers was sent to Darjeeling’s Loreto Convent School. In 1879, the three brothers... Read More →

Ramaswamy Venkataraman, the eight President of India, was born on December 4, 1910, in Rajamadam village in present-day Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. He secured a degree in economics from Loyola College, Madras, and later studied law. He practised law and got involved with the Indian National Congress and the freedom movement. He participated in the Quit India Movement in... Read More →

The 1971 India-Pakistan War, which ended in the formation of a new country, Bangladesh, began on December 3. The war followed months of fighting between the West Pakistan army and Bangladesh liberation forces. In 1967, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, who had announced a six-point programme for provincial autonomy for East Pakistan, and other Bengali leaders were accused of fomenting a secessionist... Read More →