On this Day in History

Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, the second head or Sarsanghchalak of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was born on 19 February 1906 in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family. ‘Guruji’, as he was known to his friends and followers, died on 5 June 1973. Golwalkar’s views on minority rights and Indian history are controversial — and while members of the Sangh... Read More →

Nutan, one of India’s leading film actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, was born on 4 June 1936 to Kumarsen Samarth, a filmmaker, and Shobhna Samarth, an actress-producer.   Though she appeared as a child artiste in the 1940s, Nutan’s first major role was in the 1950 film Hamari Beti when she was 14. The film was produced by her... Read More →

M. Karunanidhi, five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu and head of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), was born on 3 June 1924 in Tiruvarur to Muthuvel and Anjugam. Before he became a full-fledged politician, Karunanidhi was known as a writer of scores of stories, novels and, most significantly, screenplays. He wrote film scripts that were socialist and rationalist in theme... Read More →

Mani Ratnam, a renowned Indian film director whose work has received national and international acclaim, was born on 2 June 1956 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. His father was a producer in the South Indian film industry. Mani Ratnam completed his schooling in Chennai and later secured and MBA degree from Mumbai. His initial job was that of a management consultant.  ... Read More →

Nargis, one of the leading actresses of Indian cinema, was born as Fatima Rashid on 1 June 1929, and grew up in Bombay (now Mumbai). Her father was originally from Rawalpindi and mother, Jaddanbai, was a singer and dancer.  Fatima started acting in films when she was just six, under the adopted screen name of “Baby Nargis.” She was henceforth... Read More →

“Dear John, who asked you to die?” ~ Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Indian director, talks about his friend and contemporary John Abraham in a memoir, Cinema, Literature and Life. Tragic death at a young age can be extremely painful to loved ones. Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s simple line calling out to his friend, who died at the age of 49, in his memoir shows... Read More →

“Rituparno’s comparison is only Rituparno. Bengal has lost a golden man of golden era.” ~ Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, quoted on NDTV, 30 May 2013 Rituparno Ghosh, Indian director, writer, actor and producer, is considered among the gems of cinema personalities from Bengal. His rather untimely death on 30 May 2013 came as a shock to the... Read More →

“No national leader was identified so closely with the interests of the peasantry as Mr. Charan Singh.” ~ Editorial Comment in The Indian Express, quoted in Profiles of Indian Prime Ministers by Manisha Chaudhary Charan Singh, one of the biggest icons of ‘rural upliftment’ and agricultural reforms in the 1980s, was the fifth Prime Minister of India, succeeding Morarji Desai in... Read More →

“A man of many parts – a learned and deeply religious person, a very fine and powerful actor who swayed millions of people, a forceful orator and above all, a man of the masses.” ~ Narasimha Rao quoted in Obituary: N T Rama Rao, in The Independent Newspaper, 19January 1996. N T Rama Rao, or Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, or... Read More →

“Is there a man in the whole country who can take the place of Nehru?” ~ Gulzarilal Nanda, acting Prime Minister after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru spoke in a national broadcast, 27 May 1964. The emotional statement made by Gulzarilal Nanda on the death of Jawaharlal Nehru describes the Nehru’s position in the government and in the hearts of... Read More →