On this Day in History

On November 1, 1956, another important chapter was added to the grand old story of Delhi when it became a union territory of the Indian Union. The formal history of Delhi goes back to at least 1100 years. There are several legends about how Delhi got its name, but no single definitive account. According to one, a king called Dhillu... Read More →

“I am alive today, I may not be there tomorrow . . . I do not care whether I live or die . . . I have lived a long life and I am proud that I spent the whole of my life in the service of my people . . . I shall continue to serve till my last... Read More →

Known as the ‘father of the Indian nuclear programme’, Homi Jehangir Bhabha was born on October 30, 1909. A nuclear physicist and institution-builder, he was the founding director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, where he also taught physics. It is generally believed that Bhabha, who dominated the country’s scientific and nuclear establishments in the first two decades after... Read More →

On October 29, 1999 a super cyclone struck Odisha, causing widespread destruction, with at least 10,000 lives lost and an estimated 1.5 million people rendered homeless. Unofficial estimates suggest those figures could be much higher. Also called the Cyclone 05B and Paradip Cyclone, it was the deadliest storm to hit India after 1971. The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre issued a... Read More →

Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PepsiCo, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi, who is frequently ranked among the most powerful women in the world, was born on October 28, 1955. The company she leads is an American multinational food and beverage corporation whose products are available around the world. Its portfolio includes 22 brands, each generating more than $1 billion in... Read More →

Scholar. Diplomat. Minister. Ambassador. President. K. R. Narayanan served India in many capacities in an outstanding career spanning over five decades, the twilight of which saw him occupy the highest office of the land. Kocheril Raman Narayanan was born on October 27, 1920 at Perumthanam, Uzhavoor in Kerala, the fourth of seven children of a deprived Dalit family. His father,... Read More →

“Now, therefore, I Shriman Inder Mahander Rajrajeswar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hari Singhji, Jammu and Kashmir Naresh Tatha Tibbetadi Deshadhipathi, Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, in the exercise of my sovereignty in and over my said State do hereby execute this my Instrument of Accession [. . .]” By signing on this legal document, known as the Instrument of Accession, on October... Read More →

‘Ye mahlon ye takhton ye taajon ki duniya / Ye insaan ke dushman samaajon ki duniya / Ye daulat ke bhooke rivaajon ki duniya / Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai’ [‘This world of palaces, thrones and crowns / This world of societies that hate humanity / This world that hungers for nothing but wealth / Even... Read More →

India’s most celebrated cartoonist, Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman, better known as R. K. Laxman, the creator of the iconic ‘Common Man’, was born on October 24, 1921 in Mysore (now in the state of Karnataka). As a child, Laxman would draw inspiration from looking at illustrations in magazines such as Punch and Bystander. He took to drawing on the floors... Read More →

Writer and journalist Aravind Adiga, whose debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize, was born on October 23, 1974 in Chennai (the city was called Madras then) to K. Madhava Adiga and Usha, originally residents of Mangalore in Karnataka. He grew up in Mangalore till he was about 16 and then moved with his family to... Read More →