August 12
On 12th August 1602 Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu’l Fazl was murdered on the instigation of Akbar’s son, prince Salim (who was later known by his imperial name, Jahangir). Abu’l Fazl, also known as Shaikh Abu al-Fazl ibn Mubarak was a high ranking political advisor and minister in Akbar’s court. Apart from translating the Bible into Persian, Fazl was... Read More →
August 11
On 11th August 1961 the former Portuguese territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli were merged to create the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Historically, the Indian sub continent was controlled by many European countries through trade and in some cases even through acquisition. The first European ruler to arrive in India was Alexander the Great in... Read More →
August 10
On 10th August 1963, Phoolan Devi, one of India’s most notorious bandits was born in Ghura ka Purwa in Uttar Pradesh. Phoolan Devi was born to Devi Din and Moola Devi who belonged to the Mallah (boatmen) caste. She was the youngest of four children and only she and her elder sister survived to adulthood. As a poor... Read More →
August 9
On 9th August 1925, members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) looted the government treasury from the mail train near Kakori, 22 km from Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). The Kakori Train Robbery, also known as the Kakori Conspiracy took place during the India Independence Movement against British rule in India. The robbery was planned and executed by the... Read More →
August 8
On 8th August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement for freedom from British rule in Mumbai (then Bombay). The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for Satyagraha (independence). The movement was accompanied by a mass protest on non-violent lines, in which Gandhi called for “an... Read More →
August 7
On 7th August 1941, India’s Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore was known not just as a writer, but also as a poet, philosopher, painter, educator and social reformer who has been credited with changing the landscape of literature... Read More →
August 6
On 6th August Surendranath Banerji, one of India’s earliest political leaders during colonial rule, passed away. Surendranath Banerji is considered as one of the founders of modern India. Banerji was also the founder of one of India’s first political organization, the Indian National Association and eventually became a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. Surendranath Banerji was... Read More →
August 5
On 5th August 1991, Justice Leila Seth became the first Indian woman Chief Justice of a state High Court. She was also the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court. Leila Seth was born in October 1930 in Lucknow and was the first woman to top the London Bar exam and joined the Bar in 1959. In... Read More →
August 4
On 4th August 1929, popular Bollywood actor and playback singer Kishore Kumar was born. Kishore Kumar was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. His father was a lawyer and his mother belonged to a wealthy Bengali family. Kishore Kumar’s brothers Ashok Kumar and Anoop Kumar were also Bollywood actors. In the company of his brothers,... Read More →
August 3
On 3 August 1998 India fired its most sophisticated medium range surface-to-air missile named Akash (which means sky) from a test range at Chandipur on sea. Akash was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factories Board and Bharat Electronics. In 1990 the first test flight of Akash was conducted with development flights up to... Read More →
