This Day in History – April 28

1928 – Indian dramatist, theatre director and poet, Kavalam Narayana Panicker was born. Starting his career as a lawyer, he took to arts and literature, dedicating himself completely to it. He went on to write over 26 Malayalam plays which earned him a lot of recognition. In 1983, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction followed by Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2002. In 2007, the Government of India honoured Panicker with Padma Bhushan, India’s 3rd highest civilian award.

Kavalam Narayana Panicker

1929 – Bhanu Athaiya, born Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye, one of India’s best costume designers, was born. Making her debut in Bollywood with Guru Dutt’s C.I.D. (1956), she worked in over 100 films with renowned film-makers like Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Ashutosh Gowariker and many others. She is known for her work in films like: Mera Naam Joker (1970), The Burning Train(1980), Agneepath (1990), 1942: A Love Story (1993), and Swades (2004).

Bhanu Athaiya

She became the first Indian to win an Oscar for her work in the film Gandhi, in 1982. She won two National Film Awards for her work in Lekin… (1991) and Lagaan (2002). In 2009, she was honoured with Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

1930 – India’s Chief of Army, known to command the Operation Blue Star, General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, was born.

1998 –  Former Indian Cricketer, Ramakant ‘Tiny’ Desai passed away. He represented India in 28 Test matches as a fast bowler and served as the chairman of selectors from 1996/97.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *