This Day In History- September 13

1920 – The Institution of Engineers(India), the national oraganization of engineers in India, came into existence at Madras (now Chennai). The IEI has 99 chapters in India and outside with over 500,000 members from various disciplines belonging to 15 different disciplines in engineering.

Institution of Engineers Logo

Institution of Engineers Logo

1929 – Great Freedom Fighter and Revolutionary Jatindra Nath Das embraced martyrdom. Jatin Das was greatly influenced by the movement for Independence and registered his participation at a very young age by joining the Anushilan Samiti. He was also a part of the movement for Non-Cooperation to the British declared by Mahatma Gandhi in the Congress Session of 1920.
In 1925 Jatin Das courted arrest for his activities and put behind bars at the Mymensingh Central Jail where went on a hunger strike to protest against the inhuman treatment meted out to political prisoners. After his release, Jatin Das got involved in bomb-making for Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries. However, he was arrested yet again in connection with the Lahore Conspiracy Case.

Jatin Das

Jatindra Nath Das

On July 13 in 1929, Jatin Das together with fellow prisoners went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding better conditions for Indian prisoners. The conditions of Indian prisoners and that of the English prisoners were poles apart. Indian inmates were given unwashed jail uniforms, the food was infested with rats and cockroaches and no newspapers were provided. The strike went on for 63 days however Jatin Das and other revolutionaries did not break.
The Jail Authorities resorted to force feeding, did not provide drinking water and even beat the brave freedom fighters. Unfortunately, on the 63rd day of the this battle Jatin Das went down fighting.

Prabha Atre

Dr Prabha Atre

1932 – Eminent Classical vocalist ‘Swarmayee’ Dr.Prabha Atre was born. She is regarded as one of the finest vocalists of the Hindustani classical and seen as a doyen of the Kirana Gharana. She is credited with the invention of new raagas like Apurva Kalyan, Patdeep-Malhar, Ravi Bhairav, Darbari Kauns, Madhur Kauns etc.
In 1991, she was bestowed the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in recognition of her contribution to classical music. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 2002.

1933 – The Indian Library Association was founded at the First All India Library Conference held in Calcutta (Kolkata).

Viren Rasquinha

Viren Rasquinha

1980 – Former Captain of the National Hockey Team, Arjuna Awardee and Olympian Viren Rasquinha was born. He was a part of the victorious hockey team that lifted the Junior World Cup held at Hobart, Australia in 2001. Viren made his senior debut as a midfielder in 4-Nations Hockey Tournament in Adelaide, Australia in May 2002.
He represented India in 180 international matches from 2002 to 2008. During his stint in the national side, Viren helped India finish with a Silver medal at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, win the Gold medal at the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad in 2003 and lift the Asia Cup at Kuala Lampur, Malaysia in 2003. He was a member of the team that participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens, Greece.

He played in the Premier Hockey League and led the Maratha Warriors (2005-08). He represented the Stuttgart Kickers in German Bundesliga for 2007-08 season.

In 2008, Viren announced his retirement and joined the prestigious Indian School of Business, Hyderabad to pursue an MBA in Marketing and Strategy. He is now a part of and the current Chief operating officer of the Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation that nurtures Indian talent with the potential to win gold medals at the Olympics.
In 2004, the Government of Maharashtra honoured him with the Shiv Chhatrapati Award while in 2005 the Government of India awarded him the prestigious Arjuna Award for Best Sportsman of the Year in Hockey.

Delhi 2008 Blasts

Blast Sites with timings of explosions

2008 – A Series of five bomb blasts rocked the heart of India, Delhi. The first bomb went off at Ghaffar Market followed by explosions at Barakhamba Road, Central Park (Connaught Place) and two blasts at M-Block market in Greater Kailash-I. Four other bombs were found- one at India Gate, two in Connaught Place and one on the Parliament Street which were defused.

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