(Glimpses of 2016)

Corruption Index:                  Denmark the least corrupt Country. India 76th position.

Demonetization                     8/11     1000 and 500 rupee notes defunct from use.

Election                                 15/5     AIADMK retain power in Tamil Nadu.

                                              28/12   US Presidential election Donald Trump elected as President of US

                                              ..                             

Earthquake                            18/        Ecuador earthquake kills 223. 7.8 Magnitude quack.

                                              2/7        6.4 Magnitude quake hit hit in Taiwan, kill 15 people.

                                             16/7       7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Japan killed at least 32. people.                   

Execution                            2/11        North Korea's Army Chief of     executed.

Flood                                   2/8          Assam flood. 18 Distrcict under flood-water.

                                            12/12       Vartha Cyclone in TN, heavy losses in Tamil Nadu.
      

Farmers Suicide                 14/1          Maharashtra has recorded 3228 farmers suicides in 2015.

Obituary:                            3/1            CPI Veteran  Baradhan 92 Passes away

                                           5/1            Former CJI passes way.

                                           8/1            J&K Chief Minister Mufti Passes away

                                          31/1        .Former Army chief and Governor of J&K Krishna Rao Passes                                                               away.

                                           7/2          Well  known Cartoonist Sudhir Tailong passes away. He was 55.

                                           14/2         Malayalam Poet and Song writer ONU Kurup passes away.

                                            8/7         Social Activist passes away

                                            6/8         Vietnam Veedu Sundaram Passes away

                                         26/11         Cuba's former President Astro passes away.

                                           5/12         Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa passes away..She was                                                              69

                                                  

Plane Crash                     19/5       Egyptian Plane with 66 persons crashed in the Mediterranean sea.

                                        22/7     AL-42 Air force aircraft crashed in Tamil Nadu. Search on to locate

                                                      plane 29 people with family died.

                                       29/11   Plane with 91 on board crashed in median city in Columbia.Most of                                                                               them Brazilian football players.

                                      25/12  Russian military plane crashed into Black sea. 92 dead. 

          

Reserve Bank                 6/7       Reserve Bank new governor Dr.Urgit Patel.

Satellite Launch                21/1  Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System into  space by PSLV C-31                                             16/4  ISRO launches 21 satellite.

                                        26/9   India's PSLV-35 launches multiple Satellite.

                                         6/10  India's GSAT 18 Communication Satellite launched from French                                                                   Gayana, Koru 

                                          28/9  Astrosat launched by PSLV C30.

                                               

Surgical Strike                   29/9   India made a surgical strike on the terrorists launch pad across line of                                                            control.

Train derailment              6/2         Bengluru-Kanyakumari Island express bound for Bengaluru derailed

                                                     near Vettapatta 90 km from Vellore. 14 Passenger injured

                                       20/11.    Indore Patna Express train derails at Kanpur in UP 150 dead

                                                      many injured. 

Terrorist Attack               3/1          Terrorist attack again in Punjab, Pathankot after five months.

                                        4/1          15 killed in IS attcak in military base in Iraq.

                                        4/1         Mexico Mayer killed .

                                       14/1       15 Killed outside in Polio camp in Quetta.

                                       17/1      Dozens of peace keepers killed in Somalia

                                       17/1      Al-Queda  kills 23 in Burkena Faso

                                       19/7      10 CRPF soldiers killed serveal injured                                                                                             6/8       18 People killed by Naga rebel group in Assam 

                                       29/ 8     Suicide attack on military recruits in Yarden 50 killed

                                        15/7     An Islami State Terrorist driven a loaded Truck in a National Day

                                                     Celebration in France 84 killed. Mani injured

                                         22/12   An Asylum seeker drive a 40 tonne Truck into a Berlin Christmas

                                                     .  Market kills 12 people and 14 hospital.

                                          22/12   Russian Ambassador in Turkey killed in Istanbul..  .

                                           

Terrorist strike                 23/3       Series of explosions claimed by Islamic States ripped through the

                                                     Brussels airport and a Metro train killed at least 34 persons.

UN Secretary General       5/10     Portugal former Prime Minister Antonio elected UN Secretary

                                                     General. He was 9th Secretary General of 193 nations. 

                                                                             *************   

                                              PRESIDENTS OF UNITED STATES

                                                                 (A Roll Call )


Demcrat  *               Republican @

Abraham  Lincoln               1861   -  1865     @
Andrew Johnson                1865   -   1869     *
Alysses S. Grant                1869   -   1877    @
Rutherford B. Hayes         1877   -   1881    @
James A Garfield               1881  -    1881    @
Chester A Arthur               1881  -    1885     @
Grover Cleveland               1885  -    1889    *
Benjamin Harrison              1889   -   1893    @
Grover Cleveland                1893   -   1897     *
William McKinley                1897  -   1901     @
Theodore Roosevelt             1901  -   1909     @
William H Taft                      1909  -   1913    @ 
Woodrow Wilson                    1913  -    1921    *
Warren G Harding                1921       1923    @
Calvin Coolidge                     1923  -    1929    @
Herbert Hoover                     1929  -   1933     @
Franklin D Roosevelt            1933  -    1945    *
Harry S. Truman                    1945  -    1953    *
Dwight D Eisenhower            1953  -    1961    @
John F Kennedy                     1961   -    1963    *
London B Johnson                 1963   -    1969     *
Richard M Nixon                   1969     -  1974      @
Gerald Ford                            1974    -    1977     @
Jimmy Carter                          1977     -   1981    *
Ronald Reagon                        1981    -   1989    @
George H W Bush                   1989     -   1993   @
Bill Clinton                               1993     -   2001    * 
George W Bush                        2001    -   2009    @
Barack Obama                          2009    -  20016   *
Donald J Trump                        2016    -   in office @  

  (Donald J Trump is the 45th President)                      

          We are turned on to New Year. As a New Year greetings and to know about the news of past 2015 I have presents here flash back of events in 2015. It would help the World wide web browsers to know about news of the past history.          
            I have segregated the events in alphabetically enable the viewers to assess  the news quickly.

Air Crash
Feb. 5             Tran Asia Airway plane plunged into Taiwan river. 21 passenger killed. It was
                       pilot's error shut down wrong engine of the plane.

Mar.25           German wings plane crashes in Alps all 150 dead. It was deliberate act of co-pilot.

July 1               Over 110 die as Indonesian military plane crashes into city in Sumatra.

Black Money
Oct.11             Rs.6172 Crore black money was transferred out to Hong Hong through newly opened
                         current accounts at a Bank of Baroda,New Delhi.
                         Black money Rs.3770 crore declared.    

Beheading by IS
Feb.17              IS beheads Egyptian Christians
Feb. 19             IS Jihadist burns 45 people to death in Iraqi
Sep. 13             IS beheads Croatian captive abducted in Egypt
Dec. 26             Iraqi forces retake control of Ramadi from IS

Criminal
Oct. 27              Fugitive underworld don Chhota Rajan, a most wanted criminal arrested at Bali, Indonesia.

Commission
Jan.2                 Niti Aayog successor to Planning Commission.
Congress
 Dec.29            Congress Dharshan  a journal published by the Mumbai Congress unit alleging that former
                         PM Jawharlal Nehru mishandled the  J&K and China issues.

Cricket
March 29          2015 Cricket World Cup Champion is Australia. It defeated New Zealand at Melbourne.

Defense
Dec.31              India has successfully test-fired a long-range-surface-to-air missile,from its
                         warship.

 Economy
  July 3               India is now $ 2 Trillion economy. 
                          Over a billion live on less than $1.25 a day of Ox-form at the Global Economic Forum
                          in Davos
June 30               New security  features in Indian currency notes.
Aug. 12              China  devalues currency by 1.9%

Earthquake
Apr.26               Massive earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on ritchar scale and series of after scocks
                          kills over 1500 in Nepal and 40 in Bihar, India
Oct. 27               Earthquake struck remote Afghanistan 180 dead it was  magnitude at 7.7.

Expelled
Mar.29                Aam Aadmi Pary removed Founder members Yogendra adave and Prashant Busan.

Election
Feb. 11              Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party stunning victory in the Assembly election. It secured
                          67 seats in the 70 member Assembly seats.
Nov. 9                Bihar: In the Bihar Assembly election RJD D(U) and the Congress alliance got
                           absolute majority.  
Apr.20               Rajya Saba member SitaramYecuri was elected 5th General Secretary of the
                           Communist Party of India(Marxist)

Flood
Dec. 1               Heavy rain lashes Chennai,Tiruvarur,Cuddalore and Karikal. Huge losses to propery
                          around 200 dead. 1049.3 .mm of rainfall

Goodwill
 Dec.25               PM Narendra Modi  met Pak PM Nawaz Sharif at his residence on Christmas day
                            and shared wished him on his birthday and attended his grand daughter wedding.

Health
Jan 1                   Health a fundamental rights, notification of National Health Policy 2015.

Law
Mar.25                 Supreme Court strikes down "draconian" section 663 of the Information
                             Technology Act.

Merger
Apr.16                 Six Janata Parivar Parties announced their decision to merge into one large entity.

NASA
Feb 26                 Mars curiosity rover clicked a selfie.

Mars
Sep. 29                  Space Scientists find evidence of flowing water on Mars.

Obituary              
         
                             Legendary cartoonist and create of the common man R.K. Laxman died at the
                             age 93.
                              MSV, the King of melody of Tamil film passed away. He was 88.
July 28                 A.P.J Abdul Kalam "People President" passed away.
Nov.19                 Ram Janmabhoomi leader Ashok Singhal died.
Nov.27                 Tamil scholar Nobor Karshima distinguished scholar and  historian of South
                            Asia died in Tokyo. He was 82.
                            Cine actor Manorama passed away.
Dec.3                  M.A.M. Ramaswamy,Industralist passed away.
Dec.31                Yanon Mar Piloxenos the former Metropolitan of the acobite Syrian Church's
                            Malabar diocese massed away. He was 74.
                                                         
Refugee
Sep.7                   Germany expects to take 800000 asylum seekers.

Scam  

Aug.15                  DMAT scam bigger than Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh

Shot down
 Nov. 25                Turkey shoots down Russian military plane violating its airspace.

Stamped
Sep. 25                   Stamped in South Arabia during Haj pilgrimage 1178 died.

Tamil Nadu
May 12                    Ms.J.Jayalalithaa return as Chief Minister after 8 months in limbo
June 30                    Chennai became the sixth city in the country after Kolkatta, Delhi, Mumbai,
                                Bangalore and Jaipur to get a metro rail network.
Train Accidents
Feb.14                   Derailment: Bangalore-Ernakulam intercity Express derails near Bangalore
                              9 dead 10 seriously injured                                              
                              31 killed around 150 others injured Dehradun- Varanasi Janatha Express derailed  
                              Bachrnwan railway station in Lucknow,UP
July 6                     Head on Collusion: Head on collusion between the Coimbatore - Chennai intercity
                              Express and the Hyderabad - Thiruvananthapuram Sabari Express at Uthukuli near
                              Tirupur in Tamilnadu was averted.
Aug. 6                    Derailment: 29 Dead as two trains derails in heavy rain Kamayani Express and the                                         Janatha Express derailed and plunged into a swollen river near Harda, MP
                              Derailment: Chennai-Egmore-Mangalore Central Express derailed near Puranur in
                              Cuddalore Dt in Trichi, TN 39 injuried.
Aug 13                   The Duronto Express from Secundrabad  to Mumbai derailed soon after passing the
                              Martur station 2 killed.
Sep. 13                  Charted train coming to Shimla from Kalka derailed near Taksaal.
                 
Terrorist Attack    

Jan 10                     Terrorist attacked Paris Charlie Hebdo Magaine office and killed 12 people

                                including the Editor of the magazine.

Nov 15                    Deadly terrorist coordinated attack in Paris by IS killed 127 and 200 injured.

                                the attack carried out in 6 locations.

                                Suicide bomber ten-year old kills 19 people in Nigeria.

Mar 23                     142 dead in Yeman bombings

Apr.3                        At least 70 dead as gunmen attacked Kenyan College in Nairobi.

June 5                       India: 20 solders of 6 Dogra Regiments killed by militant bordering Myanmar in 

                                 Manipur.

Sep.20                      Death toll in the Yemen wedding Party strikes rises 131.

Oct.11                      86 killed and 186 wounded in Ankara Turkish Capital.

Nov 2                     13 Dead in al-Shabaab attack in Somali hotel 

Nov. 21                   18 dead as Islamist gunmen seized luxury hotel in Mali.

                                 A large car bomb exploded near a  hospital in Central in Central Syrian ciy of Homs

                                 killing 15 people.

Dec.13                      14 Killed in shooting. A heavily armed man and woman terrorist killed at least 17 at a 

                                  social service gathering central east of Las Angels

Dec.29                       30 people were killed in Boko Haram attack Nigerian city.

                                  Fidayeen attack in Punjab 7 killed including 2 police officers.
   

                                  

Space Mission
March 29                   Satellite: ISRO's Navigation satellite launched successfully PSLV  C 27's
                                  IRNSS 1-D satellite.
July 12                       Satellite: ISRO's PSLV C 28 launches 5 UK satellites.
Aug 28                       Satellite: ISRO's GSLV puts GSAT-6 in orbit.    

                                  Satellite: ISRO's Astrosat put in orbit by PSLV C 30 6 satellites from
                                  Sriharikota.
                                  Satellite: ISRO's PSLV  C29 launched 6 Singapore Satellites from  
                                  Srihaarikota.
Nov. 11                     Satellite: ISRO's GSAT 15 Commnication Satellites from French Gayana
                                  Space Station by Aryan Rocket launcher.

Weather
Nov. 26                      2015 to be hottest year on the record.                    

                 
                      

   
         

   

          I am pleased to present this flashback 2014 to World Wide Web viewers through my social network blogs. Sure it would available to those who seeks to get update information on India and around the world.      
          First, I begins with Space  Missions. 2014 considered as ISRO's  dominant  year of the Space Programmes. It launched Communication Satellite, indigenous made Cryogenic Engine (GSLV), launched  successfully in January 6, and enters elite 6 Nation Space Club.

          On April 4, it's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV-C24) put country's Second Navigation Satellite into orbit.

          India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV- C23) successfully put five Satellite into orbit.

          India has created global history by becoming the first Asian Nation to reach the Mars Orbit in a space Mission. The mission itself was launched on a silent afternoon on November 5, 2013. After a journey of almost 300 days and covering 680 million kilometers, the spacecraft reached its destination.

         On August 6, 2012 NASA's Curiosity landed in Mars with a rover for a research the red planet  and on 5.12.2014 it sent "Orian" unmanned spacecraft to Mars. Besides NASA launched a spacecraft on August 5,2011 on a five your journey to Jupiter.
         
          Rosetta reaches comet 67ps orbit. After a journey of 10 years five months and four days through deep space crossing a distance of 6.4 billion km the Rosetta spacecraft arrived at its destination on August 6, which was at a distance of about 5 time the distance between sun and the earth.

          In 1994 ISRO's PSLV D-2 successfully placed an Indian Remote Sensing Satellite into orbit. On Oct 16,2014 PSLV - C26 launched 1425k Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System(IRNSS-IC) satellite into its precise orbit.

          Communication Satellite GSAT- 16  was successfully launched on board an Arianspace rocket-5 from Kourou  in French Guiana. The Satellite with 48 transponders, the largest ever carried by a communication space craft built by ISRO was injected into intended Geosynchronous Transfer orbit. It was duel satellite launch with GSAT-16 ejected into space four number after its co-passenger Direct TV-14 spacecraft designed to provide direct to home TV broadcasts across the US, was placed in orbit.

         On December 18, GSLV Mark III takes to the skies in test flight. The first experimental flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)  Mark III registered success as it lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. It's success a prelude to manned space in future.

          Political Scene: Before the general election 2014 BJP and Congress have suzerainty over only a fourth of a total of 38 recognized parties in the Lok Sabha .After 2014 whole scenario changed. The  General Election verdict made the 128 old organisation that brought freedom  to India 67 years ago, reduced to a level of a small party with 44 members in the Lok Sabha. BJP got absolute majority of 284  members of it's own. Congress pushed out of power in the State Assembly elections also.

          Newly formed Party  Aam Aadmi Party led by Aravind Kejriwal become popular in Delhi by raises voice against corruption and it contested the Delhi Assembly election in December 2013 and got 28 seats in 70 seats Assembly. Kejriwal formed Govt with unconditional support from Congress and ruled Delhi for 48 days.
June 2: Telangana become 29th State of India.
Scam: Coal scam & 2 G scam became major issues in 2014. Supreme Court quashes allocation of 214 Coal blocks since 1993.
          UPA (United Progressive Alliance) appointed Governors were sacked by new NDA government.
Sacked governors are: B.LJoshi, UP; Shekhar Dutt, Chattisgarh; M.K.Narayanan,W.Bengal; Vakkom Purshothamon, Mizoram; B.V. Wanchoo,Goa; Ashwani Kumar, Nagaland; K.Sankaranaranan,Maharashtra, Virendra Kataria, Kamla Beniwal, Mizoram and Sheila Dikshit,Kerala.

 Erope: Ukraine crises a for the world. Crimea left Ukraine and joined Russia. Civil war in Syria, Libya made suffering for the people.

        Air Crash: The disappearance and suspected crash caps an astonishing tragic year for Air travel in South Asia, and Malaysia in particular.
          A Beijing bound Malaysia Airlines MH 370 carrying 239 people disappeared on the air on March 8 and while search on for the missing plane another Boeing MH 17 shot down in Ukraine  with 298 people, most of them are from Dutch, on July 17th.

          Trans Asia Airways fighter GE 222, Taiwan based airline crashed 48 killed and 10 survived.

          An air Algeria plane has crashed en-route from Ouagadougou in Burkina, Algeria with 110 passengers in board were killed.

         39 Killed in a Iran Airline crashed after take off from Tehran in July

          On December 28 Air Asia Airbus 320-200 Indonesia's Surabaya City to Singapore carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members vanishes over Java Sea searches on to trace the missing plane.

Shooting: 

         Gunning down of 44 Muslim villagers including many children on May 1-2 in Assam because of rivalry between political outfit over  "son of Soil" conflict.

          August 20 IS jihad behead US Journalist.
           Sept 18 A professor Islam known for his liberal religious views was shot dead in Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
            Nov 10  Suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber disguised in School uniform killed 43 students in North East Nigeria.
            Nov 23 Somalia's Al-Sabaab Islamist claimed responsibility for a dread bus attack in neighboring Kenya which killed 28 non-Muslims.
             Nov 23 suicide bomber killed 40 in Afghanistan.
          Dec. 1 13 CRPF men die in Maoist strike in Sukma, Chhatisgarh.
           Dec. 25 National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songhijit)  killed 78 adivasis in Assam.            
Pipeline Explosion: GAIL pipline explosion in Nagorqam in AP kills 15.
Abduction: May 5 More than 200 teenage girls were abducted by Islamic extremist in Nigeria.  
ISIS: Jihadis spear-heading Sunni Militant declared an "Islamic Caliphate" in Baghdad.
Train Accidents:
          Accident in Raigad killed 18 and more than 145 injured when Diva-Swart wadi Passenger train derailed.
May 27  Gorakhdam Express from New Delhi rammed a stationary freight train at Churab 45 km from its destination. 30 people killed and at least 100 injured.
June 24  Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed near Chapra in Bihar 5 killed.
Oct. 1    13 persons were killed and 47 injured following a head on collision between Knshak Express and the Lucknow Barauni Express.
Longest train Journey: Beijing: A goods train from China, world's largest rail journey when it reached Marid, it's final destination. The train connecting China to Spain passed through seven nations in Asia and Erope covering a mammoth 13000 km.
Railway line Restored: India helped Sri Lank in restoring the Railway line destroyed during war with LTTE.
National News: Shara Chief Subrata Roy in in jail for not refund the investors money. Bonds were issued against a total of 24,000 crore. Number of investors was shown as three crore. SEBI banned the scheme in 2010 and asked the commpany to refund the money to Investors .
Sept 18: Saratha Chit Fund scam in West Bengal brought shock to depositors when it fail to refund the deposited amount to its customers. Many people end their lives fear of lost their money. CBI inquiry  revealed many well connected people involved in the case.
Sports:
June 12-July 13 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 33 Nations in 8 groups. Germany Champion of the game.
July 14-Aug 3  Commonwealth Games in Gold coast in Glasgow, Scotland.
Sept 19-Oct 3 17th Asian Games Inchon, South Korea 45 nations participated. India at 8th with 11 gold 9 Silver 37 bronze Total 57 medals.
Virus: Ebola Virus spread Nigeria at least 660 killed in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and now in Nigeria.
 Collegium:  Law Ministry has convened a meeting of eminent Jurists and member of the Law Commission to review the working of Collegium system of appointment of judges.
Sept. 8  The supreme Court described allegations against CBI Direct Mr Sinha frequently met accused person in the 2G same at his residence as "serious".
Sept 2: Japan to invest 2 lakh crore in Indian projects over 5 years These includes in infrastructor, clean energy and skill development.
Sept 6: India, Australia seal civil Nuclear deal.
Natural Calamity: In Sept. flood in Kashmir . Defense personnel done a mammoth service in rescue and relief works. more than one Lakh people evacuated to safer place.
Oct 12: Cyclone Hudhud in AP caused extensive damage. 1.35 lakh people evacuated to relief camps.
Blast: Bardhaman blast: An accidental blast at a house in West Bengal, Bardhaman district exposed long rooted terrorist activities  in W.Bengal and Bangladesh.
Dec2: India has marginally improved its ranking on the global corruption perception with a score of 36, India now ranks 85 among 175 nations.
Mar.27: The death sentence passed by the Egytian court against 629 supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsey has triggered an outcry among a wide cross section of the legal community at home as well as influential human rights groups across the world.
Oct 2: "Swachh Bharat Abhian, Clean India Mission inaugurated by PM.
Oct 16: "Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Karyakram " launched by PM.
Oct 20  "Sansad Adarsh Gram Yogan" lanunched by PM from Vayjan Bhavan.
Oct 29: A list of 627 Indian holding black money abroad. Most of them had accounts with HSBC Bank, Geneva.
Nov 1  EVK Elangovan takeover the reins of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
Nov 11  6 Regional Parties united. Samajwadi Party(SP) Janata Dal (U), Janata Dal (S), INLD, SJP and        RJD.
Nov 6: Union Cabinet expanded. 8 Ministers included. Total number of Ministers 66. 
Death: The Legendary jurist V.K. Krishna Iyar who took up the cause of the poor and under privileged in his capacity as a minister in Kerala, a Supreme Court Judge died at the age of 99.
* Tamil film Director K. Balachander died at the age of 82.in December.

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                                         FOLLOWING BOOKLETS I HAVE PUBLISHED IN 2014

                                                            TRICOLOUR A STORY


                      Indian National Flag went through many changes before it took its present form. One of the earliest of these was a Tricolour in red, yellow and green. The red-band had eight white lotuses. While the bottom green had a sun and crescent moon and the words "Wande Mataram" was inscribed on the middle yellow. Mahatma Gandhi commissioned Pingali Venkayya to design one with the charkha(Spinning wheel). In the middle with bands, red and green. A white band was latter added. This become one of the earliest flag to be hoisted in India.

                         Just before August 15, 1947 a committee was set up by the constituent Assembly and they decided to modify this flag. The spinning wheel was replaced by the Asoka Wheel that represented dharma. The new flag now had three colours deep saffron, white and green, with a blue Ashoka Chakra in the centre.
Saffron colour denotes renunciation. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth. The green shows, our relation to(the) soil, our relation to plant life here, on which all life depends. The "Ashoka Chakra" in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma".

                         The National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" is the first stanza of five lof a hymn composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Although it was written as early as 1911 not many knew of its existence until it was set to score. Tagore and his friend the poet James Cousins were in Madanapalle when Tagore sang the poem to Cousins in Bengali. Tagore land Cousins'  wife Margret an expert in Western classical music, set the notations.

                          The national flag, with its colours and wheel of dharma, and the national anthem, with its evocation  of the lands and the people of India stand for the quality of tolerance that the people of who fought for freedom held  held as one of the  highest ideals in the making of the nation.

                                                                                                        (Taken from my collections of news) 

                            Valentine's Day

                     For this was on seynt Valantynys day when eury bryd comyth then to choose

                     his make.

                                Chaucer - Parliament of Fowls  C.1382

            As Chaucer says it was the day birds paired up, but Valentine's Day (14th Feb) is hardly about birds. Often reviled and loathed as "decadent western culture" it is actually a official holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France and Australia. No one knows who Valentine really was.  Many believe the custom originated in the roman feast of Lupercal.

              Remember Shakespeare's Julius Cesar? much The play opens with scenes of the feast. Lupercal was a holiday celebrated on February 14 with a feast and much merry making honouring Jano, the Queen of the Roman gods, women and marriage. On the night before the festival, men chose by lots young maidens who became their companions for the rest of the feast.

              An interesting story says the cruel Roman emperor, Claudisu II, wanted more soldiers for his armies and decided, that young men were loath to join because they did not want to leave their wives and girl friends behind. So, he banned all marriages and cancelled engagements. A priest named Valentine disobeyed the order and conducted many secret marriages. He was soon discovered and sentenced to death. Awaiting  death in his cell was not boring because his many fans threw gifts of flowers, notes and other nice stuff over the wall to him. Among them was the prison guard's daughter who was allowed to visit him. They become friends and before he died he wrote a note to her signed "from your Valentine" . Some believe she was blind and Valentine restored her sight and they exchanged secret love letters signed "your Valentine". But they were found out. Valentine was beheaded on February 14. Pope Gelasius banned the Feast of Lupercal in 496 AD as being immoral. Valentine was designated the patron Saint of lovers to be honoured every February 14.    

                                                                                                     Source: News Collection 2004.