Important Dates & Festivities - Current Affairs for October, 2015

Cartoonist R. K. Laxman’s 94th birth anniversary was celebrated on 24th October 2015 by Google which showcased his work. Laxman was born in 1921 in Mysore. He was the youngest child and his elder brother was renowned novelist R. K. Narayan. Prior to TOI, he had worked for Blitz and Free Press Journal. He was the winner of numerous awards such as Padma Bhushan and Magsaysay award.

Zambia celebrated its independence day on 23rd October 2015. It is a landlocked country in Africa. This is the 51st Independence Day Zambia has celebrated. President Pranab Mukherjee greeted the country on this day.

The World Statistics Day was observed across the world on 20 October 2015 and the theme was Better Data, Better Lives. This is the second observance of the World Statistics Day. 2015 also marks the birth bicentenary of George Boole who worked on logic as a form of algebra forming the base of modern computer science.

International Day for Eradication of Poverty was observed on 17th October 2015. The theme for this day was “Building a Sustainable Future: Coming Together to end Poverty and Discrimination”. The celebration of this day comes after UN adopted 2030 SDGs to succeed the MDGs. International Day for Eradication of Poverty has been observed each year since 1992 when UNGA resolution 47/196 identified the day to raise awareness about the need for the eradication of poverty and destitution in all nations.

World Food Day, WFD was observed across the globe on 16th October 2015 and the theme was Social Protection and Agriculture. WFD aims to raise awareness about hunger challenges and encourage people to fight against hunger. Theme reflects the intent of World Farmers Organisation to showcase important agricultural related issues. FAO has estimated agricultural production must rise by 60% internationally to meet demand for food by 9.2 billion population in 2050. World food week was also observed from 12th to 16th October 2015.

National Human Rights Commission is celebrating its 22nd Foundation Day on 12th October, 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. During last year (October 2014 to 2015), Commission has registered 1,15,896 cases from which 95,563 cases were disposed of. The highest number of cases have been registered in UP followed by Odisha, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, as well as MP. Since the time of its inception, NHRC has registered 15,02,398 cases. It is addressing issues pertaining to human rights.

Google has marked legendary Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 67th birth anniversary with a doodle on its homepage. Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a singer of Qawwali, devotional Sufi music. Born to a family of musicians in Faisalabad on October 13th 1948, Khan was noted for his soulful performances. He made the traditional Qawwali form of music and semi classical Pakistani music through fusion with modern fast beats. He is one of the most important artists to make the Qawwali popular. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 49.

This unique day is held for celebrating awareness about benefits of eggs which are a symbol of life and fertility. Celebrated by the World Egg Organisation, World Egg Day provides the perfect platform for promoting health benefits of eating eggs.World Egg Day was established at the International Egg Commission (IEC) Vienna 1996 conference. It was decided to celebrate World Egg Day on 2nd Friday of every October. 20th World Egg Day was celebrated in 4 cities of India namely Vijaywada, Lucknow, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar. India is the third largest world egg producer following China and the US.

Indian Air Force celebrated its 83rd anniversary at Hindan Air Base in Ghaziabad where the decision to induct women as fighter pilots was also taken. This is the 83rd celebration of this anniversary which has been observed since 1932. IAF has been involved in numerous operations such as Pawan, Cactus and Vijay as well as wars such as WW2 and India China war.

World Habitat Day was observed on 5th October 2015 with the theme Public Spaces for All. The World Habitat Day aimed to recognize challenges and issues around public space. World Habitat Day has been celebrated since 1986. This day is all about increasing awareness about need for well-designed and managed public spaces and streets.

PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary. He was born on 4th October, 1857. He passed away on March 30, 1930. He was along the stalwarts who fought for India’s freedom such as Lala Hardayal and Veer Savarkar.

Kingdom of Lesotho celebrates Independence Day on October 4th 2015
President of India Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the people of Lesotho on their independence day (October 4th 2015). India and Lesotho have a longstanding bilateral relationship. Lesotho opened a Resident Mission in New Delhi in the year 2005. First ever exchange of visits took place in 2003. The bilateral Joint Commission was also set up between the two countries. Major items of Indian imports from Lesotho comprise wool, fine or coarse animal hair, horsehair yarn & woven fabric, apparel and clothing accessories. Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme announced by PM at the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi on 8 April, 2008 has been offered to the Government of Lesotho. 1300 Indian expatriates in Lesotho are working as teachers, accountants and other professionals and businesses.

Chinese National Day was celebrated on 1st October 2015. Indian PM Narendra Modi wished the Chinese people on microblogging site Sina Weibo. The latest round of visits include President Xi’s to India in September 2014 and Modi’s visit to China in May 2015. PRC was formed on October 1st, 1949 which is celebrated as the National Day.

International Day of Older Persons was celebrated on October 1, 2015 across the globe with the theme Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment. The 2015 IDOP celebration demonstrated that an age inclusive agenda is crucial to promote equity, welfare and prosperity for all. The 2015 celebration marked IDOP’s 25th anniversary. On 14th December 1990, 1st October was declared as IDOP by UNGA following initiatives including Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by UNGA. IDOP was observed for the first time throughout the globe on October 1st, 1991.

The theme for this day was the “Changing Face of Translation and Interpreting”. This day has been established by the International Federation of Translators to pay tribute to the work of translators. This day coincides with the feast day of St. Jerome who translated Bible into Latin from Hebrew. He is the patron saint for translators and this day has been celebrated as International Translation Day since 1991.