29th July: World Tiger Day

Today is World Tiger Day. Starting from 2010, every year 29th of July is celebrated as World Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day.  In Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit they decided to create awareness about Tiger and the necessity to preserve their habitat because they were very close to extinction.

In 1913 an estimated 100,000 tigers were there in the world.  But today, there are only 3000 tigers and most of the tiger species like Javan tigers, Bali tigers already in the extinct list.

India is having the highest number of tigers which is around thousand. Let us save the majestic animal from extinction and make them double by 2022 as decided at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. India had started the "Project Tiger" campaign under the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1973.

Because Tiger is India's National Animal, I felt compelled to write a small poem about this wonderful animal to create awareness.

Guess Who I am

- Deepthi Sudharsan - 

I am Yellow with black stripes

Hunting in the dead of night,

I crouch and pounce on my prey

Before they take flight

Me and my friends are very few

Victims of mad poaching,

We are losing our hide-outs

To people who are encroaching

If you guessed I am a Tiger

You are surely very bright,

I would like to meet you

But you would die of fright!

 

 

July 29th : Birth Anniversary J R D TATA

The father of Indian Aviation, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna recipient Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was born in 29th July 1904 in Paris, France. His father was a Parsi businessman born in Gujarat, India and mother was a French woman, Suzanne.

He briefly served in French army before he coming back to India to join Tata Company.  In 1929, he renounced his French Citizenship and got Indian Citizenship.  

J R D Tata is the first licensed Indian pilot and he started first commercial airlines in India which later became Air India. 

The Tata Group of Companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Titan Industries, Tata tea, Voltas etc.; all house-hold names in India. 

J R D Tata, the pioneer industrialist died in 29th November, 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The above definitive stamp was issued in 2009 under the theme "Builders of Modern India". There is rarer commemorative stamp issued in 1994.

Pi Approximation Day - India

 Pi  Approximation Day is observed on July 22 because 22/7 is the approximate value of Pi in the fractional form and in India they write the date first and then the month.

In 1914, the Indian Math wizard Ramanujan published a formula for PI that converges remarkably faster than many other approaches. See here. 

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The above stamp depicting Srinivasa Ramanujan was issued by India in 2010.

In U.S. Pi day is observed on 14th of March (3.14 or 3/14 in the U.S. month/day date format), since 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. 

17th July : International Justice Day

July 17, 2014 is celebrated as International Justice Day all over the world. This is the day that marks the entry of the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court (ICC). International Justice Day is also referred to as Day of International Criminal Justice or World Day for International Justice.

On 17 July 1998, the Rome Statute was adopted for ICC.  The ICC can only investigate and prosecute in situations where states are unable or unwilling to do the justice themselves.

Each year, people around the world use International Justice Day to host events to promote international criminal justice.  This day brings our attention towards particular issues like genocide and serious crimes of violence against women etc.

The above stamp was issued in 2013 by Mauritius Post.