History touches us like a surf – a surf of crescendoed occurrence and falling of light waves like our ignorance. Where we are right now is not a creation of utopia but the human civilization in action. Let’s seek the purpose of inescapable history today, this day in history- 22 November “! You will be bewildered that the article you clicked on languidly while sipping your chai will reveal the rhetoric “What is there in a day ?” wholeheartedly!
1497:Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama rounds Cape of Good Hope on way to first voyage from Europe to reach India
This voyage linked the Atlantic and Indian ocean, connecting Europe and India by an ocean route. It commenced sea-based global multiculturalism. Vasco Da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia. The voyage opened a route for global imperialism, colonisation and mechanism of trade. It was then the longest ocean voyage in history9outward and return journey), the distance was far longer than the voyage around the world by way of the equator!
1830 – Jhalkari Bai, the revolutionary woman was born
Jhalkaribai served in the women’s army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. She destabilised the normative structure of the military. The courageous soldier played a paramount role in the rebellion of 1857. Her sword was her strength, her self belief was the reason for going against societal constraints. Her ideas, words and wisdom helped Rani Laxmibai, she was appointed as her advisor. During the Siege of Jhansi, she disguised herself as the Queen and fought on her behalf on the front. This paved a passage for the queen to safely escape the fort. Often thus the image of Rani Laxmi Bai and Jhalkari Bai are mismatched. Her life, especially her heroism fighting the East India Company army to protect the Queen, continues to be praised in various Bundeli folklores.
1864 – Rukmabai Raut, phenomenal feminist medical practitioner in colonial India was born
Rukhmabai Raut was a woman of the resolution, she sturdily stood against the institutional sanction of child marriage. She was involved in a legal case for dissolving the marriage which took place when she was just a child. For years she fought the battle and refused to give in to the hegemonic institution. Queen Victoria later granted her choice but with penalty. This case created a lot of buzz in both Britain and India. There were huge public debates between the static conservative tradition and reformative law, the idea of feminism conflicted and restructured. It influenced paramountly for the legalisation of the Age of Consent Act, 1891. It made child marriages illegal across the British Empire. In alias, she wrote many feminist articles in magazines and didn’t neglect her duties during the legal battles. For thirty-five years she served as the chief medical officer. She was a prominent female medical practitioner in India and gave education very much importance.
1963 – The assassination of President John F. Kennedy
The President was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. He was shot twice, and an hour after his death Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime. He was killed amidst the public eye. On November 23, national mourning was observed. Thousands of people lined the streets of Washington to watch a horse-drawn caisson bear Kennedy’s body from the Capitol Rotunda to St. Matthew’s Catholic Cathedral for a requiem Mass. It was also speculated that there was also another person involved in the assassination. The motorcade bled with the president’s last gasps, everyone was taken aback by this event.
1968 – The Beatles album released (white album)
The Beatles is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. The songs were written during a meditation course in Rishikesh, India. The album is considered one of the best of all time and is a fusion of a diverse range of genres, including folk, British blues, ska, music hall and the avant-garde. It is also known as the white album, as the album cover had no graphics but just placid text.
CLick here to listen, The Beatles – White Album (full album)
1995 – Toy Story- the first full length animated feature released
The feature film was the directorial debut of John Lasseter. It was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. It starred Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts and many excellent stars. The characters, plot and direction skills are very astounding. The film provided a huge entertainment quotient for the children, it was very hilarious and different from the contemporary movies of the time. The animated feature is emblematic to the binaries of popular culture and lives today amongst everyone.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY-13 NOVEMBER
