14-year-old Unnati Hooda from Haryana, and 21-year-old Kiran George from Kerala, won the women’s and men’s singles title respectively in the Odisha Open Super 100 tournament on January 30, 2022. With this win, Unnati Hooda became the youngest Indian to win a Super 100 badminton tournament. Hooda defeated Smit Toshniwal in just 35 minutes in the women’s singles final, while Kiran George prevailed over Priyanshu Rajawat in 58 minutes in the men’s category.
Every year, numerous birds are killed after being cut by manja (kite string) that stays entangled on trees, buildings and powerlines. To save birds from kite strings, Chetan Patel, the owner of Jay Gopinath Khaman and Locho, a fast-food restaurant in Surat, Gujarat, offered people 1 kg of khaman (snack) in exchange for 1 kg of manja that was discarded after the celebrations of Uttarayan festival on 14 January. He has been awarded the ‘Hero to Animals Award’ by PETA India, for his unique initiative.
This year, 92-year-old veteran clarinet player Aenjala Kuppuswami Chinnikrishna (AKC) Natarajan, from Trichy District, Tamil Nadu, has been chosen as one of the recipients for the Padma Shri Award. In his 75-year-old music career, Natarajan is known for modifying the clarinet to suit Carnatic music by reducing the 14 finger holes by closing eight with wax. Natarajan started learning music from the age of six and was introduced to the clarinet by his father.
On the occasion of his 157th birth anniversary, India paid tribute to Lala Lajpat Rai, also known as Punjab Kesari, on January 28, 2022. Born in 1865, in Dhudike village, in Punjab, Rai was one of the prominent leaders in India’s Independence movement. In 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led a non-violent march against the all-British Simon Commission and suffered severe injuries from the police lathi charge. Unfortunately, he did not recover from those injuries and died on 17 November, 1928.
Every year, Republic Day is celebrated in India on January 26. In 2022, India is celebrating its 73rd Republic Day. The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January,1950, and the country became a sovereign state, and was declared a republic. The main event of the Republic Day celebrations is the annual parade which begins at Rajpath, Delhi, goes through India Gate and concludes at Red Fort .
To celebrate India’s 73rd Republic Day, the homepage of Google India displayed the elements of the Republic Day parade. The doodle artwork features the parade elements like the parade animals (an elephant, a horse, a dog, a camel), a red tabla, the parade path, a saxophone, doves, the tricolors of our national flag. This year, Republic Day celebrations began on 23 January, with the central government marking the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
13-year-old Anvi Vijay Zanzarukia, from Surat, Gujarat, has been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. Avni has been battling serious mental and physical disabilities since birth. She has participated in over 42 yoga competitions, and that too with non-disabled children as there is no special category for the physically or mentally disabled. Dubbed ‘Rubber Girl’, Anvi has won a total of 52 medals.
International Day of Education is celebrated every year globally on January 24. A resolution proclaiming 24 January as the International Day of Education, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. Education is a basic essential for every human being. The day is marked to acknowledge the role and importance of education in peace and development.
This year on January 26, the army parade will display both the old and new eras of the Indian military including their uniforms and weapons. The Republic Day celebrations will also witness the inclusion of a laser mapping and drone show in the Beating Retreat ceremony. The number of troops in marching contingents in the Republic Day parade has been reduced from 144 to 96, due to the spread of the new variant of the Covid.
Every year in India, National Girl Child Day is celebrated on January 24. The day is marked to create awareness about the rights of the girl child and the importance of female health, nutrition, and education. This year, the Ministry of Culture is organizing an event called Umang Rangoli to celebrate this day. The participating teams will make Rangoli highlighting women freedom fighters and achievers, across the nation at over 50 special locations.
