12^th October marks the 155^th birth anniversary of the first Indian woman graduate, Kamini Roy. A Bengali poet, educator and activist, she was born on 12th October, 1864 in the Bakerganj district of British India, now part of Bangladesh. Famously known for her poetry, her work was compiled in 1889’s “Alo O Chhaya”. As a social activist, she worked for women’s education and alleviating the condition of widows. Her efforts to empower women helped Bengali women win the right to vote in 1926. A Jagattarini Medal Awardee for her literary accomplishments by Calcutta University, she died in 1933.

Today, The Talented Indian community pays homage to Kamini Roy.

It is said that “Heros get remembered, but legends never die.” They always live in our hearts and minds. On Throwback Thursday, today we bring you one such legendary actress of the Indian Cinema.

Nicknamed as the Queen of Bollywood, Rekha was born in Madras as Bhanurekha Ganesan on 10 October 1954, to Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli. Her debut was in the year 1966 as a child actress in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam, while her first Hindi film was Anjana Safar, which released a decade later in1979. Sawan Bhado was her debut Bollywood film in 1970.

As one of the most successful actresses of all time, she acted in more than 180 films in her career spanning over 50 years. During which she won three Filmfare Awards and a National Award for Best Actress. A Padma Shri Awardee, Rekha is known for her versatility and is truly the Queen of Bollywood.

Wishing her a very happy birthday, we bring you some of her superhit songs and few artistic dedications.

Some incredible paintings of Rekhaji, created by highly talented artists.

The nine auspicious days of Navratri culminates with the grand celebration of Vijayadashmi. Navratri is symbolic of the supreme female cosmic power or Goddess Shakti who is worshipped in her variously manifested forms as Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati.

According to the legend, on Vijayadashmi, Goddess Durga defeated the demon Mahisasura, marking the victory of good over evil. In another popular legend of the Ramayana, this day commemorates the killing of the great demon king of Lanka, Ravan, by Lord Rama. Marked as Dussehra in North India, Durga Puja in West Bengal or Dasara in Mysore, it is celebrated throughout India with great grandeur and fervour.

While wishing you all a very happy Vijayadashmi, we bring you some beautiful artistic performances.

“We want freedom for our country, but not at the expense or exploitation of others, not as to degrade other countries… I want the freedom of my country so that other countries may learn something from my free country so that the resources of my country might be utilized for the benefit of mankind.” – Lal Bahadur Shastri

The second Prime Minister of our country, Lal Bahadur Shastri was the stalwart of Indian freedom struggle.

Born on 2nd October 1904, in a poor family in village Kudh Kalan, Mugalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, Lal Bahadur was nicknamed ‘Nanhe’. He was the only son of Sh. Sharda Prasad Srivastava, a primary school teacher and Smt. Ram Dulari Devi, a house-wife.

As a person with high integrity, he displayed the virtues of truth, honesty and courage in every aspect of his life. One such incident was when at the age of six, he along with his friends entered mango orchard, his friends started plucking and eating mangoes, while he chose not to do so. In another incident, he chose to swim through the flooded Ganga, when he did not have money to pay for the boat ride.

Initially homeschooled for his early education, he completed his high school from Harish Chandra High School and his higher education from Kashi Vidyapeeth. He was proficient in Hindi, Sanskrit, English, Urdu and Persian languages. Influenced by the thoughts and actions of Gandhiji, Lal Bahadur joined the freedom struggle at a young age. In 1930, Shastriji went to jail for the first time for participating in ‘Salt Agitation’. Subsequently, he was jailed on seven occasions and spent about nine years of life in jail.

After India’s Independence, he served many different portfolios in central and state governments and brought out many reforms. After the sudden demise of Pt. Nehru, he took oath as the second Prime Minister of India and filled the void.

As a leader of sagacious statesmanship, wisdom, simplicity, humility and always working for the national interests and welfare of the common people, we remember him on his birth anniversary through some of the rarest photographs of his life.

“Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.”

– Albert Einstien

On 2nd October 1869, in the quiet lanes of Porbandar, a baby was born in the house of Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai. Little then, anyone knew that this child would become the flagbearer of peace and non-violence in the modern world, inspiring billions around to lead their life according to the principles of Satyagraha.

A lawyer by qualification, Gandhi is the stalwart leader of the Indian freedom struggle. Be it in South Africa or in India, his principles and methods of revolt created ripples through the masses. Through his message of peace and non-violence, he inspired a new generation of leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we bring you some of the most precious moments of history captured through photographs.

We also bring you some artistic dedication to Gandhiji.