THE HEADLINES :-
- गृहमंत्री अमित शाह ने पहलगाम में हुए आतंकी हमले के बाद सुरक्षा स्थिति का जायजा लिया। हमले में 26 लोग मारे गए।
- Political leaders across party line condemn the Pahalgam terror attack.
- पहलगाम हमले के विरोध में आज जम्मू-कश्मीर में पूर्ण बंद।
- Condolences pour in from world leaders as the country mourns Pahalgam terror attack.
- डॉनल्ड ट्रंप के भारी शुल्क और नीतिगत अनिश्चितता के मद्देनजर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मुद्रा कोष ने वैश्विक विकास दर में कटौती की।
- In ISSF World Cup, India finish their campaign with seven medals including two gold, four silver and one bronze in Peru.
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And now, time for our segment Dateline India, in which we take a look at the developments taking place at the national or global level. Today, we will talk about :-WORLD BOOK DAY.
Every page turned is a new world discovered. Books are the bridges between imagination and reality, knowledge and wisdom.
World Book Day 2025 is a global celebration of books, authors, illustrators, and-most importantly-readers! It’s the perfect time to acknowledge the power of reading and how it shapes lives.
This date holds immense symbolism in world literature, marking the death of several renowned authors, including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
SONNET
UNESCO declared it an annual celebration to promote reading, publishing, and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
Every year, as part of celebrations for World Book and Copyright Day, a World Book Capital is selected by UNESCO and international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries. Selected cities undertake to promote books and reading for all age groups and across all sectors of society, in the host country and beyond. This year, the Brazilian city is implementing a project that underlines how books can bring about social change – for example, through literacy, education and poverty eradication – and create sustainable economic benefits.
The official theme of World Book and Copyright Day 2025 is “The role of literature in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. This theme emphasizes the importance of inclusion and diversity in reading. It encourages readers to explore different voices, perspectives, and cultures through literature, promoting empathy and global understanding.
World Book Day is more than a celebration; it’s a movement. Here’s why it matters:
Promotes Literacy: Encourages children and adults to pick up books and enhance literacy levels.
Supports Publishing: Highlights the work of authors, illustrators, and publishers globally.
Fosters Imagination: Reading enhances creativity, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
Bridges Cultures: Books connect people from different backgrounds and experiences.
Inspires Change: Literature has the power to influence personal and societal transformation.
Wishing you a happy World Book Day! Let your mind travel through pages and your heart grow through stories.
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The 11th edition of the Remembering Veenapani Festival was held at the Adishakti Cultural Centre near Auroville, Puducherry from April 13 to 19. Organised annually in memory of the late theatre pioneer Veenapani Chawla, the festival showcased a unique blend of theatre, music and storytelling, drawing artists and audiences from across the country. The week-long event also marked 44 years of Adishakti’s artistic journey through ages. More from our correspondent:
At the Adishakti Theatre campus, nestled on the outskirts of Puducherry, the Remembering Veenapani Festival 2025 unfolded like a living tribute – not in silence, but in song, rhythm, and performance. This 11th edition was more than a festival – it was a celebration of a legacy that continues to breathe through every corner of this space founded by Veenapani Chawla in 1981.
Launched in 2015, a year after her passing, the festival is Adishakti’s way of carrying forward Veenapani’s fearless vision – one that believed in the power of performance to transform both the performer and the audience. Each evening began with heartfelt video messages from renowned film personalities like Aamir Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Tovino Thomas, Naga Chaitanya to name a few. The festival was formally inaugurated by the Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai, Etienne Rolland-Piegue, who lauded Adishakti for curating work that consistently defies convention. The opening night featured Ilham, a soulful Sufi performance by Hindustani vocalist Smita Bellur with Rajasthani folk trio SAZ. The trio returned at dawn the next morning for Savera, a concert of morning ragas – a rare and intimate musical experience under the open sky.
Speaking to Akashvani, Adishakti’s Artistic Director Vinay Kumar said that Remembering Veenapani Festival focuses on the performers and aims to create an intimate atmosphere where both artists and audiences can engage with each other closely and meaningfully. The grand finale on April 19 featured the iconic Warsi Brothers, whose rousing qawwali filled the amphitheatre with devotion and energy. A standout moment was the launch of ‘The Bow and the Veena – A Dance of Dualities” a 120-page multimedia e-book inspired by Veenapani’s seminal work Brhannala, fusing text, music, and video to make her theatrical language accessible to wider audiences. For Parikrama, Bibin S Nath, Akashvani News, Puducherry.
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प्रधानमंत्री मुद्रा योजना ने देष के जिन युवाओं का उद्यमी बनने का सपना साकार किया है, उनमें छत्तीसगढ़ की राजधानी रायपुर की ईषा पटेल भी शामिल हैं। इस योजना के दस वर्ष पूरा होने पर प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने आठ अपै्रल को दिल्ली स्थित अपने आवास में देषभर के मुद्रा योजना के जिन लाभार्थियों से मुलाकात की थी, उनमें ईषा पटेल भी शामिल थीं।
रायपुर की ईषा पटेल अपनी किषोर अवस्था से ही स्वादिष्ट खाना बनाती थीं। इसे देखकर उनके परिचितों ने उन्हें कैफै खोलने की सलाह दी। ईषा ने प्रधानमंत्री मुद्रा योजना के तहत ऋण लेकर रायपुर में ‘‘हाउस ऑफ पुचका’ नाम से गोलगप्पे के कैफे की शुरूआत की। आज उनका उद्यम काफी सफल है और वे दूसरों के लिए भी प्रेरणा बन रही हैं। ईषा का कहना है कि प्रधानमंत्री मुद्रा योजना ने उनके सपने को हकीकत में बदला है। उन्होंने कहा कि यदि मन में हौसला हो तो, फिर आसमान और उड़ान की कोई सीमा नहीं होती।
आठ अपै्रल दो हजार पंद्रह को प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने मुद्रा योजना का शुभारंभ किया था। इस योजना का लक्ष्य छोटे व्यवसायों और पहली पीढ़ी के उद्यमियों के बीच उद्यमषीलता को बढ़ावा देना है। इसके तहत वर्तमान में बिना किसी गारंटी के चार श्रेणियों में पचास हजार रूपये से लेकर बीस लाख रूपये तक के ऋण दिए जाते हैं। परिक्रमा के लिए रायपुर से मैं विकल्प शुक्ला।
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The Women Samparada mandali of Kansar village under Kundheidiha gram panchayat of Gurundia block of Sundargarh district in Odisha has created a niche by promoting local culture and tradition. Our correspondent reports that the group, comprising twenty-five persons, primarily women, attends local culture events and does so in other parts of the state, where they attract people with their folk music concerts.
Samparada Mandali was a popular traditional folk music from the tribal areas of Sundargarh district, with a bit of dancing, many years ago. Over time, people stopped practising traditions. A few village women, like Bhagabati Sahu, Pramila Samanta and others, formed a group with male members to set up Samparada Mandali, like Sankirtan Mandali, in parts of Odisha and West Bengal. With support from their family members and well-wishers, the group holds musical concerts in different village areas. They usually do so during gatherings like local festivals to reach out to more people. With their confidence and soul-stirring songs, the group has already travelled to neighbouring Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts. The male members help them perform folk songs lyrically. It is nothing short of a struggle to propagate local tradition and culture in the face of modern music and songs. Abita Nayak says she is lucky to be a part of this group, which propagates our age-old tradition and culture. She says more people like her should come forward to perform. According to Shantanu Kushum, a social activist, what the Samparada Mandali is doing is commendable. Social-culture organisations and government agencies should come forward to support this group, and the tribal women propagating local art and tradition are excellent indeed. For Parikrama, Supritee Mishra from Sambalpur.
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खेल :-
In IPL T20 Cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad will clash with Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad at 7.30 pm today.
Last night Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow to register sixth win in eight matches. Two more wins in next six games will take Delhi Capitals to 16 points, considered a magic figure for playoff qualification.
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पेरू में आईएसएसएफ विश्व कप निशानेबाजी में भारत ने दो स्वर्ण, चार रजत और एक कांस्य सहित कुल सात पदक लेकर तीसरा स्थान हासिल किया। महिलाओं की 25 मीटर पिस्टल स्पर्धा में सिमरनप्रीत कौर ने रजत पदक हासिल किया। किसी बड़े टूर्नामेंट में यह उनका पहला पदक है। अमरीका ने भी टूर्नामेंट में सात पदक जीते, लेकिन स्वर्ण पदक ज्यादा जीतने के कारण वह तालिका में दूसरे स्थान पर रहा। चीन चार स्वर्ण, तीन रजत और छह कांस्य पदक के साथ पहले नम्बर पर है। इस सत्र में निशानेबाजी का यह दूसरा विश्वकप है। इससे पहले ब्यूनस आइरश में भारत ने चार स्वर्ण, दो रजत और दो कांस्य सहित आठ पदक जीते थे और वह दूसरे नम्बर पर था।
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The benchmark domestic equity indices today ended over half per cent up fuelled by strong rally in IT and Auto sectors, following positive global cues and foreign fund inflows. The 30-share index at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, climbed 521 points to close at 80,116. The National Stock Exchange Nifty-50 gained 162 points to settle at 24,329.
In the global crude market, Brent Crude was trading over 1.2 percent up at 68 dollars and 26 cents per barrel, and WTI Crude was trading nearly 1.3 percent up at 64 dollars and 48 cents per barrel, when reports last came in. In the Indian bullion market, 24-karat gold was trading down at 96,080 rupees per 10 grams, while silver 999 fine was trading up at 96,660 rupees per kilogram, when reports last came in.
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We will take you on a tour of India’s freedom struggle, and recall events that happened on this day.
पुण्यतिथि, जयंती या जन्मदिन :-
BIRTHDAYS
William Shakespeare (c. 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language.
All the world’s a stage /And all the men and women merely players. / They have their exits and their entrances, / And one man in his time plays many parts.
— As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 7
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
– William Shakespeare
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अन्नपूर्णा देवी (अंग्रेज़ी: Annapurna Devi, मूल नाम- रोशनआरा ख़ान, जन्म: 23 अप्रैल,[1] 1927, मध्य प्रदेश) भारतीय शास्त्रीय संगीत शैली में सुरबहार वाद्ययंत्र (बास का सितार) बजाने वाली एकमात्र महिला उस्ताद हैं। ये प्रख्यात संगीतकार अलाउद्दीन ख़ान की बेटी और शिष्या हैं। इनके पिता तत्कालीन प्रसिद्ध ‘सेनिया मैहर घराने’ या ‘सेनिया मैहर स्कूल’ के संस्थापक थे। यह घराना 20वीं सदी में भारतीय शास्त्रीय संगीत के लिए एक प्रतिष्ठित घराना के रूप में अपना स्थान बनाए हुए था।
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Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) playback singer and occasional music composer. She is one of the most well-known playback singers in the history of Indian music. She has recorded over 48000 songs in films, albums, TV and Radio which includes solos, duets, chorus and title tracks in 20 Indian languages, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi, Badaga, Bengali, Konkani, as well as in foreign languages such as English, Japanese, German and Sinhala. The language in which she sang the most songs in her career was Kannada, followed by Malayalam. She is widely acclaimed as the Queen of expression & modulation in any Language with Nativity.
“The Nightingale of South India”, S. Janaki on her 85th Birthday
Born on 23rd April 1938, Janaki spent most of her childhood at Sircilla. At the age of 9, she got her first stage performance. Basics of music were bought to her by a Nadaswaram Vidwan Paidiswamy. S.Janaki throughout her life did not gain any formal training in classical music. During her early twenties, marked the beginning of her playback singing journey. In the year 1957, she made her debut by giving her voice to a Tamil MOVIE.
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सत्यजित रे भारतीय सिनेमा के दिग्गज फिल्म निर्देशक और निर्माता थे जिन्होंने अपनी फिल्मों के माध्यम से लोगों की सोच को बदल कर रख दिया था। वहीं, उस जमाने में सत्यजित रे एकलौते ऐसे कलाकार थे जिनकी फिल्मों का डंका देश में ही नहीं बल्कि विदेशों में भी बजता था। क्या आप जानते हैं कि अंग्रेजी हास्य अभिनेता और फिल्म निर्देशक ‘चार्ली चैप्लिन’ के बाद सत्यजित रे सिनेमा जगत से जुड़े अकेले ऐसे शख्स थे जिन्हें ‘आक्सफोर्ड विश्वविद्यालय’ द्वारा ‘डॉक्टरेट’ की मानद उपाधि से अलंकृत किया था। इसके साथ ही भारत सरकार द्वारा ‘भारत रत्न’ पुरस्कार से सम्मानित होने वाले वे एकमात्र फिल्म निर्देशक हैं।
सत्यजित रे द्वारा निर्देशित पहली फिल्म ‘पाथेर पांचाली’ (Pather Panchali) वर्ष 1955 में रिलीज हुई थी। उनकी फिल्म को दर्शकों ने काफी पसंद किया और इसे ग्यारह इंटरनेशनल अवार्ड्स भी मिले। इसके बाद उन्होंने लगभग 37 फिल्मों का निर्देशन किया जिसमें फीचर फिल्में, डॉक्यूमेंट्री और कुछ शॉर्ट फिल्में शामिल थी। एक मशहूर फिल्म निर्देशक और निर्माता होने के साथ साथ वे एक प्रतिष्ठित लेखक भी थे। बता दें कि उन्होंने 15 से अधिक किताबें लिखी थी इसमें उन्होंने बच्चो के लिए विशेष तौर पर पुस्तकें लिखी। उनकी पुस्तकों में ‘सोने का किला’, ‘जहाँगीर की स्वर्ण मुद्रा’, ‘प्रोफेसर शंकू के कारनामे’, ‘बादशाही अँगूठी’, ‘अटैची रहस्य’, ‘विषय चलचित्र’, ‘नयन रहस्य’ आदि के नाम लिए जा सकते हैं। वहीं कथा साहित्य के अलावा उन्होंने फिल्मों की समीक्षाएं भी लिखी हैं।
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), an Indian filmmaker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. Ray is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of cinema.
Ray received many major awards in his career, including a record thirty-seven Indian National Film Awards which includes Dadasaheb Phalke Award, a Golden Lion, a Golden Bear, two Silver Bears, many additional awards at international film festivals and ceremonies, and an Academy Honorary Award in 1992. In 1978, he was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian award, in 1992. On the occasion of the birth centenary of Ray, the International Film Festival of India, in recognition of the auteur’s legacy, rechristened in 2021 its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to the “Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award”.
Ray’s legacy remains firmly intact through his films
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William Wordsworth was one of the founders of English Romanticism and one its most central figures and important intellects. He is remembered as a poet of spiritual and epistemological speculation, a poet concerned with the human relationship to nature and a fierce advocate of using the vocabulary and speech patterns of common people in poetry. The son of John and Ann Cookson Wordsworth, William Wordworth was born on April 7, 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, located in the Lake District of England: an area that would become closely associated with Wordsworth for over two centuries after his death. He began writing poetry as a young boy in grammar school, and before graduating from college he went on a walking tour of Europe, which deepened his love for nature and his sympathy for the common man: both major themes in his poetry. Wordsworth is best known for Lyrical Ballads, co-written with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and The Prelude, a Romantic epic poem chronicling the “growth of a poet’s mind.”
Wordsworth’s deep love for the “beauteous forms” of the natural world was established early. The Wordsworth children seem to have lived in a sort of rural paradise along the Derwent River, which ran past the terraced garden below the ample house whose tenancy John Wordsworth had obtained from his employer, the political magnate and property owner Sir James Lowther, Baronet of Lowther (later Earl of Lonsdale).
These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man’s eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and ’mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet.
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शमशाद बेगम
हिन्दी फ़िल्मों की पहली पार्श्व-गायिकाओं में से एक, पद्म भूषण से सम्मानित शमशाद बेगम ने हिन्दी के अलावा बंगाली, मराठी, गुजराती, तमिल एवं पंजाबी भाषाओं में लगभग 6,000 से भी ज़्यादा गाने गाये थे।फ़िल्मों में आने से पहले, शमशाद ने कई भक्ति और क्षेत्रीय गीत गाए थे। कहते हैं कि एक पेशेवर गायिका के रूप में उनका पहला गाना एक हिन्दू भक्ति गीत था, जिसके लिए रिकॉर्डिंग कंपनी ने उनका नाम बदल कर ‘उमा देवी’ रख दिया था। पर जब उन्होंने लगातार गाना शुरू किया, तो उन्होंने अपना नाम बदलने से इंकार कर दिया। धीरे-धीरे उन्हें रेडियो और संगीत निर्देशकों के ऑफर आने लगे।चालीस के दशक के शुरू होते-होते, शमशाद की आवाज़ का जादू बॉलीवुड पर छाने लगा और वह मुंबई आकर बस गयीं।
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Walter Harry Pitts, Jr. (April 23, 1923 – May 14, 1969) logician who worked in the field of computational neuroscience
He proposed landmark theoretical formulations of neural activity and generative processes that influenced diverse fields such as cognitive sciences and psychology, philosophy, neurosciences, computer science, artificial neural networks, cybernetics and artificial intelligence, together with what has come to be known as the generative sciences. He contributed significantly to the development of neural networks, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. His collaboration with Warren McCulloch led to the creation of the first artificial neural network model, which laid the foundation for modern neural network research.
Pitts’ work on the logical calculus of ideas and the theory of neural networks as a model for brain function helped establish the field of cognitive science as an interdisciplinary study of the mind and intelligence. His contributions have had far-reaching implications, with applications in fields such as computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics, including the development of self-driving cars and virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa.
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पंडिता रमाबाई असाधारण प्रतिभावान थी। अपने पिता से संस्कृत भाषा का ज्ञान प्राप्त करके 12 वर्ष की उम्र में ही 20 हज़ार श्लोक कंठस्थ कर लिए थे। देशाटन के कारण उसने मराठी के साथ-साथ कन्नड़, हिन्दी, तथा बंगला भाषाएँ भी सीख लीं। 20 वर्ष की उम्र में ही रमाबाई को संस्कृत के ज्ञान के लिए सरस्वती और पंडिता की उपाधियाँ प्राप्त हुई। तभी से वे पंडिता रमाबाई के नाम से जानी गई। 1876-1877 के भीषण अकाल में दुर्बल पिता और माता का शीघ्र ही देहांत हो गया। अब ये बच्चे पैदल भटकते रहे और तीन वर्ष में इन्होंने 4 हज़ार मील की यात्रा की। 22 साल में शादी होने के बाद उन्होंने बाल विवाह के विरोध में और विधवाओं के हालातों पर बोलना शुरू किया। मेडिकल की उपाधि हासिल करके वो ब्रिटेन गईं। यूएस गईं और स्नातक की उपाधि ली। पति की मौत के बाद उन्होंने पुणे में आर्य महिला समाज की स्थापना की। एक कवयित्री और लेखिका बनाने के क्रम में उन्होंने जीवन में खूब यात्राएं कीं। रमाबाई सात भाषाएं जानती थीं, धर्मपरिवर्तन कर ईसाई बन गईं और उन्होंने बाइबल की अनुवाद मराठी में किया।
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