Govardhan Puja
The festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the next day of Diwali and on the first day of full moon. It commemorates the day when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to save the people of Vrindavan from storm and rain.
Vaishnavas celebrate this day to remember the story from the Bhagavata Purana. In this story, Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to keep the villagers of Vrindavan safe from heavy rains. This story shows how God protects those who trust and believe in Him completely.
The festival holds much significance for the people of Vaishnav faith who venerate Lord Vishnu as Krishna is believed to be one of the incarnations of Vishnu.
A significant part of Govardhan Puja is Annakuta, in which the offering made to the Krishna on behalf of Govardhan parvat.
Devotees prepare a mountain of sweets and other offerings, symbolic to that of a mountain and offer it to Lord Krishna. This ritual has its roots to an incident mentioned in Bhagvata Purana when Krishna lifted Govardhan parvat to save human lives.
Devotees also prepare a miniature mountain symbolic to that of Giriraj Govardhan and adorn it with miniature cows and grass etc. Both the Annakut festival and the Govardhan festival celebrated on the next day of Diwali by the Hindus. They believe it to be the best day to affirm their devotion to God and to teach their children the religious and cultural values.
2) Bhai Dooj
1. This festival celebrated two days after Diwali, the Festival of Lights.
2. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers’ happiness and long life.
3. Brothers promise to protect their sisters forever.
4. Sisters apply a tilak (a special mark) on their brothers’ foreheads.
5. Brothers give gifts to their sisters to show their love.
Families come together, share sweets, and have a great time.
7. Bhai Dooj reminds us of the love and care siblings share.
8. It’s a fun day filled with laughter, blessings, and family time!
9. As part of the tradition, sisters perform a special prayer for their brothers’ well-being during the Bhai Dooj ritual.
10. Brothers and sisters share delicious sweets as part of the celebration.
3) National Cancer Awareness day
On November 7th each year, India observes National Cancer Awareness Day—an initiative that aims to raise awareness about the growing cancer burden in the country and inspire action towards prevention, early detection, and treatment. India is the first country in the world to officially recognize National Cancer Awareness Day. The date was chosen not only to honor the birth of Nobel Laureate Madame Marie Curie, who discovered radioactivity and whose work has had a profound impact on cancer treatment but also to reflect India’s commitment to addressing cancer as a public health priority.
India, home to over 1.4 billion people, is experiencing a rapid rise in cancer cases, largely due to lifestyle changes, tobacco use, poor dietary habits, and inadequate physical activity. According to estimates, approximately 800,000 new cancer cases are expected each year, with tobacco-related cancers accounting for as much as 35–50% of all cancers in men and 17% in women. However, various types of cancer are preventable, and through widespread awareness and timely interventions, India is significantly reducing its cancer burden.
The Growing Progress in cancer care in India
Cancer is one of the most pressing public health challenges India faces today. According to data from the National Cancer Registry Program. cancer cases are expected to increase significantly, with an estimated 800,000 new diagnoses annually. Among these, tobacco-related cancers—including oral, lung, and head and neck cancers—are particularly prevalent and account for a major proportion of cancer cases. These cancers are largely preventable, underscoring the importance of early intervention, lifestyle modification, and tobacco cessation programs.
Addressing Risk Factors ; Tabacco, Diet and Lifestyle.
India’s cancer landscape is shaped by multiple lifestyle-related risk factors. Tobacco consumption, whether through smoking or chewing, is the single most significant contributor to cancer in India. It is responsible for an estimated 40–50% of cancer cases in men and 20% in women. Oral cancers, in particular, are a major concern, with chewing tobacco being more prevalent in certain regions of the country. Govt has taken various measures to address these issues, such as:
- Tobacco Control: As tobacco use is a major risk factor for cancer, measures have been implemented to discourage tobacco consumption through various public health campaigns.
- Comprehensive Primary Health Care: The preventive aspect of cancer is strengthened through the Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres(AB-HWC) scheme, which promotes wellness activities and community-level health communication.
- Nutrition Promotion: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) promotes healthy eating habits to reduce cancer risk.
The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) was launched in 1975 and later integrated into the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS), which has been operational since 2010. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the NPCDCS supports state and union territories in generating awareness about cancer prevention. Financial support is provided for Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities to raise public awareness at the grassroots level.
As part of this initiative, 616 Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics have been established at the district level, along with 3,827 such clinics at the Community Health Centre (CHC) level. Additionally, 214 Day Care Centres for Chemotherapy have been set up to provide specialized care.
The program also includes population-based screening for common NCDs, with individuals aged 30 and above being screened for prevalent conditions, including three major cancers: breast, oral, and cervical cancer.
4) Chhaya from Abhishek College got 2nd Position in Rangoli in 9th Inter Zonal Youth Festival 2024 of PTU held at Bathinda
5) Manat from Abhishek College got 1st Position in Poem Recitation in 9th Inter Zonal Youth Festival 2024 of PTU held at Bathinda.
6) Other Activities
7) Sh. Jawaharlal Nehru Jayanti
India has been the home to many great freedom fighters and world leaders. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is one among them. He was born on 14th November 1889 at Allahabad, officially known as Prayagraj. His father, Motilal Nehru, was a famous barrister. In the initial years, Jawaharlal Nehru had his primary education at home. He was then sent to England for high school studies. He completed his graduation in Law from Trinity College in Cambridge and became a barrister at the Inner Temple in London. He then returned to India as he was passionate about the Indian freedom struggle.
In the fight for Indian independence, he was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. Under his guidance, Jawaharlal Nehru took an active part in the freedom struggle following the path of truth and non-violence. Due to this, he was sent to jail many times. During his one of the jail periods, he wrote the book, ‘The Discovery of India’. He also wrote a series of letters to his daughter, Indira, telling her about the rich social and cultural heritage of India and the importance of the freedom struggle. He played a very active role in the struggle for independence with Congress. He was made the president of the Indian National Congress in 1929. Under him, Congress took the pledge of complete independence from British rule. This was known as the Poorna Swaraj declaration and was officially acknowledged on 26th November 1930. This day is celebrated as ‘The Republic Day in India when India officially adopted its constitution.
After the independence of India on 15th August 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India. Under his astute leadership and global vision, India achieved progress, prosperity, and respect on the international stage. He laid the foundation of democracy in India. He exemplified his belief in democracy at an international level by adopting the Non-Aligned Policy as part of India’s foreign policy. This made India the pioneer of the Non-Aligned Movement in the world. He believed in peaceful co-existence and therefore he signed the Panchsheel Agreement between India and China in 1961. He was a great supporter of disarmament and worked hard to create an international order of peace and brotherhood. Following the path defined by Buddha, Christ, and Nanak, he led India, the largest democracy in the world, to a position of respect in the world.
He died on 27th May 1964. He left behind the rich heritage of planning and development. He created a network of educational, technical, and medical institutions. One of the best examples is the establishment of a chain of the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. He left a legacy of large industrial, agricultural, irrigation, and power projects. Projects such as setting up steel plants, construction of dams, and establishing power plants led India to the path of technological and infrastructural development.
His contributions have been noteworthy in all fields. Because of this, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came to be known as ‘The Architect of Modern India’. He was one of the few men who made a great impact on the country and the world. Being a favorite amongst the children and popularly known as ‘Chacha Nehru’, his birthday is celebrated as Children’s Day in India. He is and will be known for being a visionary and his beliefs for the unity of the country and the liberty of mankind.
8) Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Birth Anniversary
Guru Nanak Dev is the first guru of Sikhs. Similarly, the Sikhs consider him to be the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak Jayanti is a very big day for those who follow Sikhism. They celebrate the day to remember and pay gratitude to Guru Nanak Dev.
People respect him immensely for his great contributions to humanity. Moreover, various states of India observe his birthday as a public holiday. On this day, people remember the teachings of Guru Nanak and recite them in his memory.
As the Sikh religion is spread throughout the world, people belonging to it celebrate the day like a festival with a lot of joy and happiness. Sikhs commemorate this day to remember the essential teachings of Guru Nanak and follow them rigorously.
They pay respect to their Guru who went to a lot of places to teach people how to live in harmony as well as peace. Similarly, it was Guru Nanak who started to provide langar kitchens i.e. community kitchens, to the people.
By arranging a langar kitchen, Guru Nanak aimed to eradicate inequality and differences that were prevalent in our society at that time. Further, the kitchen serves as a great way of promoting brotherhood and love amongst humans irrespective of caste, creed, religion, gender, class, etc.
Therefore, the celebration of Gurpurab is no less than a homage to a person who dedicated his entire life to work for the welfare of the people. In addition, he also offered us a valuable set of teaching to make the world a better place.
9) Constitution Day
Constitution Day also known as ‘Samvidhan Divas’, is celebrated
in our country on 26th November every year to commemorate the adoption
of the Constitution of India. On 26th November 1949, the Constituent
Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which came into
effect from 26th January 1950.The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 19th November
2015 notified the decision of Government of India to celebrate the 26th day
of November every year as ‘Constitution Day’ to promote Constitution
values among citizens.
The Constitution of India was framed by a Constituent Assembly set
up under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946. The Assembly held its first
meeting on December 9, 1946, and elected Dr. Sachhidanand Sinha, the
oldest member of the Assembly as the Provisional President. On
December 11, 1946, the Assembly elected Dr Rajendra Prasad as its
permanent Chairman.
The Constituent Assembly set up 13 committees for framing the
constitution including a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar. On the basis of the reports of these committees, a draft
of the Constitution was prepared by a seven-member Drafting Committee.
It is the longest written Constitution in the world containing 395
Articles, 22 Parts and 12 Schedules.
The Constitution of India was not typeset or printed but was
handwritten and calligraphic in both English and Hindi. It was entirely
handcrafted by the artists of Shantiniketan under the guidance of Acharya.
Nandalal Bose, with the calligraphy texts done by Prem Behari Narain
Raizada in Delhi.
The original copies of the Constitution of India are kept in special
helium-filled cases in the Library of the Parliament of India. Each part of
the Constitution begins with a depiction of a phase or scene from India’s
national history. At the beginning of each part of the Constitution, Nandalal
Bose has depicted a phase or scene from India’s national experience and
history. The artwork and illustrations (22 in all), rendered largely in the
miniature style, represent vignettes from the different periods of history of
the Indian subcontinent, ranging from Mohenjodaro in the Indus Valley,
the Vedic period, the Gupta and Maurya empires and the Mughal era to
the national freedom movement. By doing so, Nandalal Bose has taken
us through a veritable pictorial journey across 4000 years of rich history,
tradition and culture of the Indian subcontinent.
People of India are the ultimate custodians of the Constitution. It is
in them that sovereignty vests and it is in their name that the Constitution
was adopted. The Constitution empowers the citizen, but the citizen too
empowers the Constitution – by following it, by adhering to it, by protecting
it, and by persevering to make it more meaningful with words and deeds.
The Constitution is nobody’s preserve – and it is everybody’s preserve.
When the Constitution was adopted in the year 1949, there were no
provisions regarding Fundamental Duties to the Citizens though there was
a Part III for Fundamental Rights. The Fundamental Duties of citizens
were added to the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, upon the
recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee that was constituted
by the Government. The Committee suggested that steps needed to be
taken to ensure that the individual did not overlook his duties while in
exercise of his Fundamental Rights.
By way of the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1976, a new
Chapter IV-A which consists of only one Article i.e 51-A was added which
dealt with a Code of Ten Fundamental Duties for citizens. Fundamental
duties are intended to serve as a constant reminder to every citizen that
while the constitution specifically conferred on them certain Fundamental
Rights, it also requires citizens to observe certain basic norms of
democratic conduct and democratic behaviour because rights and duties
are co-relative. The inclusion of Fundamental Duties brought our
Constitution in line with article 29 (1) of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and with provisions in several modern Constitutions of
other countries. The concept of Fundamental duties was taken from the
USSR.
The Fundamental duties are essentially taken from the Indian
tradition, mythology, religions and practices. Essentially these were the
duties that are the codification of tasks integral to the Indian way of life.
Originally ten fundamental duties were listed. Later on, by virtue of 86th
Constitution the Amendment in year 2002, 11th duty was added.
10) Shahidi diwas of kartar Singh Sarabha Ji
करतार सिंह का जन्म 24 मई 1896 को पंजाब के सराभा गाँव में हुआ था। वे एक साधारण सिक्ख परिवार में जन्मे इकलौते बेटे थे। पिता की मृत्यु के बाद उनके दादा ने उनका पालन-पोषण किया। करतार सिंह सराभा का जन्म अविभाजित पंजाब में हुआ था, जो कई समय से भयंकर सूखे से जूझ रहा था। बेहतर अवसरों की तलाश में, पंजाबियों ने कनाडा और अमरीका जैसी जगहों पर पलायन करना शुरू कर दिया था। 20वीं सदी के पहले दशक तक हज़ारों पंजाबी इन देशों में चले गए थे। जुलाई 1912 में, सराभा कैलिफ़ोर्निया विश्वविद्यालय, बर्कले में अपनी आगे की शिक्षा पूरी करने के इरादे से सैन फ़्रांसिस्को पहुँचे। यद्यपि यह स्पष्ट नहीं है कि उन्होंने वहाँ शिक्षा ग्रहण की या नहीं। हालाँकि, कैलिफ़ोर्निया में उनके अनुभवों ने उनका भविष्य बदल दिया।
आम तौर पर अप्रवासियों और विशेष रूप से औपनिवेशिक देशों से आए अप्रवासियों के प्रति अमरीकियों का द्वेष बहुत स्पष्ट था। उस समय, सराभा कई अन्य अप्रवासियों की तरह ही कैलिफ़ोर्निया में एक मज़दूर के रूप में काम कर रहे थे जिस दौरान उन्हें एक औपनिवेशिक देश से आने के कारण होने वाले अपमान का अच्छे से एहसास हुआ। अमरीका में भारतीय लोग अक्सर अपनी समस्याओं पर चर्चा करने और अपने दुखों को साझा करने के लिए एक दूसरे से मिलते थे। ऐसे संघों और विचारों के आदान-प्रदान के कारण, अपने देश के उपनिवेशवादियों (अंग्रेज़ों) की तरफ़ करतार सिंह का क्रोध और भी बढ़ गया। 1913 में, ओरेगॉन में गदर पार्टी का गठन हुआ। यह भारतीयों का एक संगठन था, जो सशस्त्र विद्रोह के माध्यम से भारत में ब्रिटिश शासन को उखाड़ फेंक, अपने लोगों की गरिमा को वापस स्थापित करना चाहता था। संगठन का मुख्यालय सैन फ़्रांसिस्को में था। सराभा ने इसमें सक्रिय रूप से भाग लेना शुरू कर दिया। उन्होंने वहाँ के भारतीयों में जागरूकता फैलाने के लिए प्रकाशित किए जाने वाले गदर अखबार के पंजाबी अंक को प्रकाशित करने की पहल की।
जुलाई 1914 में, जब प्रथम विश्व युद्ध में यूरोप भी सम्मिलित हो गया, तो गदर पार्टी के सदस्यों ने इसे अंग्रेज़ों पर हमला करने के एक अवसर के रूप में देखा। इसके बाद उन्होंने भारतीयों को भारत में ही संगठित करने की योजना बनाई। करतार सिंह गदर आंदोलन के उन सदस्यों में से एक थे, जो 1914 के अंत तक भारत लौट आए थे। उनमें से कई क्रांतिकारियों को, उनके आगमन पर ही ब्रिटिश अधिकारियों ने गिरफ़्तार कर लिया था। करतार सिंह और रास बिहारी बोस जैसे अन्य क्रांतिकारियों ने इस घटना से विचलित हुए बिना, पंजाब में छावनियों में देशभक्त सैनिकों को ढूँढकर, अंग्रेज़ों के खिलाफ़ संगठित करने का काम जारी रखा। हालाँकि, इससे पहले कि वे विद्रोह कर पाते, अंग्रेज़ों ने क्रांतिकारियों को गिरफ़्तार कर लिया। इसके परिणामस्वरूप लाहौर षडयंत्र मुकदमा दायर हुआ, जिसके अंतर्गत अवरूद्ध हुए विद्रोह में शामिल क्रांतिकारियों के खिलाफ़ लाहौर में कई मुकदमे चलाए गए। न्यायालय में करतार सिंह सराभा ने बिना किसी खेद या ग्लानि के गर्व के साथ यह कहा कि अंग्रेज़ों के खिलाफ़ लोगों को लामबंद करना उनका कर्तव्य था। उनकी अडिग देशभक्ति ने न्यायाधीशों को पूरी तरह से उनके खिलाफ़ कर दिया। सराभा को उनके हमवतन विष्णु गणेश पिंगले के साथ 16 नवंबर 1915 को लाहौर सेंट्रल जेल में फाँसी दे दी गई।
करतार सिंह सराभा केवल उन्नीस वर्ष के थे जब उन्हें ब्रिटिश अधिकारियों ने फाँसी दे दी थी। उनकी बहादुरी, सक्रियता और भारत की स्वतंत्रता के लिए प्रतिबद्धता, किसी भी वीर योद्धा से कम नहीं थी। वे समकालीन स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों के लिए प्रेरणा और साहस का स्रोत बने। उदाहरण के लिए, भगत सिंह जो निर्भीक करतार सिंह सराभा को अपना आदर्श मानते थे।