International Day on Violence against Women

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women  The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. For 2014, the official Theme framed by the UN Secretary-General’s campaign Unite to End Violence against Women is Orange your Neighbourhood.^[2]

 

Historically, the date is based on the date of the 1960 assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic; the killings were ordered by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930–1961).^[1] In 1981, activists marked November 25 as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly; on December 17, 1999, the date received its official United Nations (UN) resolution.^[1]

The UN and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have encouraged governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities to support the day as an international observance.^[3] For example, UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) observes the day each year and offers suggestions for other organizations to observe it. For 2014, the focus is on how violence cuts across all 12 of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which turns 20 next year.^[4]

The date of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also marks the start of the “16 Days of Activism” that precedes Human Rights Day on December 10 each year.

 

Here are some statistics that show why we still need the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

 

Around the world:

• 35 per cent of women and girls globally experience some form of physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime with up to seven in ten women facing this abuse in some countries.
• It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from FGM and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide.
• Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.

The costs and consequence of violence against women last for generations

CHILDREN’S DAY

India, Children’s Day is celebrated on 14 November, on the birthday of the first Prime Minister of independent India, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru) or Chachaji (Uncle), and who emphasized the importance of giving love and affection to children, whom he saw as the bright future of India. This day is also known as Bal Diwas

For the progress and development of the youth of India, he had established various educational institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Indian Institutes of Management. The first five-year plan under his stewardship mandated  free primary education. He also advocated free meals including milk to the school children  to prevent malnutrition. Now several state governments including Karnataka Government have free mid-day meal scheme for all children studying in Government schools . This scheme has been lauded by the World Bank.

Many functions are organized in schools, offices and other organizations. Most schools hold cultural performances on this day, run by the children themselves. Teachers also get involved and may perform songs and dances for their students. On this day, the State and the Central Government also make it a point to showcase children’s films as part of Film festivals organized in many parts of the country. All over the country, various cultural and social institutions conduct competitions for children. Children’s Day is seen as a day for the kids to engage in fun. Children take part in many activities organized for them.

The deep love for  Chacha Nehru towards the children is the big reason of celebrating the Children’s Day at his birthday anniversary

WORLD SCIENCE DAY

Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.

By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

The Day offers the opportunity to mobilize all actors around the topic of science for peace and development – from government officials to the media to school pupils. UNESCO strongly encourages all to join us in celebrating World Science Day for Peace and Development by organizing your own event or activity on the day.

In 2016, the celebration focuses on science centers and science museums to highlight their important contribution to science communication.

·         Strengthen public awareness on the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies;

·         Promote national and international solidarity for shared science between countries;

·         Renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies;

·         Draw attention to the challenges faced by science and raising support for the scientific endeavor

 

Citizen’s participation in governance is the core of democracy and an indispensable prerequisite for the empowerment of people. Science communication is crucial for public participation and engagement and in this regard science centers and museum’s role goes beyond providing information on scientific issues. They are places where people can come together and explore the very mysteries that make up our world. They are fostering creativity, increasing scientific literacy, supporting teachers to inspire their students in STEM, improving the quality of science education and promoting learning experiences within a social context, as well as changing possible negative perceptions of the impact of science on society, thus attracting youths to science careers and encouraging them to experiment and expand our collective knowledge.

The purpose of the World Science Day for Peace and Development is to renew the national, as well as the international commitment to science for peace and development and to stress the responsible use of science for the benefit of society. The World Science Day for Peace and Development also aims at raising public awareness of the importance of science and to bridge the gap between science and societies

Background

It was recommended at the World Conference on Science in Budapest in 1999 recognition was required for the need for a new compact between science and society. It was discussed at the conference that a World Science Day would help strengthen commitments to attain the Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge’s goals and to pursue the Science Agenda: Framework for Action’s recommendations.

Following the World Conference on Science, UNESCO established the WSDPD through a proclamation at a general conference in 2001. The WSDPD was to be served a reminder of the organization’s mandate and commitment to science. The day was first celebrated on November 10, 2002 and has been held annually on November 10 since.

 

WORLD RUN DAY

The Sunday closest to November 8 marks World Run Day each year. It is a day for runners worldwide to join each other, wherever their location, in a celebration of running and charitable giving. Whether running with a small group, in a race event or running individually (in the world’s first-ever “virtual run”) runners are called upon to share in a celebration with other runners worldwide.

World Run Day was inspired in 1999 by Long Island Runner Bill McDermott. It all began when Bill was experimenting with a computer program that produced t-shirt designs. As an avid runner himself, he asked himself “what would be the ultimate running event. His immediate response was a global event called “World Run Day”. Having the opportunity to select the event day, he dedicated it to his brother killed in an automobile accident on Nov 8, 1983. As many running events occur on a Sunday, World Run Day is observed on a Sunday closest to November 8 each year.

After carefully thinking about what a World Run Day would be and how all runners could celebrate the day (either by running on their own, in races, or running virtually), he reached out to runners locally and also worldwide thru the Internet. About 40 runners from Long Beach, NY participated and another 60 runners in locations scattered across the globe also participated. Following event day, results and pictures were posted on the Internet. Since then, the annual tradition continues with thousands of runners, new t-shirt designs, free event toolkits, and fundraising dollars that reach over 1,000 charities each year.

Since 1999, over 10,000 runners have participated in World Run Day events. Passionate runners in schools, non-profit organizations, and event directors in various locations love the concept of World Run Day. World Run Day provides free materials and the opportunity for groups to host a World Run Day fundraiser in their community – by promoting the sport of running on a local basis. Groups are encouraged to contact World Run Day directly to log their event, receive free tools and obtain discounts on event t-shirts.

World Run Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths, nationalities, while also benefiting each runner favorite charity. In recent years, group events, large and small, have formed in different cities: World Run Day – Philadelphia, World Run Day – London, World Run Day – Sydney, among others. World Run Day – Afghanistan was even celebrated during wartime. Celebrities such as Sting have commented that Anyone can form a World Run Day in their city using the free tools and group shirt discounts provided by World Run Day.

Commenting about the World Run Day concept, the celebrity Sting and wife Trudie Styler. stated: “It is a great way for people around the world to come together and raise money for charity.”

For the running enthusiasts in bangalore, below are the dates,

	06-Nov-2016	Bhumi India Run					10K			Bengaluru	KA
	06-Nov-2016	My Country Run					10K	5K		Bangalore	KA
	06-Nov-2016	The Battleram						5K		Bengaluru	KA
	12-Nov-2016	Bangalore Ultra		Ultra		25K	12.5K			Bengaluru	KA
	13-Nov-2016	Gender Equality Run						7K		Bengaluru	KA
	13-Nov-2016	NITTE Celebration Mangalore				Half	10K	5K		Mangalore	KA
	13-Nov-2016	7 Kms Challenge (3.5 X 2 Relay)						7K		Bengaluru	KA
	20-Nov-2016	WDR Pride Runathon					10K	5K		Bengaluru	KA
	20-Nov-2016	Beer Mile India							1Mile	Bengaluru	KA
	20-Nov-2016	Rotary10K Run					10K	5K	3K	Bengaluru	KA
	20-Nov-2016	WDR Pride Runathon					10K	5K	3K	Bengaluru	KA

 

 

 

26-Nov-                                                 2016	Walkathon 2.0					15K Walk			Bengaluru	KA
	27-Nov-2016	3k Marathon for Kids							3K	Mysore	KA
	04-Dec-2016	APR Marathon				21K	10K	5K	2K	Bengaluru	KA
	09-Dec-2016	Oxfam Trailwalker								Bengaluru	KA
	10-Dec-2016	Bangalore Midnight Marathon			Full	Half	10K	5K		Bangalore	KA
	11-Dec-2016	Barefoot Marathon			Full	Half	10K		1 Mile	Bengaluru	KA
	18-Dec-2016	Ajmera Thump! Bangalore 1/2 Marathon and 10K				Half	10K	5K		Bangalore	KA\

 

KARNATAKA RAJYOTHSAVA

Kannada Rajyotsava , literally “Birth of the Karnataka state is celebrated on 1 November of every year. This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of South India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.

Aluru Venkata Rao was the first person who dreamt of unifying the State as early as 1905 with the Karnataka Ekikarana movement. In 1950, India became republic and different provinces were formed in the country on the basis of language spoken in the particular region and this gave birth to the state of Mysore including various places in south India, which were earlier ruled by the kings

On 1 November 1956, Mysore state, comprising most of the area of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore, was merged with the Kannada-speaking areas of the Bombay and Madras presidencies, as also of the principality of Hyderabad, to create a unified Kannada-speaking sub-national entity. North Karnataka, Malnad (Canara) and old Mysore were thus the three regions of the newly formed Mysore state.
The newly unified state initially retained the name “Mysore”, which was that of the erstwhile princely state which formed the core of the new entity. But the people of North Karnataka did not favor the retention of the name Mysore, as it was closely associated with the erstwhile principality and the southern areas of the new state. In deference to this logic, the name of the state was changed to “Karnataka” on 1 November 1973. Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister of the state when this landmark decision was taken. Other people credited for the unification of Karnataka include littérateurs like K. Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, A. N. Krishna Rao and B. M. Srikantaiah.
MAP of Karnataka

This flag was adopted by a party called “Kannada Paksha”, founded in 1965 as the party flag and it has become a symbol of Karnataka and has been adopted  a flag by Kannadigas. Kannada flag with red and yellow color” represents the culture and reorganized State of  the Karnataka

 

The Kannada flag used as an emblem of Kannada culture