BOOKS AND AUTHORS - - IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR

BOOKS AND AUTHORS - - IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR

Contemporary writers

Name	Achievements and awards	Books
Vikram Seth	Kolkata born Indian novelist and poet. Padmshree, crossword book award, WH Smith Literary Award	A Suitable Boy, The Golden Gate, An Equal Music , Two Lives, All you who sleep tonight. A suitable Girl
Amitav Ghosh	Kolkata born, American Indian, nominated for Man booker prize	Sea of Poppies, The shadow lines, The Glass Palace The Hungary Tide, River of smoke, 41 The Calcutta Chromosome
Aravind Adiga	Chennai born Indian writer and journalist, His debut novel The white tiger, won 2008 Man Booker prize	The White Tiger, Between assassinations, The Last man in Tower.
V.S.Naipaul Nobel Prize in 2001 for his novel Half a Life, a story about an Indian immigrant to England and Africa.	V. S. Naipaul, in full, Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, is a British writer born and raised in Trinidad to which his grandfathers had emigrated from India as indentured servants. Nobel Prize in Literature, Man Booker Prize, Jerusalem Prize	A House for Mr. Biswas, A Bend in the River, Half a life, An area of Darkness, The Enigma of Arrival
Anita Desai	Anita Mazumdar Desai is an Indian novelist and the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Fasting Feasting, The village by the sea, In Custody, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall., Baumgartner's Bombay, The artist of disappearance
Arundhati Roy	Suzanna Arundhati Roy is an Indian author and political activist who is best known for the 1998 Man Booker Prize for Fiction winning novel The God of Small Things	The God of Small things, The cost of living, War Talk, Public power in the age of empire, Power politics., The Broken republic. The hanging of Afjal guru
Salman Rushdie	Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a British Indian novelist and essayist. His second novel, Midnight's Children, won the Booker Prize in 1981.	The Satanic verses, Midnight’s children. The Enchantress of Florence Luka and the fire of life
Jumpa Lahiri	Jhumpa Lahiri is an Indian American author. Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake, was adapted into the popular film of the same name.	The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, The lowland, Unaccustomed Earth
E.M. Forster	Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist.	A Passage to India, Howards End, Where Angles fear to trade.
Kiran Desai	Kiran Desai is an Indian author. Her novel The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction	The Inheritance of Loss, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchade.
Ruskin Bonds Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India in 1993, the Padma Shri in 1999,	Born in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) in 1934, Ruskin Bond grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun, New Delhi and Simla. His first novel The Room on the Roof, written when he was seventeen, received the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957.	The Room on the Roof, The night train at Deoli, A flight of pigeions.  Notes from a small Room, the blue umbrella
Rohinton Mistry whose book was withdrawn by the Mumbai University after the Shiv Sena's protest. “Such a long Journey”	Indian-born Canadian writer in English. Residing in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Mistry is of Indian origin, originally from Mumbai. He practises Zoroastrianism and belongs to the Parsi community.	Such a long Journey, A fine balance, Family matters, Tales from Firojsha baug.
Kapil Sibbal	Present law and communication minister.	I witness- Partial observation,  My world within.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	Bharat Ratna Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007	Wings of fire, Ignited minds, Target 3 Billion, The Luminous Spark, India 2020; A vision for Indian Youth, The family and the nation, Indomitable Spirit, Inspiring thoughts, Thoughts for change: We can do it, India – My- dream, You Are Born to Blossom, Turning point, You are unique
Chetan Bhagat	Chetan Bhagat, is an Indian author, columnist, and speaker. Bhagat is the author of bestselling novels	Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States, Revolution 2020, and What Young India Wants. MOVIES  Kai po che on novel 3 mistakes of my life and 3 idiot on five point some one.
Barrack Obama	US President	Dreams from my Father, Audacity of Hope, Of thee I sing
Shashi Tharoor		The Elephant, the tiger and the Cell phone :Reflections on India in the 21st Century, The great Indian novel, Show business, The Five dollar smile. Riot a love storey. The Argumentative Indian. India- The future is now, pax indica
Amartya Sen Bharat Ratna	Amartya Kumar Sen, CH is an Indian philosopher and economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences	Development as freedom, The idea of justice, Inequality reexamined,
Ramchandra Guha	Indian historian and writer whose research interests include environmental, social, political and cricket history	India after Gandhi,  Gandhi before India, The makers of modern india
Raghuram rajan	RBI governor and renowed economist	Fault lines , Saving capitalism from capitalists

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Other Books and Authors

Imagining India- Ideas for the new century Nandan Nilekani

A Better India A Better World N. R. Narayan Murthy

Good Bye Shahzadi (A biography of Benzir Bhutto) Shyam Bhatia

Jinnah -India, Partition, Independence Jaswant Singh

Moon Walk (Autobiography ) Michael Jackson

My China Diary K. Natwar Singh

My Country My Life Lal Krishna Advani

My Kashmir, Conflict and Prospects of Enduring Peace ---Wajahat habibullah

My Life ( Autobiography ) Fidel Castro

Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics --Joe Biden. American vice president.

Reconciliation : Islam Democracy and the West  Benizir Bhutto

Sapna Jo Pura Hua Vergees Kurian

The Cuckoo’s calling –Robert Gailbraith. The author J.K. ROWLING some times writes  

                                                                         under pseudonym Robert Gailbraith.

Inferno --- Dan Brown.

The day I stopped drinking milk – Sudha murti w/o N R Narayan murti

Shiva Trilogy  I II  III ( 3 books ) – Amish tripathi

The Blue Umbrella – Ruskin bond

Gandhi before India – Ramchandra guha

Curtain raiser ----  k natwar singh

Daughter of the east – Benazir Bhutto

The test of my life from cricket to cancer and back – Yuvraj singh

Straight from the heart – Kapil dev

Sunny days – Sunil gavaskar

Nirbasan , Lajja   -- Taslima Nasreen

Walking with lions – tales from a diplomatic past. -  k Natwar singh

IMPORTANT DAYS

Name of the Day/Event	Date
Month of January
Louis Braille Day	5th January
World Laughter Day	10th January
National Youth Day ( Birthday of Swami Vivekanand)	12th January
Army Day	15th January
International Customs and Excise Day	25th January
Tourism Day ( India)	25th January
Republic Day (India)	26th January
Martyrs’s Day	30th January
Leprosy Prevention Day	30th January
Sarvodaya  Day	30th January
Month of February
Rose Day	12th February
Valentine Day	14th February
International Mother Tongue Day	21th February
Central Excise Tex Day	24th February
National Science Day	28th February
Month of March
National Defence Day	3rd March
National  Security Day ( Security of Industrial Institutions)	4th March
International Woman’s Day	8th march
World Kidney Day	9th March
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Foundation day	9th March
World Consumer Day	15th March
National Vaccination/Immunization Day	16th March
Ordnance Manufacturing Day	18th March
World Disabled Day	20th March
World Forestry Day	21st March
World Water day	22nd March
World Meteorological Day	23rd March
Ram Manohar Lohia’s Birth Day (Anniversary)	23rd March
Bhagat Singh , Sukhdev And Rajguru’s Martyrdam Day	23rd March
World TB (Tuberculosis) Day	24th March
Rural Postal Life Insurance Day	24th March
Sacrifice Day of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi	25th March
National Day of Bangladesh	26th March
World Theater Day	27th March
National Ship Transport Day	29th March
Month of April
World Autism Awareness Day	2nd April
National Maritime Day	5th April
Special Protection Group (SPG) Foundation Day	7th April
World Health Day	7th April
World Homeopathy Day (Birth day of Samuel Hanimen)	10th April
World Aeronautics and Cosmology Day	14th April
Ambedkar’s Birth Anniversary	14th April
World Hemophilia Day	17th April
World Heritage Day	18th April
Indian Civil Services Day	21st April
International Mother Earth Day	22nd April
World Books and Copyright Day	23rd April
Panchayati Raj Divas	24th April
World Malaria Day	25th April
Month of May
International Labour Day (Worker’s Day of May Day)	1st May
World Asthma Day	2nd May
World Press Freedom Day	3rd May
International Energy Day	3rd May
World Red Cross Day	8th May
Mother’s Day	2nd Sunday of May
World Laughter Day	7th May
World Thalami Day	8th May
International Pthylesemia Day	8th May
Global Accessibility Awareness Day	3rd May
National Technological Day	11th May
International Nurses Day	12th May
International Family Day	15th May
World Telecommunication Day	17th May
Anti-Terrorism Day	21st May
World Biodiversity	23rd May
Commonwealth Day	24th May
Death Anniversary of Jawahar Lal Nehru	27th May
World Anti-Tobacco (and No-smoking )	31st May
Month of June
World Environment Day	5th June
International Olympic Association Establishment Day	6th June
Father’s Day	18th June
World Refugee Day	20th June
World Diabetes Day	27th June
Month of July
Doctor’s Day ( Birthday of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy )	1st July
State Bank of India Foundation Day	1st July
American Independence Day	4th July
World Population Day	11th July
Kargil Memorial Day	26th July
Month of August
World Breast Feeding Day	1st August
World Peace Day, Hiroshima Day	6th August
Quit India Day, Nagasaki Day	9th August
World Youth Day	12th August
Pakistan’s Independence Day	14th August
Independence Day (India)	15th August
World Photography Day	19th August
Sadbhawana Divas	20th August
National Sports Day (Birth Day Of Dhyanchand)	29th August
Small Indusrty Day	30th August
Month of September
Teacher’s Day (Birth Day of S.Radhakrishnan	5th September
World Literacy Day	8th September
World Fraternity and Apology Day	14th September
Hindi Dives ( Day)	14th September
Engineer’s Day	15th September
World Ozone Day	16th September
Railway Police Force (RPF) Foundation Day	20th September
Alzheimer’s Day	21st September
World Deaf Day	23rd September
World Tourism Day	27th September
World Heart Day	29th September
Month of October
International Oldmen’s Day	1st October
Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Day (International Non- violence Day)	2nd October
Birth day of Lal Bahadur Sastri	2nd October
World Habitat day	3rd October
World Animal Welfare Day	4th October
World Teacher’s Day	5th October
World Wild animal Day	6th October
Indian Air Force Day	8th October
World Post Day	9th October
Birthday of Loknayak Jay Prakash Narayan	11th October
UN International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction	13th October
World Standards Day	14th October
World Food Day	16th October
World Allergy Awareness Day	16th October
World Iodine Shortage Day	21st October
United Nation (UN) Day	24th October
Worldthrift Day	30th October
Death Anniversary of Indira Gandhi	31st October
Month of November
World Service Day	9th November
Children’s Day (Birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru)	14th November
International Day For Endurance	16th November
World Students Day	17th November
National Journalism Day	17th November
World Adult Day	18th November
World Citizen Day	19th November
Universal Children’s Day	20th November
World Television Day	21th November
World Non-veg Prevention Day	25th November
World Environment Protection Day	26th November
National Law Day	26th November
Month of December
Words AIDS Day	1st December
International Day forthe Abolition of Slavery	2nd December
World Disabled Day	3 rd December
Chemical Accidents Prevention Day	4th December
Navy Day	4th December
International Volunteers Day	5th December
International Civil Aviation Day	7th December
Armed Forces Flag Day	7th December
Girl Child Day (Balika Divas) (India)	9th December
International Human Rights Day	10th December
World Children’s Fund Day	11th December
World Asthma Day	11th December
National Energy Conservation Day	14th December
Liberation Day Of Goa	19th December
Kisan Dives (Birthday Charan Singh)	23 rd December
X-mas Day	25th December
Central Reserve Police Force( CRPF) Foundation Day	26th December

Gist of current affairs from July 2013 Megazines

Gist of current affairs from July 2013 Megazines

·        Siddharamaiyah  of congress party  became Chief minister of Karnataka.

·        Takehiko Nakao (Japan) on 27 april appointed president of ADB Asian development Bank succeeding Haruhiko Kuroda., who was appointed as Governor of Bank of Japan.

·        UN Public service award to MP for its initiative “Gramin Haat”  It was started to strengthnening and empowering the women’s self help group.

·        12^th may , International Nurses day. The National Florence Nightingale award for Nursing professional were presented on this day.

·        Whitley Award , also known as green oscar was given to Indian biologist Dr. Aparajita Datta in London for  her efforts in conservation of a rare species in dense tropical forests of Arunachal Pradesh.

·        Famous Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar passed away . Dhrupad is the oldest north Indian clsssical music form.

·        IMF approved $1.3 billion loan for Cyprus to stabilize its financial sector. IMF loan is a part of a rescue package of 10 billion Euros (12.9 billion $) approved in March from Eurozone bailout fund. Cyprus is the fourth country since 2010 after Greece , Ireland and Portugal to get such bailouts.

·        The largest Biogas plant was set up in Finland.

·        IBSA India –Brazil and South Africa is a trilateral development initiative to promote south –souh cooperation and exchange. Recently IBSA Women’s forum meet was held which was represented by Mrs Krishna Teerath , Minister of women and child development from India.

·        OBC creamy layer criterion raised to 6 lakh from 4.5 lakh earlier.

·        Raguram rajan headed  6 member expert committee to review norms to  measure backwardness of states      The new criterion such as distance of the state from national economic averages, per capita income and other human development indicators will be considered.  

·        Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan .. Govt. has accorded a high priority to the sanitation sector. In 12^th plan an outlay of Rs. 34,377 crore has been provided for rural sanitation as against 6,540 crore in 11^th plan. The goal is to achive 100% access to sanitation for all rural households by 2022 under NBA .

·        INFLATION INDEXED BONDS : IIB :As promised in the budget Govt. has decided to launch IIBs as instruments that will protect savings of poor and middle class from inflation and incentivise house hold  sector to save in financial instruments rather than buy gold.

·        NSE launched Debt trading platform .  Retail investor will get the opportunity to enter in to debt segment in a reliable , liquid and transparent manner. Corporate bonds will be available to the public in secondary market.

·        Economic review 2012-13 by PMEAC . Dr C. Rangarajan  chairman .  Highlights. 1) projected economic growth rate  6.4% 2) subsidy  and CAD to be reduced. 3) Faster clearance to stalled infrastructure projects required. 4) projected CAD 4.7% against 5.1 of 12-13. 5) Gold import bill estimated at $45 billion and OIL at $125 billion.

·        BSE launch Islamic Equity index comprising of companies which fulfill Islamic principals like bans on investing in alcohol , tobacco and gambling related activities.

·        DBTL – Direct benefit transfer for LPG will be launched in 20 aadhaar covered districts from 1^st June 2013. 1) 9 subsidised cylinders every year 2) 2) consumer to link their bank account to adhaar and provide such account details to LPG dealer. 3) Subsidy will be paid in advance as soon as consumer makes a cylinder booking.

·        New guidelines for Indira aawaas yojana for rural poor. 1) Allocation for each housing unit increased from 45000 to 75000 rupees.  2)building toilet has been made compulsory. 2) Manual scavengers and freed bonded labours will be given preference. 3) fund allocation will be made through state govt. . The changes were made after the Govt. agreement with Jan satyagraha representative in agra on 11^th Oct. 2012 , also known as Agra agreement on land reforms , signed by Minister for rural development , Shri Jairam Ramesh.

·        National Rural Livelihood Mission. – (Aajeevika). Some important changes announced in the scheme  1) BPL Criterion relaxed 2) The participative identification of poor process  PIP will be implemented .3) Women self help group will be strengthened.

·        10% Equity sale approved in coal India lt.. part of total disinvestment target of Rs. 40000 crore for this year.

·        $325 billion export target set for this year 13-14.

·        Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi ) got 24% stake in Jet airways.

·        Walmart surpassed Exxon Mobil co. in profit figures. Walmart topped the Fortune magazine’s top 500 list with 469.2 billion revenue.

·        David beckham , legendary footballer and former England captain announced retirement.

·        Thomas cup(World men’s badminton) and Uber cup (world women’s badminton) . Final matches to be held in New Delhi.

Gist of current affairs from August 2013 Megazines.

Gist of current affairs from August 2013 Megazines. 

• S.K.Roy new Chairman of LIC  to replace Shri T.S.Vijayan , who will be new IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and development Authority) Chairman in place of  J. Harinarayan.
• Hasan Rouhani , new president of Iran .
• Mallikarjun Kharge became Union minister of Railways. Prior to this he was Minister of Labour and Employment. Besides him 4 cabinet level and 4 state level minister also inducted . Sisram Ola (Labour and Emp), Oscar Fernandes (Road transport and highways), Girija vyas (Housing and Urban poverty) Dr. S.K.Rao (Textiles)
• New CAG – ShashiKant Sharma , Comptroller and auditor general of India, succeeded Vinod Rai.
• Indian Bank Association , re elected Shri K.R.Kamath as chairman for 2013-14.

·                    Indian Banks' Association (IBA), formed on 26 September, 1946 as a representative body of management of banks operating in India ,based in Mumbai.[1] With an initial membership representing 22 banks in India in 1946, IBA currently represents 173 banking companies operating in India. IBA was formed for development, coordination and strengthening of Indian banking, and to assist the member banks in various ways including implementation of new systems and adoption of standards among the members.

• Pakistan new prime minister – Nawaz Sharif
• Palestine new PM – Rami Hamadallah.
• Man Booker international prize for won by American writer Lydia Davis.
• Singer Hariharan awarded Lata Mangeshkar samman in indore . Award instituted by MP Govt.
• G-8 summit in Geneva (17-18 June) supported peaceful settlement of Syria conflict.
• Bashar –al- asad  is president of Syria , Capital- Damascus, Currency- Syrian pound.
• Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest.
• World population prospects report released by UN predicts India to be most populous nation by 2028.
• India offers $150 million loan to Myanmar for Special Economic Zone development.
• Myanmar  - President U. Thein Sein, capital Nay Pay Taw , currency Kyat.

·                    India's Look East policy represents its efforts to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China. Initiated in 1991, marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.[1][2][3][4][5]

• President of Afganistan Hamid karzai visits India. Gets honorary doctorate from lovely professional university , Phagwara , Punjab. India is constructing Salma dam  and new parliament bulding in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan capital Kabul, Currency – Afgani
• India targets 80% literacy by 2017. Present literacy rate is 74%. Govt. is planning to implement it  through its  Saakshar Bharat programme (Operational in 372 districts covering nearly 1.5 lakh gram panchayat in 25 states) and panchayati raj institutions.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University set up in Bhopal..
• FDI in Telecom increased from 74 to 100%. Out of which 49% will be under Automatic route.
• Three Private banks Axis bank, HDFC bank and ICICI bank were penalized for violation of KYC norms and antimoney laundering  guidelines.
• Restriction on Cooperative banks, scheduled banks and NBFCs to grant loan against Gold coins.
• RBI relaxed time line for starting banking business  from one year to 18 months after getting license. New licensees will have to setup Non operative financial holding co. NOFHC and open its branches within 18 months.
• 160 years old Telegram services offered by BSNL discontinued permanently on 15 June 2013.
• Limit of Foreign investment in Govt. securities enhanced from $25 billion to 30 billion to attract more foreign exchange
• NSDA – National Skill Development Agency has been set up to meet the growing demand of skilled work force in both public and private sector. 12^th plan envisages 82 lakh skilled workforce to be create by 2017 and National policy on skill development aims at producing 500 million workforce by 2022. Existing three agencies like Prime minister’s council on skill development, NSD Coordination board and office of advisor to PM on skill development.
• Extension of RBSY- Rashtriya swasthya bima yojana.  Coverage extended to Rickshaw pullers, rag pickers, mine workers ,rickshaw drivers, sanitation workers , Street vendors,beedi workers, domestic workers , building and other construction workers, MGNREGA workers , who have completed  15days of work in the previous year. Scheme provides for health insurance cover for every BPL family of Rs. 30000/- per year. Center & states to contribute 75 and 25% respectively. Cashless facility is also available. Beneficiary has to contribute only 30/- per year, rest is given govt. Scheme started in 1 april 2008.
• China developed fastest computer. A survey of top 500 computers revealed that China’s Supercomputer Tianhe-2 is the fastest super computer of the world. .
• ICC Championship trophy. India defeated England in the finals of ODI Cricket tournament organized by International Cricket Council. Last India the trophy was jointly won by India and Srilanka.
• French Open tennis tournament . Rafael Nadal (spain)(First to win French title 8 times) beats David ferrer of Spain . Women’s single final won by serena Williams (America) against Mario sharapova (Russia).
• IPL-2013  year 6th, Mumbai Indian topped it for the first time defeating Chennai Super kings. So far Chennai held it twice while Rajasthan royals, deccan chargers and Kolkata knight riders won it once each.
• Sudirman cup  ,  Thirteenth World Badminton title  - 2013  won by China defeating South korea.
• England to host 2019 Cricket world cup tournament.
• Asian athletic championship held in Pune.
• Indian women Basketball team won gold in FIBA ASIA 3x3 basketball tournament 2013 in Doha, defeating Mongolia team.
• Amitav Ghosh ‘s latest novel in the race of Warwick prize “ River of Smoke”
• CTT Commodity transaction tax came into effect from 1^st July 2013.
• India signed USD 255 Million loan agreement with World bank for AIDS control programme.
• Confederation cup associated with Football.
• Financial sector legislative reforms commission FSLRC , Chairman – Shri B.N.Srikrishna recommended to reduce the number of regulators in financial services like commodity, stock market, pension and insurance. Suggested a Unified Financial Authority for all non-banking financial services.
• SBI to open 1200 branches in this fiscal year.
• Roshni  scheme for Naxal affected areas aims to skilling and placement of 50000 youth from 24 Naxal affected areas across 9 states.
• Union cabinet approved  Malayalam as the country’s 5Classical language  after Tamil, Sanskrit. Kannad and telugu.
• World bank urged to stop surveying and publishing of  Doing business index. The latest index ranked Singapore on top and gave china and India a rank of 91 and 132 respectively  . It is supposed to assess the legislative and regulatory environment’s impact on doing business in a specific country.
• European inventor award 2013 to India born Ajay Bhatt led team working at Intel USA for inventing USB Universal Serial Bus technology in computer.
• K. Srikanth , Badminton player , first Indian to win Thailand open .