11 May in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 11 May is the birth anniversary of Asaf Ali, Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati, Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai, Abu Salim, Vineet Saran, and Karan Tacker.
11 May is also observed as the death anniversary of Kim Philby, S.M. Nanda, and Ramesh Mehta.
Birth Anniversary
11 May in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Asaf Ali (11 May 1888 – 2 April 1953), an Indian independence fighter and noted Indian lawyer, and the first Indian Ambassador to the United States. He was appointed governor of Odisha for two terms and later, Indian Ambassador to Switzerland. Ali was born on 11 May 1888 in Seohara, North-Western Provinces, British India.
Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati (11 May 1897 – 7 March 1990), an Indian philosopher and poet. He wrote “over 250 published works, 173 are in Tamil, fifty in English, ten in French, four in Hindi and three in Telugu. He was born on 11 May 1897.
Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon (11 May 1911 – 22 December 1985), an Indian poet of Malayalam literature, and the founder president of the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham. He is remembered for his works such as Kudiyozhikkal, Kannikkoythu, and Mambazham. Menon was a recipient of several honors including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, Vayalar Award, and Odakkuzhal Award. He was born on 11 May 1911 in Kaloor, Cochin.
Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016), an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, instructor, and the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad. She has been awarded by the Indian government with the national civilian awards Padma Bhushan in 1992 and the Padma Shri in 1965. Sarabai was born on 11 May 1918 in Kerala, British India.
Abu Salim, an Indian actor in Malayalam movies, in which he has played villain roles and other characters. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu films. He was born on 11 May 1956.
Vineet Saran, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. He is the former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. He is also a former Judge of Karnataka High Court and Allahabad High Court. Saran was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 7 August 2018. He was born on 11 May 1957.
Karan Tacker, an Indian actor, model, and host, the first time he appeared in the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in a short role in 2008. He is well known for his acting in the Star Plus serial Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai and participated in Colors TV’s Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa season 7 in 2014. He was born on 11 May 1986.
Read More: 9 May in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary
11 May in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Kim Philby (1 January 1912 – 11 May 1988), a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring that passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. He died on 11 May 1988 at the age of 76 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
S.M. Nanda (10 October 1915 – 11 May 2009), an Indian Navy Admiral who served as the 8th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1970 until 28 February 1973. He also led the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He also got awards such as Padma Vibhushan, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in his career. He died on 11 May 2009 at the age of 93 in New Delhi, India.
Ramesh Mehta (22 June 1932 – 11 May 2012), an Indian actor, comedian, and scriptwriter, is also considered the “Charlie Chaplin of Gujarat”. He died on 11 May 2012 at the age of 79 in Rajkot, Gujarat, India.
Read More: 8 May in Indian and World History
Notable events on 11 May in Indian and World history
11 May 1502 – Christopher Columbus begins the 4th & last trip to the “Indies”.
11 May 1686 – Otto von Guericke stands as an eminent figure in the realms of physics and engineering – died.
11 May 1893 – Henri Desgrange establishes the world’s 1st bicycle world record by traveling 35.325 km (21.95 miles) in an hour.
11 May 1894 – Martha Graham – an American modern dancer and choreographer – was born.
11 May 1953 – Waco, Texas A powerful tornado ripped through downtown Waco at 4:10 p.m. May 11, 1953, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600 more. More than 600 businesses, 850 homes, and 2,000 cars were destroyed or severely damaged for an estimated loss of $41 million.
11 May 1912 – Saadat Hasan Manto – a Pakistani writer, playwright – was born.
11 May 1918 – Mrinalini Sarabhai – an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor – was born.
11 May 1927 – Juan Gris, a Spanish painter and sculptor, died.
11 May 1963 – Herbert Spencer Gasser, a renowned Dutch theoretical physicist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.
11 May 1981 – Odd Hassel, a Norwegian chemist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.
11 May 1998 – India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan, including a thermonuclear device.
11 May 2000 – India’s population officially reaches 1 billion – Astha Arora is named India’s billionth baby.
11 May is observed as National Technology Day to recognize India’s achievements in science and technology, develop new technologies, and highlight the important role of Science in our daily lives and encourage students to opt for science as an option for a career. On this day the Pokhran nuclear test was held on 11 May 1998.