31 May in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 31 May is the birth anniversary of Nur Jahan, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Raj Khosla, and Vinod Mehta.
31 May is also observed as the death anniversary of Santram B.A, and Kamala Das.
Birth Anniversary
31 May in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Nur Jahan (31 May 1577 – 17 December 1645), the wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Her original name was ‘Mehrunnisa‘. After marriage, Jahangir conferred upon him the titles of ‘Nurmahal‘ and ‘Nur Jahan’. In 1613 AD, Nur Jahan was made ‘Pattamahishi’ or ‘Badshah Begum‘. Nur Jahan was a woman with extraordinary personality and intelligence, Jahangir left all the weight of governance on her. She was born on May 31, 1577 in Kandahar.
Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795), the wife of Khanderao, son of Malharrao Holkar, and the hereditary noble sardar of the Maratha Empire, India. Ahilyabai was not the queen of a big state, but what she did during her reign is surprising. She was a brave warrior and skilled archer and led his army in many wars and fought with valor, riding on elephants. Ahilyabai’s husband Khanderao Holkar was killed in the battle of Kumher in 1754. Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar died then, Rani Ahilyabai took charge of the kingdom. Rani Ahilyabai ruled the state with great skill till her death in 1795. She was born on 31 May 1725 in Gram Chaundi, Jamkhed, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an Indian politician and entrepreneur, and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political party as of 2018 and also the National Spokesperson of BJP and was vice-chairman of the Kerala wing of the BJP-led coalition National Democratic Alliance. Presently Chandrasekhar serves as Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, Member of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Member of the Joint Committee on Data Protection Bill, 2019 and Member of the Consultative Committee on MoE & IT, Ministry of Communications, Member of the Indian Council for World Affairs. He was born on 31 May 1964 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991), one of the top directors, producers, and screenwriters in Hindi films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He is credited for the success of actors like Dev Anand. After starting his career under Guru Dutt, he continued to make hit films like C.I.D. ‘Who was she’? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966), Dostana (1980) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) won her the Filmfare Best Movie Award. He was born on 31 May 1925 in Rahon, Punjab, British India.
Vinod Mehta (31 May 1942 – 8 March 2015), an Indian journalist, editor, and political commentator. He was also the founder editor-in-chief of Outlook from 1995 to 2012 and had been editor of publications such as The Pioneer, The Sunday Observer, The Independent, and The Indian Post. He was also the author of several books. He was born on 31 May 1942 in Rawalpindi, British India.
Read More: 30 May in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary
31 May in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Santram B.A (1886 – 31 May 1988), a famous social reformer and Hindi writer. He had his early education at the high school in Bajwara. In 1909, he got his B.A. from Government College, Lahore. Since then, he became famous as Santram B.A. He died on 31 May 1988.
Kamala Das (31 March 1934–31 May 2009), an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography. She died on 31 May 2009 in Pune.
Read More: 28 May in Indian and World History
Notable events on 31 May in Indian and World History
31 May 1727 – France, Britain, and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Paris.
31 May 1774 – The first postal service office was opened in India.
31 May 1852 – Julius Richard Petri – German microbiologist who is generally credited with inventing the device known as the Petri dish – was born.
31 May 852 – Francisco Pascasio Moreno – a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina – was born.
31 May 1867 – Praya Samaj was established in Bombay.
31 May 1878 – The US Congress reduced the circulation of dollars.
31 May 1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, died.
31 May 1914 – Angelo Moriondo – an Italian inventor, who is usually credited with patenting the earliest known espresso machine – died.
31 May 1921 – The flag of the Indian National Congress was adopted.
31 May 1929 – Mickey Mouse’s speaking cartoon Carnival Kid was released for the first time on this day.
31 May 1959 – The Buddhist religious Dalai Lama was granted asylum in India after his exile from Tibet.
31 May 1976 – Douglas Stuart, a Scottish-American author, and Booker Prize Winner, was born.
31 May 1978 – Hannah Höch a pioneering German Dada artist, died.
31 May 1994 – South Africa became the 109th member nation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
31 May 2001 – The Commonwealth Summit of former Soviet countries concluded in Misk (Belarus).
31 May 2008 – Government oil companies increased ship fuel prices by 18.5%.
31 May 2010 – The law to reserve 25% seats for poor children in every private school recognized in India was enacted.
No Tobacco Day
It is observed around the world every 31 May as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). World Health Day celebrates the dangers of tobacco use, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the World Health Organization (WHO) is doing to combat the use of tobacco, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.