Eminent Persons
Thiyagi Sankaralinganar
- In 1956, Congress leader K P Sankaralingam began an indefinite fast. One of his demands was the renaming of the state to Tamil Nadu.
- It is noted that Sankaralinganar fasted for 76 days, which resulted in his death on October 13, 1956. Sankaralinganar’s death further spurred on the fight for renaming the state.
As a Result
- On July 18, 1967, CM Annadurai prepared a resolution in the State Assembly. Tamil Nadu was accepted as the name and a resolution passed unanimously.
- Since the renaming needed a Constitutional amendment, both Houses of the Parliament approved the Bill in November and December 1968 respectively.
- The state government later issued a gazette notification to bring the name change into effect on January 14, 1969.
Sports & Games
Satwik sets record
- India’s R. Satwiksairaj set the Guinness World Record for the fastest hit by a male player in badminton, recording in 565kmph with his smash.
- Satwiksairaj broke the record set in 2013 by Malaysian Tan Boon Heong, who had produced speed of 493kmph with his smash.
Awards & Honours
International Eni Award
- T. Pradeep, professor in the Department of Chemistry of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has been selected for the International Eni Award.
- Instituted by the Italian energy company Eni, the award is in recognition of his work on sustainable and affordable nanoscale material for removing toxic contaminants from water.
- Some Nobel laureates and Bharat Ratna award-winner C.N.R.Rao had won the award in the past.
