Important Days
Key Concepts & Formulas
| # | Concept | Quick Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UN Observances | Most UN days fall on fixed dates (e.g. 24 Oct UN Day) or the same weekday (e.g. 2nd Wednesday of Oct = International Day for Disaster Reduction) |
| 2 | India-centric Days | Republic Day 26 Jan, Independence Day 15 Aug, Gandhi Jayanti 2 Oct are the only 3 national holidays; all other “days” are observances, not holidays |
| 3 | Health-theme Pattern | WHO days often use the 7th of a month (7 Apr – World Health Day), or the last/full-moon day (31 May – World No-Tobacco) |
| 4 | Birth/Death Anniversaries | Many Indian days are birthdays: Ambedkar 14 Apr, Nehru 14 Nov (Children’s Day), Bose 23 Jan |
| 5 | Easy recall: “21” = “Anti” | 21 Jun – International Yoga Day, 21 Mar – International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 Sep – International Day of Peace (UN Anti-conflict) |
| 6 | Twin-digit trick | 08-08 (8 Aug) – Quit India, 09-09 (9 Sep) – Himalaya Diwas, 10-10 (10 Oct) – World Mental Health Day |
10 Practice MCQs
- International Day of Yoga is celebrated on the same day as which Indian solar event?
- A. Summer Solstice
- B. Winter Solstice
- C. Spring Equinox
- D. Autumn Equinox
Answer: A
Solution: 21 June is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; yoga day was purposely aligned with the longest day.
Shortcut tip: “Yoga-21-Summer-1” (21st = longest day).
Concept tag: UN Observance + Science link
- ‘National Maritime Day’ in India marks the maiden voyage of which ship in 1919?
- A. SS Loyalty
- B. SS Himalaya
- C. INS Delhi
- D. MV Ganga
Answer: A
Solution: SS Loyalty sailed from Mumbai to London on 5 April 1919; hence 5 Apr is observed every year.
Shortcut tip: “Loyal-5” (Loyalty → 5 Apr).
Concept tag: India-centric Day
- Which day is observed on the death anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar?
- A. Constitution Day
- B. Ambedkar Jayanti
- C. Mahaparinirvan Diwas
- D. Social Justice Day
Answer: C
Solution: 6 Dec 1956 is observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas; 14 Apr is birth anniversary (Jayanti).
Shortcut tip: “6-Dec = Demise (D-D)”.
Concept tag: Birth/Death Anniversaries
- World Tribal Day or International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is on:
- A. 2 August
- B. 9 August
- C. 15 August
- D. 29 August
Answer: B
Solution: UN fixed date 9 Aug since 1994.
Shortcut tip: “9-Aug = Adivasi (both start with A)”.
Concept tag: UN Observance
- ‘National Science Day’ commemorates the discovery of:
- A. Raman Effect
- B. Bose-Einstein Condensate
- C. Chandrasekhar Limit
- D. God Particle
Answer: A
Solution: CV Raman announced the effect on 28 Feb 1928; India observes 28 Feb as Science Day.
Shortcut tip: “Raman-28 (R-2-8)”.
Concept tag: Science + Birth/Death
- Which of these pairs is wrongly matched?
- A. 24 October – UN Day
- B. 1 May – Labour Day
- C. 27 September – World Tourism Day
- D. 16 November – International Ozone Day
Answer: D
Solution: Ozone Day is 16 Sep; 16 Nov is International Day for Tolerance.
Shortcut tip: “Ozone-16-9 (Oz=16 letters, 9 = Sep)”.
Concept tag: UN Observance
- ‘Himalaya Diwas’ is celebrated by Uttarakhand on:
- A. 9 Sep
- B. 2 Oct
- C. 15 May
- D. 21 Jun
Answer: A
Solution: 9 Sep 2016 was declared annual Himalaya Day by UK govt.
Shortcut tip: “9-9 looks like twin peaks”.
Concept tag: State-specific Day
- India’s ‘National Voters’ Day’ marks the founding day of:
- A. Election Commission of India
- B. UPSC
- C. CAG
- D. Planning Commission
Answer: A
Solution: ECI came into being on 25 Jan 1950; 25 Jan is observed since 2011 to enrol new voters.
Shortcut tip: “Vote-25 (V-2-5)”.
Concept tag: Institution anniversary
- Which day is observed on the 2nd Saturday of June every year?
- A. World Blood Donor Day
- B. World Ocean Day
- C. World Environment Day
- D. International Day of UN Peacekeepers
Answer: A
Solution: WBDD is 14 June or 2nd Saturday, whichever is later (WHO rule).
Shortcut tip: “Blood-2nd-Sat (donate on weekend)”.
Concept tag: WHO movable date
- ‘Quit India Day’ shares its date with which modern observance?
- A. Nagasaki Day
- B. Hiroshima Day
- C. Lokmanya Tilak Jayanti
- D. Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
Answer: A
Solution: 8 Aug 1942 – Quit India; 9 Aug – Nagasaki (Japan time). Both remembered back-to-back.
Shortcut tip: “8-Quit, 9-Nuke (8-9 sequence)”.
Concept tag: Historical linkage
5 Previous Year Questions
- When is ‘International Day of Rural Women’ celebrated? [RRB NTPC 28-03-2021 Shift-I]
- A. 15 Oct
- B. 5 Sep
- C. 8 Mar
- D. 1 May
Answer: A
Solution: UN declared 15 Oct in 2007.
Shortcut tip: “Rural-15-10 (R-1-5)”.
- Which date is celebrated as ‘National Milk Day’ in India? [RRB NTPC 30-01-2021]
- A. 26 Nov
- B. 15 Aug
- C. 1 Oct
- D. 26 Jan
Answer: A
Solution: 26 Nov 1920 – Verghese Kurien’s birth; since 2014 observed as Milk Day.
Shortcut tip: “Milk-26-11 (M-2-6)”.
- World Environment Day is celebrated on the same date as which Kargil event? [RRB Group-D 2018]
- A. Kargil Vijay Diwas
- B. Operation Vijay start
- C. India’s first nuclear test
- D. None
Answer: B
Solution: 5 Jun 1999 – Operation Vijay launched; WED also 5 Jun every year.
Shortcut tip: “5-Jun = Green & Vijay start”.
- ‘National Integration Day’ is observed on: [RRB ALP 2018]
- A. 31 Oct
- B. 19 Nov
- C. 14 Nov
- D. 9 Dec
Answer: B
Solution: Indira Gandhi’s birth 19 Nov; since 2013 celebrated as National Integration Day.
Shortcut tip: “Indira-19-11 (I-1-9)”.
- Which of the following days is not observed in the month of October? [RRB NTPC 2020]
- A. World Post Day
- B. World Standards Day
- C. World Habitat Day
- D. World Refugee Day
Answer: D
Solution: Refugee Day is 20 June; rest are movable Oct days.
Shortcut tip: “Refugee-20-6 (R-2-0-6)”.
Speed Tricks & Shortcuts
| Situation | Shortcut | Example |
|---|---|---|
| UN day ends with “-Day” & fixed date | Look for 24, 5, 21, 16 | 24 Oct UN Day, 5 Jun WED, 21 Sep Peace, 16 Sep Ozone |
| India’s national festival trio | 26-15-2 (Jan-Aug-Oct) | 26 Jan, 15 Aug, 2 Oct |
| Birthday → Jayanti, Death → Parinirvan/Diwas | Replace word | Ambedkar Jayanti 14 Apr, Parinirvan 6 Dec |
| Health days with “7” | 7th of month | 7 Apr World Health, 7 Nov National Cancer Detection |
| Mirror dates (same digits) | 08-08, 09-09, 10-10 | Quit India 8 Aug, Himalaya 9 Sep, Mental Health 10 Oct |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why Students Make It | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing Jayanti with Diwas | Assume both are holidays | Jayanti = birth (celebratory), Diwas = observance; only Jayanti of Gandhi & Ambedkar are public holidays |
| Switching 16 Sep & 16 Nov | Similar numbers | Ozone-16-Sep (O-S same shape), Tolerance-16-Nov |
| Thinking 31 May is “No-Tobacco” | Full-moon rule forgotten | WHO fixes “World No-Tobacco Day” as 31 May every year (no full-moon link) |
| Believing 2nd Saturday is always Blood Donor Day | Shift-II exams ask movable date | Read “2nd Saturday of June” not fixed 14 Jun |
Quick Revision Flashcards
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| 21 June | International Yoga Day (Summer Solstice) |
| 28 Feb | National Science Day (Raman Effect) |
| 5 Apr | National Maritime Day (SS Loyalty) |
| 24 Oct | UN Day (Charter enforced 1945) |
| 25 Jan | National Voters’ Day (ECI founding) |
| 15 Oct | Rural Women Day (after International Day of Girl-11 Oct) |
| 26 Nov | National Milk Day & Constitution Day (separate themes) |
| 9 Aug | Indigenous Peoples Day & Quit India Anniversary |
| 8 Aug | Quit India Launch |
| 16 Sep | Ozone Day (Montreal Protocol 1987) |
BETA
