Important Days in January and February: Dates and MCQs
Important days in January and February for exams: the date of each national and international day, the event or person it commemorates and the pairs papers ask.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
Questions on important days are the cheapest marks in a general awareness paper, because there is nothing to work out: either you know the date or you do not. January and February between them carry some of the most frequently asked observances, including Republic Day, National Youth Day, Army Day, Martyrs' Day, World Wetlands Day, International Mother Language Day and National Science Day. This chapter gives the date, and with it the reason the date was chosen, because the reason is what examiners increasingly ask.
Important days in January
| Date | Day | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 4 January | World Braille Day | Birth anniversary of Louis Braille, born in 1809 |
| 9 January | Pravasi Bharatiya Divas | Gandhi's return from South Africa to India in 1915 |
| 10 January | World Hindi Day | The first World Hindi Conference, held in 1975 |
| 11 January | Death anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri | He died at Tashkent in 1966 |
| 12 January | National Youth Day | Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, born in 1863 |
| 15 January | Indian Army Day | K. M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949 |
| 23 January | Parakram Diwas | Birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, born in 1897 |
| 24 January | National Girl Child Day | Observed to promote the rights of the girl child |
| 25 January | National Voters' Day and National Tourism Day | The Election Commission of India was set up on 25 January 1950 |
| 26 January | Republic Day and International Customs Day | The Constitution of India came into force in 1950 |
| 28 January | Birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai | Born in 1865, known as Punjab Kesari |
| 30 January | Martyrs' Day, or Shaheed Diwas | Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 |
Two of these need a second look. National Voters' Day is fixed on 25 January because the Election Commission of India was constituted on that date in 1950, a day before the Constitution came into force, and the observance itself began in 2011. Martyrs' Day is a name used for more than one date in India, but 30 January is the one that belongs to Gandhi; India also observes an anti-leprosy day on 30 January, since he worked among people affected by leprosy, while the international day falls on the last Sunday of the month.
Important days in February
| Date | Day | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 February | Indian Coast Guard Day | The Coast Guard was formally established in 1977 |
| 2 February | World Wetlands Day | The Ramsar Convention was signed at Ramsar in Iran in 1971 |
| 4 February | World Cancer Day | Awareness of prevention, detection and treatment |
| 10 February | National Deworming Day | A national health programme for children |
| 11 February | International Day of Women and Girls in Science | Declared by the United Nations |
| 12 February | National Productivity Day | Begins National Productivity Week in India |
| 13 February | World Radio Day and National Women's Day in India | Birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, born in 1879 |
| 20 February | World Day of Social Justice | Also the statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, 1987 |
| 21 February | International Mother Language Day | Declared by UNESCO to protect linguistic diversity |
| 22 February | World Thinking Day | Observed by Guides and Scouts on Baden-Powell's birthday |
| 24 February | Central Excise Day | The Central Excise and Salt Act was enacted in 1944 |
| 27 February | Death anniversary of Chandra Shekhar Azad | He died in 1931 |
| 28 February | National Science Day | C. V. Raman announced the Raman Effect in 1928 |
The stories behind four dates
National Science Day is the most asked of the February group. C. V. Raman announced his discovery of the scattering of light now called the Raman Effect on 28 February 1928, and he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for it in 1930. The Government of India designated the date as National Science Day in 1986 and the first observance followed in 1987.
World Wetlands Day commemorates the signing of the Convention on Wetlands at the Iranian town of Ramsar on 2 February 1971, which is why sites protected under it are called Ramsar sites. International Mother Language Day was declared by UNESCO to honour the language movement in Dhaka in 1952, in which students died demanding recognition for Bengali. Indian Army Day marks 15 January 1949, when Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from the last British holder of the post.
How examiners set this chapter
Three forms recur. The first gives a date and asks for the day, or the reverse. The second gives a day and asks what it commemorates, which is why the third column of the tables above matters as much as the first. The third form mixes the defence days, so keep the set together: Army Day on 15 January, Navy Day on 4 December, Air Force Day on 8 October and Coast Guard Day on 1 February. Do not learn the yearly themes announced for these observances, since a theme is valid for one year only and a paper set in a later year will not use it.
Exam Point of View
Papers set this chapter in three ways. The plainest gives a date and asks for the observance or the other way round, so the tables must be memorised in both directions. The second form asks what a day commemorates, and here the reason matters more than the date: the Election Commission for Voters' Day, the Ramsar Convention for Wetlands Day, the Raman Effect for Science Day and Cariappa's appointment for Army Day. The third form mixes observances that fall close together, such as 21 February for International Mother Language Day against 10 January for World Hindi Day, or 12 January for National Youth Day against 23 January for Parakram Diwas. Defence days are grouped deliberately, so hold Army 15 January, Coast Guard 1 February, Air Force 8 October and Navy 4 December together. Leave the annual themes alone, since they change every year and no paper can test them safely.
Important Facts
| 4 January | World Braille Day, birth anniversary of Louis Braille, born 1809 |
|---|---|
| 9 January | Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, marking Gandhi's return from South Africa in 1915 |
| 10 January | World Hindi Day, marking the first World Hindi Conference of 1975 |
| 12 January | National Youth Day, birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda |
| 15 January | Indian Army Day, for K. M. Cariappa's appointment as first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949 |
| 23 January | Parakram Diwas, birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose |
| 25 January | National Voters' Day and National Tourism Day |
| 26 January | Republic Day and International Customs Day |
| 30 January | Martyrs' Day, for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 |
| 1 February | Indian Coast Guard Day, for its formal establishment in 1977 |
| 2 February | World Wetlands Day, for the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971 |
| 13 February | World Radio Day and National Women's Day, for Sarojini Naidu's birth anniversary |
| 20 February | World Day of Social Justice; statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram |
| 21 February | International Mother Language Day, declared by UNESCO |
| 24 February | Central Excise Day, for the Central Excise and Salt Act of 1944 |
| 28 February | National Science Day, for the Raman Effect announced in 1928 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
National Youth Day is observed in India on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary of whom?
- A.Subhas Chandra Bose
- B.Lala Lajpat Rai
- C.Swami Vivekananda
- D.Bhagat Singh
Show answer
The Government of India chose his birth anniversary for National Youth Day because his writings and speeches were addressed above all to the young, and his address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 remains the best known moment of his life.
Read the full explanation →Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on which date?
- A.4 December
- B.15 January
- C.8 October
- D.26 January
Show answer
On that date in 1949, Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from the last British officer to hold the post, and the day marks the passing of command into Indian hands.
Read the full explanation →World Wetlands Day, observed on 2 February, marks the signing of which international agreement?
- A.Basel Convention
- B.CITES
- C.Montreal Protocol
- D.Ramsar Convention
Show answer
Wetlands listed for protection under the treaty are called Ramsar sites, and the name of the town has become the name of the agreement.
Read the full explanation →National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28 February in memory of which event?
- A.The discovery of the neutron
- B.The announcement of the Raman Effect
- C.The discovery of penicillin
- D.The launch of the satellite Aryabhata
Show answer
C. V. Raman announced his discovery of the scattering of light that carries his name on 28 February 1928, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for it in 1930.
Read the full explanation →International Mother Language Day is observed every year on which date?
- A.10 January
- B.13 February
- C.21 February
- D.26 January
Show answer
The day was declared by UNESCO to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and to protect languages that are dying out, and the date recalls the language movement in Dhaka in 1952, in which students were killed while demanding recognition for Bengali.
Read the full explanation →National Voters' Day on 25 January marks the foundation day of which institution?
- A.Supreme Court of India
- B.Comptroller and Auditor General of India
- C.Reserve Bank of India
- D.Election Commission of India
Show answer
National Voters' Day has been observed on that date since 2011, and it is used mainly to enrol young citizens who have just become eligible to vote.
Read the full explanation →Parakram Diwas is observed on 23 January to mark the birth anniversary of whom?
- A.Chandra Shekhar Azad
- B.Subhas Chandra Bose
- C.Bhagat Singh
- D.Lala Lajpat Rai
Show answer
The Government of India gave the day the name Parakram Diwas, meaning the day of valour, in recognition of his leadership of the Indian National Army and his call for complete independence.
Read the full explanation →World Braille Day, observed on 4 January, marks the birth anniversary of whom?
- A.Louis Braille
- B.Helen Keller
- C.Alexander Graham Bell
- D.Thomas Edison
Show answer
Blinded in an accident as a child, he devised the system of raised dots that allows blind and partially sighted people to read and write by touch, and the system carries his name.
Read the full explanation →Martyrs' Day or Shaheed Diwas, observed on 30 January, marks the death anniversary of whom?
- A.Bhagat Singh
- B.Chandra Shekhar Azad
- C.Mahatma Gandhi
- D.Lal Bahadur Shastri
Show answer
The day is observed across the country with two minutes of silence, and it is the best known of the several dates called Martyrs' Day in India.
Read the full explanation →National Women's Day in India is observed on 13 February to mark the birth anniversary of whom?
- A.Indira Gandhi
- B.Kasturba Gandhi
- C.Annie Besant
- D.Sarojini Naidu
Show answer
She was called the Nightingale of India for her poetry, presided over the Indian National Congress and became the first woman to hold the office of Governor of an Indian province after independence, so her birthday is observed as National Women's Day.
Read the full explanation →Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed on which date?
- A.9 January
- B.12 January
- C.26 January
- D.30 January
Show answer
The date was chosen because Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915, and his return is treated as the most significant homecoming of an Indian from abroad.
Read the full explanation →Central Excise Day, observed on 24 February, commemorates the enactment of which law?
- A.The Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944
- B.The Customs Act, 1962
- C.The Income Tax Act, 1961
- D.The Finance Act, 1994
Show answer
The day is observed by the indirect tax administration to mark the occasion and to encourage honest collection of duty, and it is a standard question in papers that include a section on the economy and administration.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is National Science Day observed on 28 February?
Because C. V. Raman announced his discovery of the scattering of light, now called the Raman Effect, on 28 February 1928. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for it in 1930. The Government of India designated the date as National Science Day in 1986, and it has been observed since 1987.
What does National Voters' Day on 25 January commemorate?
The founding of the Election Commission of India, which was constituted on 25 January 1950, a day before the Constitution came into force. The observance itself began in 2011 and is used to enrol new voters, especially those who have just turned eighteen.
Why is Indian Army Day celebrated on 15 January?
On 15 January 1949, Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from the last British officer to hold the post. The date is therefore about the Indianisation of the army's command rather than about any battle.
What is the connection between World Wetlands Day and Ramsar?
The Convention on Wetlands was signed in the Iranian town of Ramsar on 2 February 1971, and World Wetlands Day is observed on that anniversary. Wetlands given international protection under the treaty are called Ramsar sites, which is why the two names are always asked together.
Which days in January and February are linked to national leaders?
Several. 12 January is National Youth Day for Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary, 23 January is Parakram Diwas for Subhas Chandra Bose, 28 January is the birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai, 30 January is Martyrs' Day for Mahatma Gandhi, 13 February is National Women's Day for Sarojini Naidu and 27 February is the death anniversary of Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Should the yearly themes of these days be memorised?
No. A theme is announced for one year only, so a question set from a later paper cannot rely on it, and remembering an out-of-date theme is more likely to mislead than to help. Learn the date, the event it commemorates and the body that declared it, which do not change.
Sources
- International Days and Weeks — United Nations
- National Voters' Day, official observance — Election Commission of India
- Releases on national observances and anniversaries — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
