14 April in History: Ambedkar Jayanti, Tamil & Bengali New Year, and Key Indian Events, Today in History

Every year on 14 April, India lights up to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar who was born on this day in 1891. This day is not only significant for commemorating the life of an Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer who championed the Dalit Buddhist movement but also for various other historical events and births of prominent figures. In addition to Ambedkar Jayanti, this date is important in Indian culture for the Bengali New Year celebrated in West Bengal, Tripura, parts of northern Odisha, and Assam, and in Bangladesh. Tamil New Year or Puthandu, marking the first day of the year according to the Tamil calendar, is also celebrated on 14 April.

Why April 14 Is a Day of Reflection and Festivity

Here is the list of major events on 14 April over the years

	Year	Events on April 14
1	14 April, 1675	Birth of Tarabai, regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 to 1708.
2	14 April, 1699	Formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh, marking a significant event in Sikh history.
3	14 April, 1891	Birth of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti across India.
4	14 April, 1919	Birth of Shamshad Begum, one of the first playback singers in Hindi cinema.
5	14 April, 1921	Birth of Subodh Mukherjee, film producer and director.
6	14 April, 1922	Births of Ali Akbar Khan (sarod maestro) and Mundlapati Ramanadha Rao (freedom fighter).
7	14 April, 1934	Birth of Arun Manilal Gandhi, socio-political activist and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
8	14 April, 1942	Birth of Margaret Alva, Governor of Rajasthan.
9	14 April, 1944	Birth of Arogyaswamy Paulraj, Indian-American electrical engineer.
10	14 April, 1944	Bombay explosion killing 300 people and destroying valuable property.
11	14 April, 1950	Birth of H Vasanthakumar, businessman and politician; Death of saint Ramana Maharshi.
12	14 April, 1951	Birth of Kailasavadivoo Sivan, chairman of ISRO.
13	14 April, 1972	Birth of Kunal Ganjawala, playback singer.
14	14 April, 1975	Birth of Rajeshwari Sachdev, actress.
15	14 April, 1976	Births of Varikuppala Yadagiri Goud (lyricist) and Sanjay Dutt (singer & music director).
16	14 April, 1981	Birth of Anita Hasanandani, actress.
17	14 April, 1982	Birth of K.M. Bhaskaran, cinematographer.
18	14 April, 1986	Death of Nitin Bose, film director and cinematographer.
19	14 April, 2006	Twin blasts during Asr prayers at Jama Masjid, Delhi, injuring 13.
20	14 April, 2011	Death of Rami Reddy, actor in Telugu cinema.
21	14 April, 2013	Death of P.B. Srinivas, veteran playback singer.
22	14 April, 2025	Celebration of Bengali New Year in West Bengal, Tripura, parts of Odisha, Assam, and Bangladesh.
23	14 April, 2025	Celebration of Tamil New Year or Puthandu, marking the start of the Tamil calendar.

On the same day in 1675, Tarabai, who later became the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 to 1708, was born. The Sikh community commemorates 14 April 1699 as the day when Sikhism was formalized into Khalsa, a brotherhood of warrior-saints, by Guru Gobind Singh in northern India. The formation of the Khalsa is a key event in Sikh history, observed based on the Nanakshahi calendar.

Among the notable individuals born on 14 April, Indian singer Shamshad Begum (1919), renowned for being one of the Hindi film industry's first playback singers, stands out. The same day witnessed the birth of Subodh Mukherjee, a famous film producer and director of Bengali origin, in 1921. The following year, 1922, was marked by the birth of Ali Akbar Khan, an Indian Hindustani classical musician known for his mastery of the sarod, and Mundlapati Ramanadha Rao, an Indian nationalist, social worker, and freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh.

The mid-20th century saw several significant births on this date, including Arun Manilal Gandhi, an Indian-American socio-political activist and the fifth grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on 1934. In 1942, Margaret Alva was born, who later served as the governor of the Indian state of Rajasthan until August 2014. Arogyaswamy Paulraj, an Indian-American electrical engineer whose contributions to technology are globally recognized, was born in 1944, sharing his birth year with Jai Narayan Vyas, a multifaceted Indian politician from Gujarat.

The Bombay explosion on 14 April 1944, which resulted in the death of 300 people and the destruction of 20 million pounds of gold, is one of the major historical events that occurred on this day. In the realm of politics and business, H Vasanthakumar, an Indian businessman and politician from Tamil Nadu, India, was born in 1950, the same year the revered Indian Hindu saint and Jivanmukta Ramana Maharshi passed away.

The early 1950s also saw the birth of Kailasavadivoo Sivan in 1951, an Indian space scientist who later became the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Indian playback singer Kunal Ganjawala, known for his songs in Hindi and Kannada films, was born on 14 April 1972. The decade also introduced Rajeshwari Sachdev in 1975, an Indian actress celebrated for her role in Shyam Benegal's film Sardari Begum, and lyricist Varikuppala Yadagiri Goud in 1976, alongside renowned singer, music director, and director of the Telugu film industry, Sanjay Dutt.

The 1980s added more talents to the list with the births of Indian actress Anita Hasanandani in 1981, known for her roles in multilingual films and serials, and Indian cinematographer K.M. Bhaskaran in 1982, who made significant contributions to the Tamil film industry. On a somber note, 14 April has also been a day of loss, with the death of Nitin Bose, an Indian film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter, in 1986.

More recent events include the twin blast on 14 April 2006, which injured 13 people with crude bombs during Asr prayers at Delhi's Jama Masjid. The Indian film industry mourned the loss of actor Rami Reddy of Telugu cinema on 14 April 2011. Two years later, in 2013, the veteran playback singer P.B. Srinivas passed away, leaving behind a legacy in Indian music.

Conclusively, 14 April stands as a day of vast cultural significance and remembrance in India, weaving together the birth anniversaries of historical figures, cultural festivities, and solemn commemorations of those who've passed. From the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanti and the Bengali and Tamil New Years to remembering influential personalities across various fields, this date encapsulates a rich tapestry of India's diverse heritage and history.