This Day in History: March 17

Rayaprolu Subbarao was born

Rayaprolu Subbarao, known as the father of Navya Kavita, was born in 1892. He is considered a pioneer of sentimental poetry in Telugu and was bestowed the title Abhinava Nannaya. It is said that a new era in Telugu poetry began with his work “Trunakankanam” published in 1913. Emotionalism is an art form that emphasizes the artist’s imagination, feelings, and creativity. This movement flourished in Germany and France in the 18th century, deeply influencing painters, writers, sculptors, and poets. Rayaprolu brought this sentimentality from Western countries into Telugu literature.

Birth of Mandumula Narsing Rao

Mandumula Narsing Rao, who played a key role in the Telangana Liberation Movement, was born in 1896 in Chevella, Rangareddy District. In 1921, the Andhra Jana Sangham (corrected spelling) was established. In 1927, he retired from the legal profession and became involved in journalism and politics. He founded an Urdu newspaper called “Rayyat” in 1927 and wrote numerous articles criticizing the autocratic rule of the Nizam. He presided over the 6th Andhra Mahasabha held in Indore in 1937. In 1952, he was elected to the Hyderabad Legislative Assembly on behalf of the Congress Party from the Kalwakurthy Legislative Assembly Constituency.

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-born American astronaut and space engineer, is credited as the first woman of Indian origin to travel in space. She embarked on her first space mission in 1997 as a robotic arm operator on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Tragically, she was one of the seven crew members who died when the ship disintegrated during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003.

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal, a celebrated Indian badminton player, was born in 1990 in Hissar, Haryana. She achieved several milestones in her career, including becoming the first Indian woman to win the World Junior Badminton Championships and reaching the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games. She also holds the distinction of being the first Indian player to win two Super Series titles, claiming the Singapore Open Badminton Super Series title in 2010.

Some more noteworthy events in history on March 17:

• 1967: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy assumed office as the Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha.
• 2012: Stone Age tools were discovered in Andugul, Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.
• 1969: Golda Meir was elected the fourth Prime Minister of Israel.
• 1902: American golfer Bobby Jones, the first player to win a Grand Slam, was born.
• 1957: A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines, killed 24 people, including President Ramon Magsaysay.
• 1958: The United States launched the first solar-powered satellite, which became the first to achieve a long-duration orbit.