Kaala Prayanam

  Sergels Torg or Sergels Square in English, central public square for social protests and political demonstrations in Stockholm, Sweden. Glass Obelisk (Krystal) is seen behind.  Sergels Torg (Square), is Stockholm’s central public square, in the heart of the Norrmalm district. Named after the 18th century Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, it was constructed in the 1960s. It is divided into two levels, reflecting the 1950s urban planning concept to separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The lower level 'Plattan' (Slab), features a distinctive black-and-white triangular tile pattern. The upper level includes a traffic roundabout with Glass Krystal. Surrounding Buildings are Kulturhuset, the cultural center on the south, Åhléns City a large department store on the west, Hötorget Skyscrapers to the north. Sergels Torg is Stockholm’s “living room,” hosting events from political demonstrations to cultural festivals. It attracts street performers to subcultures. It faced crime...

Mother Svea (Moder Svea in Sweidish. Svea was the old name for Sweden. It is like the safronized Bharath Matha depicted by the Rashtriya Swayamseva Sangh) featured in olden times in Sweden. Now she remained in the literature and historical books only.   Mother (Moder) Svea, the female personification of Sweden, was a prominent figure, symbolizing national pride and identity. She is depicted as the powerful female warrior, valkyrie, or shieldmaiden, holding a shield, and standing beside a lion. Her image appeared on Swedish banknotes for over 70 years during the 19th and 20th centuries, as a patriotic emblem. On the obverse of the notes, it reads 'Sveriges Riksbank' with security features of red fibers and watermarks of Mercury’s head. Mother Svea’s image was a recurring motif, reflecting her significance in Swedish literature and culture, originating from works like Anders Leijonstedt’s poem Svea Lycksaligheets Triumph (1672) and popularized in Gunno Eurelius’s Kunga Skald (169...

Old Swedish Currency Notes in the Tumba Printing Press Museum, near Stockholm, Sweden. Rupees 20,000 worth the running currency notes, kept openly without CC Cameras, and security men in the Tumba Printing Press Museum, Sweden, for touching and and feeling their features.  The Free School with music, art, and cultural facilities ran inside the Press premises for the children of the Printing Press Workers in the 18th century. Printing Press Museum is the state-run museum at Tumba in Botkyrka Municipality, south of Stockholm, Sweden. It shows the history of paper making, Dutch techniques introduced in 1758, banknote production, the mill's school, cultural heritage, and life at the Mill since 1755. This Museum is part of and managed by the National Historical Museums affiliated with the Royal Coin Cabinet. It was first opened in 1968, renovated, and reopened in 2005. It is housed in four historic buildings. The museum highlights the Riksbank’s 350-year history and Botkyrka’s local his...

Tumba Paper Mill, once the Sweden Currency Printing Center. Now it is sold to the Crane Currency i.e., the Crane AB (Limited Company).  Tumba Paper Mill near Stockholm, was established in 1755 by the Bank of the Estates of the Realm to produce banknote paper and combat counterfeit money. It is one of the world’s oldest banknote paper manufacturing industries. The mill was improved in 1758 with Dutch paper technology. It produces paper for Swedish banknotes and foreign banknotes (including those of America) from 1970s. The mill was sold to Crane Currency Ltd in 2002. It operates with 240 people after closing printing in 2018. Crane modernized the mill. In 2022 the company installed water filters reducing water use by 5 lakh cubic meters per year. Improved cotton fiber reuse for pulp production. Uses security paper, a key feature of the banknote. Printing activity was moved to Malta in 2018.  

ISKCON temple in Grodinge Botyrka Municipality near Stockholm practically and constitutionally secular country of Sweden. Sweden is a secular country. The Swedish constitution guarantees freedom of religion and separates church and state. There is no official state religion since the Church of Sweden was disestablished in 2000. While the Lutheran Church of Sweden historically played a significant role, its influence waned. Only 53% of Swedes were members of the Church in 2023, down from over 90% in the 1970s. Religious participation is low. 18% of Swedes believe in God. Many (30%) are atheists or non-religious. Public policy and education are secular. Cultural traditions like Christmas and Midsummer retain historical elements. They are seen as secular celebrations. There are 7 ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temples in Sweden. Stockholm (Hare Krishna Center), Korsnäs Gård (New Radhakunda), Almviks Gård, Järna, Hare Krishna Temple Göteborg, Uppsala, Lund, and Ne...

Forest with walking tracks of Tumba Municipality adjacent to the National Capital City Stockholm. Cutting trees in this forest is strictly prohibited.  Sweden’s forests cover 69 percent of land area, ie 2.8 Crore hectares, making it one of Europe’s most forested nations. Dominated by coniferous species like Norway spruce (42%) and Scots pine (39%), forests include deciduous trees such as birch (12%). They are vital for biodiversity, hosting 20,000 species, and play a key role in the economy through timber, pulp, and paper industries, contributing 10% of Sweden’s export value. Forests are sustainable under the 1993 Forestry Act, balancing production and environmental goals, with 27% of forests conserved voluntarily. Cutting is with reforestation of the same level within five years. In Sweden, Climate Change is controlled by Carbon sequestration (4.2 Crore tonnes CO2 annually). Forests are accessible for recreation and entertainment via the Right of Public Access with restrictions. 2...

In Germany's Frankfurt airport, one of Europe's busiest airports, on 11 June 2025 en route to Stockholm Sweden. Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main, on the Main River, is the largest city in Hesse state and the fifth largest in Germany, with 7.91 lakh population. It is Germany’s financial hub, with the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, Stock Exchange, and a key player in global finance and commerce. Known for its modern skyline, it is rich in history with sites like Römer (the 15th century City Hall), Frankfurt Cathedral, and the reconstructed Old Town (Altstadt). It is the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German polymath, poet, Scientist, and statesman. Major center for banking, insurance, and trade fairs like the Frankfurt Book Fair. It is the headquarters of major corporations like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. The city has an extensive public transport network (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams). A Multicultural city with 25% foreign residents, it hosts muse...

Hattie McDaniel the First African American Actress to win an Academy (Oscar) Award was born on 10 June 1895 in Wichita City, Kansas State, America.  Hattie McDaniel (10 June 1893 – 26 October 1952) was a trailblazing African American actress, singer, song writer, and comedian. She is the first African American to win an Academy Award, receiving the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). Born in Wichita City, Kansas State, and raised in Denver City, Colorado State, America, McDaniel was the youngest of 13 children in a family of former slaves and Civil War veterans. She began her career in vaudeville business shows and radio. She acted in over 300 movies, portraying maids or cooks due to racism. McDaniel defended her roles, stating, “I would rather play a maid than be one.” She took her work to challenge perceptions and open doors for future Black actors. McDaniel faced racism. She was barred from the Gone with the Wind premiere in Atlanta ...

Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide on 09 June 68 Current Era. He prayed his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade Senate-imposed death by whipping.  Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Roman emperor from 54 to 68 Current Era, was born on December 15, 37 CE in Antium, an ancient coastal town in the Latium region, in which Rome was built, in Italy. He was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ascending to the throne at age 16 after the death of his adoptive father, Claudius. His mother, Agrippina the Younger, played a significant role in securing his rule, though their relationship later deteriorated. Nero’s early reign, guided by advisors like Seneca and Burrus, was marked by relative stability and popular policies like tax reductions and public entertainment. He fancied himself an artist, performing as a poet, musician, and actor, which scandalized the Roman elite who viewed such behavior as beneath an emperor’s dignity. His passion for chariot racing...

Tanks of the American Army 11th Armored Division are crushing the people in the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, established in 1938, in Nazi-occupied upper Austria.  White Terror is political violence and repression by reactionary, conservative, fascist groups to counter leftist revolutionary movements. Some White Terrors: Hungary (1919–1921): After the collapse of the Hungarian Soviet Republic led by Béla Kun in 1919, counter-revolutionary forces under Admiral Miklós Horthy launched violence, targeting communists, socialists, and Jews, resulting in 2,000 deaths. Spain (1936–1945): During and after the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Franco’s Nationalist forces unleashed a White Terror to eliminate supporters of the Spanish Republic, leftists, communists, and regional separatists, killing 4 lakh people, torturing political prisoners, suppressing leftist ideologies. This repression led to Franco’s dictatorship. Taiwan (1949–1987): After the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taiwan in 1949 f...

St. Peter's Basilica on St. Peter's Square, Vatican City. Benito Mussolini, the first of 20th Century Europe's Fascist dictators, made Vatican City an independent sovereign state on 07 June 1929 by ratifying the Lateran Treaty. Mussolini was initially anticlerical, viewing the Church as a rival for power. He was an atheist in his youth. He recognized the Church’s influence over Italy’s population and harnessed it. The Lateran Pacts of 1929 were signed by the Fascist govt and the Vatican of Pope Pius XI. These resolved the "Roman Question," the dispute between the Italian state and the papacy since the unification of Italy in 1870, which stripped the Pope of power. The pacts established Vatican City Sovereign State, gave the Pope territorial autonomy, compensated the Church financially for territories lost during the unification, and recognized Catholicism as the state religion, with religious education in schools. The Vatican recognized the Fascist rule and agreed...

Gustav Vasa was elected the King of Sweden on 6 June 1523 ending the rule of the Danish Monarch in the Kalmar Union of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.    Gustav Vasa, born Gustav Eriksson, on 12 May 1496 in Rydboholm, Sweden, led a rebellion against the Danish Monarch's rule. He ended the Kalmar Union of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway under Danish monarch since 1397. Elected on 6 June 1523, he was crowned in 1528. He is the founder of Modern Sweden and the father of the nation. He led the Swedish Liberation War against Denmark and Norway. In the following Stockholm Bloodbath many Swedish nobles, including his father, were executed. Vasa centralized power by appointing governors to replace the local landowners. He nationalized the church assets. Established a hereditary monarchy, replacing the previous elective system. Vasa initiated the Swedish Reformation, making Sweden a Protestant nation. He ruled until his death on 29 September 1560.  

Henry Ford, an American Automobile Pioneer and Industrialist, paid 5-dollar (equal to 160 dollars now) daily wages in 1914 and initiated 32 hours 5 days work week on 5 June 1937.  Henry Ford (30.7.1863–7.4.1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, and founder of the Ford Motor Company. His innovative assembly line manufacturing method 'Fordism' led to mass production and mass consumption. By 1914, Ford reduced car production time, slashing costs. The middle class was made to purchase cars. His company produced 1.5 crore cars of Model T by 1927. Ford pioneered the $5 (160 dollars now) workday, doubling workers' wages in 1914, and introduced 32 hours 5 days work week by 1937. This enabled employees to afford the cars they built. He held controversial views, including antisemitic writings. He proposed peace but accused Jews in World War I. Ford traded with the Nazy Party. Hitler and his team owned Ford. This damaged his reputation. With anti-Jews, pro-Nazy, and pr...

The Velvet Revolution was a Civil Resistance in Prague the capital of Czechoslovakia. It was a period of large-scale protests against the One-Party Government of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.  The Velvet Revolution in Prague was a non-violent transition of power in Czechoslovakia. It ended 41 years of communist rule and established a democratic government. On 17 November 1989, the revolution began with a peaceful student demonstration, commemorating the 50th anniversary of a student’s death under Nazi occupation. Police brutally suppressed the protest, injuring hundreds and sparking widespread outrage. A rumored death of a student, Martin Šmíd, fueled public anger. Daily demonstrations grew, with lakhs gathering in Wenceslas Square. Civic Forum of actors, students, and intellectuals led by Václav Havel, emerged as a key opposition group, demanding free elections, freedom of speech, and an end to communist dominance. The revolution was peaceful, with protesters using chants...

Tiananmen Square Massacre began in Beijing on 3 June 1989. Chinese troops opened fire on the pro-democratic protesters. Shopping bags, in his hands an unknown protester stood in front of the line of Army Tanks. Hu Yaobang became Chairman of the Communist Party of China on June 29, 1981.  Hu Yaobang  was a Chinese reformist Communist leader and an ally of party leader Deng Xiaoping, who helped liberalize China from its strict Marxist past under Mao Zedong. Hu wanted to pursue social and economic reforms. He was inevitably opposed by the hardliners. Despite being appointed to the more powerful position of Party General Secretary in 1982, he was eventually forced out of office and made to state humiliating “self-criticisms” of his ideas in public. Amongst other things, Hu refused in 1986 to crack down on protesting students, saying that they should be allowed to vent their frustrations. Hu died of a heart attack, aged 73, in April 1989. His death was not mentioned officially. The...

An American Abolitionist Harriet Tubman led Union Guerrillas (Jayhawkers or Red Legs) an Unofficial Military Group in the American Civil War, into the American State of Maryland on 02 June 1863, freeing slaves.  Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and the first woman to lead an armed expedition, born around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, as Araminta "Minty" Ross. She experienced severe physical violence in her childhood including an injury that caused lifelong health problems. She had a deep faith, however, which shaped her life's work. Enslaved from birth, she escaped to freedom in 1849. Later she returned to rescue her family and others risking her life multiple times. She became a leading figure in the fight against slavery. Tubman is best known for her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses that helped enslaved African Americans reach freedom in the North and Canada. She made 13 missions, personally gu...