Important Days - Ch20 | Exam Fusion Prep

January

Date	Day / Observance
9	Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (since 2003) — marks Gandhiji's return to India from South Africa in 1915
10	World Hindi Day
12	National Youth Day (Swami Vivekananda's Birthday)
15	Indian Army Day
16	Startup Day (since 2022)
23	Parakram Diwas (since 2021) — Subhas Chandra Bose's Birthday
24	National Girl Child Day
25	Indian Tourism Day / National Voters' Day
26	Republic Day / International Customs and Excise Day
30	Martyrs' Day

⚠ EXAM TRAP

Two "Martyrs' Day" dates exist — 30 January (Gandhi's assassination) and 23 March (Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev). Don't confuse the two.

February

Date	Day / Observance
1	Indian Coast Guard Day
2	World Wetlands Day
4	World Cancer Day
13	World Radio Day
20	World Social Justice Day
23	World Peace and Understanding Day
28	National Science Day

March

Date	Day / Observance
1	Zero Discrimination Day
3	World Wildlife Day
4	National Safety Day
8	International Women's Day
15	World Consumer Rights Day
21	International Day of Forests
22	World Water Day
23	Martyrs' Day (Bhagat Singh) / World Meteorological Day
24	World Tuberculosis Day

April

Date	Day / Observance
2	World Autism Awareness Day
7	World Health Day
14	B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti
18	World Heritage Day
20	"Amjad Ali Khan Day" (declared by US state of Massachusetts)
21	National Civil Services Day
22	World Earth Day
24	National Panchayati Raj Day
25	World Malaria Day

⚡ QUICK RECALL

Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has 20 April officially declared "Amjad Ali Khan Day" by Massachusetts, USA — a unique cross-topic fact linking Art & Culture with Important Days.

May

Date	Day / Observance
1	International Labour Day
5	World Hand Hygiene Day
8	World Red Cross Day
12	International Nurses Day (Florence Nightingale)
21	Anti-Terrorism Day
22	International Day for Biological Diversity
24	Commonwealth Day
25	World Thyroid Day
31	World No Tobacco Day

June

Date	Day / Observance
5	World Environment Day
12	World Day Against Child Labour
14	World Blood Donor Day
17	World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
20	World Refugee Day
21	International Yoga Day
23	International Olympic Day
29	National Statistics Day

July

Date	Day / Observance
1	National Doctors' Day (Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy's Birthday)
4	Death Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda
11	World Population Day
18	International Nelson Mandela Day
20	International Chess Day
26	Kargil Vijay Diwas
28	World Nature Conservation Day
29	International Tiger Day

August

Date	Day / Observance
1	World Breastfeeding Day
6	Hiroshima Day (US dropped atomic bomb, 1945)
7	National Handloom Day / National Javelin Day (since 2021)
12	International Youth Day
14	Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (since 2021) / Pakistan Independence Day
15	Independence Day
20	Sadbhavana Diwas
29	National Sports Day (Major Dhyan Chand's Birthday)

⚠ EXAM TRAP

National Javelin Day (7 August, since 2021) was introduced after Neeraj Chopra's Olympic gold — easy to confuse with National Sports Day (29 August).

September

Date	Day / Observance
1–7	National Nutrition Week
5	National Teachers' Day (Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's Birthday)
8	International Literacy Day
14	National Hindi Day
15	National Engineers' Day
16	International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
21	International Peace Day / World Alzheimer's Day
27	World Tourism Day

October

Date	Day / Observance
1	International Day of Older Persons / World Vegetarian Day
2	Gandhi Jayanti / Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti / International Day of Non-Violence
5	World Teachers' Day
8	Indian Air Force Day
9	World Post Day
11	International Girl Child Day
16	World Food Day
20	World Statistics Day (every 5 years)
24	United Nations Foundation Day
31	National Unity Day

⚡ QUICK RECALL

2 October is a double/triple observance — Gandhi Jayanti, Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti, and International Day of Non-Violence, all on the same date.

November

Date	Day / Observance
1	World Vegan Day
10	World Science Day for Peace & Development
11	National Education Day
14	National Children's Day / World Diabetes Day
15	Tribal Pride Day (Birsa Munda Jayanti)
16	National Press Day
25	International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
26	National Law Day / Constitution Day / Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti

December

Date	Day / Observance
1	World AIDS Day
2	Computer Literacy Day / International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
4	Indian Navy Day
5	World Soil Day
7	Armed Forces Flag Day
10	International Human Rights Day
18	International Migrants Day
22	National Mathematics Day
23	Farmers' Day
24	National Consumer Rights Day
25	National Good Governance Day (Birth Anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee)

⚠ EXAM TRAP

National Consumer Rights Day (24 Dec) is separate from World Consumer Rights Day (15 March) — both exist, don't merge them.

International Decades Declared by the UN

2025–2034: International Decade of Action for Cryospheric Science
2024–2033: International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development
2021–2032: International Decade of Indigenous Languages
2019–2028: Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace
2016–2025: International Decade of Action on Nutrition
2005–2015: International Decade for Action on "Water for Life"
Third UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty

International Years Declared by the UN

Year	Theme
2023	International Year of Millets
2024	International Year of Camelids
2025	International Year of Glaciers' Preservation / Quantum Science and Technology
2026	International Year of Women Farmers
2027	International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism
2029	International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence

⚡ QUICK RECALL

2025 has a dual theme — Glaciers' Preservation AND Quantum Science and Technology — both declared for the same year.

Quick Reference Summary

Date	Day
9 January	Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
12 January	National Youth Day (Swami Vivekananda's Birthday)
15 January	Indian Army Day
23 January	Parakram Diwas (Subhas Chandra Bose's Birthday)
26 January	Republic Day
28 February	National Science Day
8 March	International Women's Day
22 March	World Water Day
7 April	World Health Day
14 April	B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti
22 April	World Earth Day
1 May	International Labour Day
12 May	International Nurses Day (Florence Nightingale)
5 June	World Environment Day
21 June	International Yoga Day
1 July	National Doctors' Day (Dr. B.C. Roy's Birthday)
11 July	World Population Day
26 July	Kargil Vijay Diwas
6 August	Hiroshima Day
15 August	Independence Day
29 August	National Sports Day (Major Dhyan Chand's Birthday)
5 September	National Teachers' Day (Dr. Radhakrishnan's Birthday)
27 September	World Tourism Day
2 October	Gandhi Jayanti / International Day of Non-Violence
24 October	United Nations Foundation Day
31 October	National Unity Day
14 November	National Children's Day / World Diabetes Day
15 November	Tribal Pride Day (Birsa Munda Jayanti)
26 November	National Law Day / Constitution Day
1 December	World AIDS Day
10 December	International Human Rights Day
22 December	National Mathematics Day
25 December	National Good Governance Day