· January 2020 202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle of 1818 • The Ransthamb or...
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Transcript of · January 2020 202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle of 1818 • The Ransthamb or...
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January 2020
202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle of 1818
• The Ransthamb or victory pillar in Bhima-Koregaon village (Maharashtra) recently celebrates the 202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle of 1818 on January 1, 2020.
• About Battle of Koregaon
• The Battle of Koregaon was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India Company and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon Bhima.
• It is also called the Battle of Koregaon Bhima, after the river Bhima that flows close to it.
• The battle was part of the Third Anglo Maratha war, a series of battles that culminated in the defeat of the Maratha Empire (under the Peshwas) and subsequent rule of the British East India Company in nearly all of Western, Central and Southern India.
• There is a "victory pillar" (obelisk) in Koregaon commemorating the battle. Dhanu Jatra
• The famous 11-day long ‘Dhanu Jatra’, considered as the largest open-air theatre of the world begins at Bargarh in western Odisha.
• About the Dhanu Jatra
• The Jatra is based on the mythological story of Lord Krishna and his demon uncle King Kansa. It is about the episode of Krishna and Balaram's visit to Mathura to witness the Dhanu ceremony organized by their (maternal) uncle King Kansa.
• It is also mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records.
• This is an annual festival came into being in 1947-48 to celebrate Indian’s Independence and to symbolize the victory of good over evil.
• The department of Culture of the Government of India has accorded National Festival status to Dhanu Jatra in November 2014
‘Lai Haraoba’ begins in Tripura
• Lai Haraoba, a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities since ancient times, began in Agartala, Tripura.
• Lai Haraoba is celebrated through oral literature, music, dance and rituals. About Lai Haraoba
• It is one of the main festivals still performed in Manipur which has its roots in the pre-Vaishnavite period.
• Lai Haraoba is the earliest form of dance which forms the basis of all stylised dances in Manipur.
• Literally meaning - the merrymaking of the gods, it is performed as a ceremonial offering of song and dance.
• The principal performers are the maibas and maibis (priests and priestesses) who re-enact the theme of the creation of the world.
Patola Saree
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) recently inaugurated a first Silk Processing Plant at Surendranagar in Gujarat.
About Patola Saree
• It is also known as Patan Patola Saree which is a double-sided saree, usually made from silk from Patan, Gujarat.
• They are made using vegetable dyes.
• The designs are essentially traditional with geometrical, floral, animal and leaf patterns.
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• It has been awarded Geographical Indications Tag under the handicraft category. About Khadi and Village Industries Commission
• It is a statutory body established under the 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'.
• It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Its mandate is to plan, promote, and facilitate the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in rural India.
Savitribai Phule
• Prime Minister has recently paid his tributes to Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary.
About Savitribai Phule (1831 – 1897)
• She was an Indian social reformer, educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra.
• Savitribai Phule was the first female teacher in India and is also known as the mother of feminism in the country.
Work of Savitribai Phule
• Phule and her husband founded the first Indian girls' school in Pune, at Bhide Wada in 1848.
• She established the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness for issues concerning women's rights.
• She also worked to abolish the discrimination and unfair treatment of people based on caste.
• She published Kavya Phule in 1854 and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar in 1892.
• She also published a poem entitled "Go, Get Education" in which she encouraged those who are oppressed to free themselves by obtaining an education.
Belum Caves Festival
• The Belum Caves Festival has been postponed to January after the dates clashed with Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan’s visit to the district.
About the Belum Caves
• These are located near Belum Village in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the second-largest caves on the Indian Subcontinent after the Krem Liat Prah caves in Meghalaya.
Features:
• This cave system is known for its speleothems, such as stalactite and stalagmite formations.
• It has long passages, galleries, spacious caverns with fresh water and siphons.
• The caves consist of black limestone. Tulu
• Recently activists are making efforts to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
About Tulu
• Tulu is a textbook example of linguistic discrimination.
• Tulu is a Dravidian language whose speakers are concentrated in two coastal districts of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district of Kerala.
• The present-day Tulu linguistic majority area is confined to the region of Tulu Nadu, which comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka and the northern part of Kasaragod district of Kerala up to the river Payaswani, or Chandragiri.
• The cities of Mangaluru, Udupi and Kasaragod are the epicentres of Tulu culture.
• The Census reports 18,46,427 native speakers of Tulu in India.
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• The Tulu-speaking people are larger in number than speakers of Manipuri and Sanskrit, which have the Eighth Schedule status.
About Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
• As per Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution the Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages.
• These are Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Sindhi (added by 21st Amendment Act, 1967), Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali (added by 71st Amendment Act, 1992), Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santal (added by 92nd Amendment 2003).
• The list had originally 14 languages only but subsequently, through amendments 8 new languages were added.
• Article 29 of the Constitution provides that a section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture have the right to conserve the same.
Note:
• Robert Caldwell (1814-1891), in his book, A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Or South-Indian Family of Languages, called Tulu as “one of the most highly developed languages of the Dravidian family”.
Ashfaqullah Khan
• The Uttar Pradesh government has recently announced it will build a 121-acre zoo in Gorakhpur named after the freedom fighter and revolutionary Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan.
About Ashfaqullah Khan
• Ashfaq composed poems mostly in Urdu and a few in Hindi, under the pen names Varasi and Hazarat.
• He was associated with Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and Kakori Conspiracy case
About Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
• Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was a revolutionary organisation, also known as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army.
• It was established in 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi by Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Ramprasad Bismil Yogesh Chatterjee.
• Previously it was known as the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). The Kakori Conspiracy
• In August 1925, an armed robbery took place on board the Kakori Express, going from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, carrying money that had been collected at various railway stations and was to be deposited in Lucknow.
• The robbery was carried out by the Hindustan Republic Association in the Kakori town of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) on 9 August 1925.
• The main freedom fighters arrested for their involvement in the Kakori conspiracy case were Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Roshan Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad among others.
• During the trial, Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqullah Khan were given death sentences and others were given life imprisonment.
Epiphany festival
• The Epiphany festival was celebrated in parts of India, such as Goa and Kerala. About Epiphany Festivals
• Epiphany is among the three oldest and major festival days in Christianity, the two others being Christmas and Easter.
• It is celebrated on January 6 by a number of Christian sects, including Roman Catholics, and on January 19 by some Eastern Orthodox churches.
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• Epiphany is a feast day, or a day of commemoration, which in Christianity marks the visit of the Magi (meaning the Three Wise Men or Three Kings) to the Infant Jesus (Christ from his nativity until age 12).
• In Goa, the celebration is known by its Portuguese name ‘Festa dos Reis’, and in parts of Kerala by its Syriac name ‘Denha’.
• According to Christian belief, the Magi — Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Casper), the kings of Arabia, Persia, and India, respectively — followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the Infant Jesus.
• The day also commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.
• In Kerala, at the St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Piravom, ‘Denha’ is an important annual celebration, in which a big congregation takes part.
Madhavpur Mela
• The eight states of the Northern Eastern Region will participate in a big way during the Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat due to be held in 2020.
About the Madhavpur Mela
• The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares it’s connecting to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna.
• The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Krishna.
• Bhismaknagar, located near Roing in the Lower Dibang Valley district, also finds mention in Kalika Purana.
Nepal’s Seke ‘near-extinct’: The six degrees of endangerment of a language
• Recently, The New York Times reported that the “near-extinct” Nepalese language Seke has just 700 speakers around the world.
• The last year, 2019, was the International Year of Indigenous Languages, mandated by the United Nations (UN).
About Nepal’s Seke language
• According to the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA), Seke is one of the over 100 indigenous languages of Nepal.
• It is mainly spoken in the five villages of Chuksang, Chaile, Gyakar, Tangbe and Tetang in the Upper Mustang district.
• In recent years, Seke has been retreating in the face of Nepali, which is Nepal’s official language and is considered to be crucial for getting educational and employment opportunities outside villages.
UNESCO has six degrees of endangerment. These are: 1. Safe: Under this category, the languages spoken by all generations and their intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted; 2. Vulnerable languages: These are the language which is spoken by most children but may be restricted to certain domains; 3. Definitely endangered languages: These are the language which is no longer being learnt by children as their mother tongue. 4. Severely endangered: These are the languages spoken by grandparents and older generations, and while the parent generation may understand it, they may not speak it with the children or among themselves. 5. Critically endangered languages: languages which belong to those of which the youngest speakers are the grandparents or older family members who may speak the language partially or infrequently and lastly, 6. Extinct languages: When no speakers are left of this language. Note:
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• As per the Endangered Languages Project (ELP), there are roughly 201 endangered languages in India and about 70 in Nepal.
Classical Language
• The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan recently demanded that Marathi be given the status of a 'classical language'.
About ‘Classical’ languages in India,
• Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status: Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).
• According to information provided by the Ministry of Culture in the Rajya Sabha in February 2014, the guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’ are:
o High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years; o A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers; o The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community; o The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots. Benefits provided once a language is notified as a Classical language
• Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages
• A Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages is set up
• The University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for the Classical Languages so declared.
Statue of Unity finds a place in '8 Wonders of SCO'
• Recently External Affairs Minister announced that the 182-meter tall Statue of Unity in Gujarat has been included in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's '8 Wonders of SCO' list.
About the SCO Wonder List
• The Wonders of SCO include archaeological and historical monuments of SCO. It includes 1. Statue of Unity in India 2. Navruz Palace in Tajikistan 3. Daming Palace in China 4. Mughals Heritage in Pakistan 5. Tamgaly Gorge in Kazakhstan 6. Po-i-Kalan Complex in Uzbekistan 7. The Golden Ring of Russia Lahore 8. Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan About the 'Statue of Unity
• The Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue, is a monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first home minister as well as deputy prime minister.
• The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by Prime Minister on the occasion of Patel's 143rd birth anniversary.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation also known as the Shanghai Pact is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai.
• The Secretariat of SCO is based in Beijing, China.
• The members of the SCO are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
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29th Saraswati Samman
• Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman for his short stories collection- Chequebook.
About Vasdev Mohi
• He has authored 25 books of poetry, stories and translations.
• He has also received the Sahitya Akademi Award. About the Saraswati Samman
• The award is annually given to an outstanding work of an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years in any of the languages mentioned in Schedule 8 of the constitution.
• The award was instituted by KK Birla Foundation in 1991. Vakataka dynasty
• Recent archaeological excavations at Nagardhan in Ramtek taluka, near Nagpur, have provided concrete evidence on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty.
About the Vakataka Dynasty
• They belong to a Brahminical dynasty.
• They ruled at some parts of Central and South India between the third and fifth centuries.
• Vindhyashakti was the founder of this dynasty.
• The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor, Harishena.)
Nagoba Jatara
• Nagoba Jatara festival is being celebrated by the Mesram Raj Gonds and Pardhans in Telangana State.
About Nagoba Jatara
• Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival held in Keslapur village in Telangana, India.
• It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by Mesaram clan of Gond tribes.
• Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesram clan also offer prayers at the festival.
• The Gusadi Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is a major special attraction of the event.
About Gond Tribe
• They are one of the largest tribal groups in the world.
• They mostly live in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Odisha.
• They majorly speak Gondi which is an unwritten language of the Dravidian family. Madhavpur Mela
• The eight states of the Northern Eastern Region will participate in a big way during the Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat.
About the Madhavpur Mela
• The Mela will integrate the cultures of North-East regions and Gujarat under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
• The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares it’s connecting to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
About Mishmi tribe
• The Mishmi or Deng people of Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh are an ethnic group comprising mainly three tribes Idu Mishmi, Digaro tribe and Miju Mishmi.
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• The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna.
• The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Krishna.
• The Idu-Mishmi believes that Rukmini belonged to their tribe.
• The plays and dances on ‘Rukmini Haran’ are conducted by the tribe. Note:
• Bhismaknagar, located near Roing in the Lower Dibang Valley district, also finds mention in Kalika Purana.
Nagoba jatara
• Recently a month-long Nagoba jatara concluded in Telangana. About Nagoba Jatara
• Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival held in Keslapur village, Indervelli Mandal Adilabad district, Telangana, thus the festival is also known as Keslapur jatara.
• It is a huge religious and cultural event of the Boigutta branch of Mesram clan of the aboriginal Raj Gond and Pardhan tribes.
About Gond Tribe
• Gonds mostly live in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Odisha.
• Gonds are one of the largest tribal groups in the world.
• It has been notified as a Scheduled Tribe.
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February 2020
Bodo: One language, three scripts • Recently Prime Minister acknowledged the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord in
which Bodo language is one of the key thrust areas in the Bodo Accord. About the Bodo language
• It is listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution which was added in 2003. • The 2003 Accord was very significant for language because it was the first tribal
language to be included in the Eight Schedule • It is spoken in Assam, where the Bodo tribe constitutes about 5-6% of the population,
and in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and West Bengal. • It is written in both the Devanagari script and the Roman script while Bodo is
officially written in the Devanagri script. History of the Bodo Language
• The language is believed to have had its script in the pre-13th century era when it was called Deodhai.
• When the Danish missionaries came to the Bodo-dominated area in the latter part of the 19th century, they started using the Roman script to teach Bodo in missionary schools.
• J D Anderson, a member of Indian Civil service (1873-1900), is known to have translated several Bodo folk songs into English.
• In the first decade of the 20th century, Bodos started writing in the Assamese/Bangla script.
Jaipur receives UNESCO World Heritage City certificate Recently Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay presented the 'World Heritage City' certificate to the Pink City – Jaipur. About World Heritage Site • UNESCO World Heritage Sites are designated specific locations such as forest
areas, mountains, lakes, deserts, monuments, buildings, or cities, etc. • The World Heritage Sites Committee selects these. This committee oversees
these sites with the help of UNESCO. • The objective of this program is to select and preserve such places of the world
which are necessary for humanity in terms of world culture. • UNESCO provides financial assistance to such sites under certain
circumstances. Benefits of a World Heritage City Certificate • The status of World Heritage City boosts domestic and international tourism,
strengthens the local economy and also provides employment to the people. • The income of the handicrafts and handloom industry also gets the benefits of
tourism. • The government of India sent a proposal in August 2018 to declare Pink City
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Note:
• There are 37 World Heritage Sites in Rajasthan which include Chittorgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore, and Gagron Fort among others.
• The walled city of Jaipur, famous for its grid plan-based architecture and buildings constructed with the pink facade, was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in July 2019.
Brihadeeswarar Temple
• Recently the Madurai Bench of the court addressed the struggle for supremacy between the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions that lie at the heart of several cultural battles in the state during the kumbhabishegam ceremony.
About the Brihadeeswarar Temple
• The Sri Brahadeeswarar Temple also called Peruvudaiyar Koyil, is the most famous of the many temples in Thanjavur.
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• The temple, one of the world's largest and grandest, was built between 1003 AD and 1010 AD by the great Chola emperor Raja Raja I (c. 985-1014 AD).
• It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.s • It is located in South Bank of Kaveri River in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. • Peruvudaiyaar Kovil is an example of Tamil architecture from the Chola period. • The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living
Chola Temples", along with Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavatesvara temple.
Namaste Orcha festival
• Madhya Pradesh government has organized a three-day multi-cultural festival known as 'Namaste Orchha'.
About Namaste Orchha
• It will take place every year at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. • It will celebrate the cultural diversity, natural beauty and the architectural heritage of
the town by showcasing music, dance, heritage walks, local cuisine, arts and handicrafts.
Note: Orchha is a town in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh which lies on the Betwa River. Chindu Yakshaganam
• The traditional theatre Chindu Yakshaganam is being performed in the state of Telangana.
About Chindu Yakshaganam • It is a theatre art form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and
stage techniques with a unique style and form. • It is also called Chindu Bhagavatam and mainly performed by the Chindu Madiga
community, • The art form is very similar to Yakshaganam, a traditional theatre form particular to
Karnataka. • The Chindu Yakshaganam is also called Chindu Bhagavatam as most of the stories
narrated are from ‘Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana).
Sun temple • Recently archaeologists and engineers plan to restore and preserve the nearly 800-
year-old Konark Sun temple in Odisha. About the Sun Temple
• Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century sun temple at Konark on the coastline of Odisha.
• The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty • The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Surya. • This temple was called the “Black Pagoda” in European sailor accounts as early as
1676 because its great tower appeared black. • Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the “White Pagoda”. • The temple was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.
Kambala buffalo festivals • Recently Srinivas Gowda – a Kambala jockey from Karnataka, competing in a
Kambala event — a traditional race in which the jockey runs along with the buffaloes. • He made a record of in 100m sprint which the sports buffs said the Kambala runner
had clocked 9.55 seconds, just a wee bit ahead of Jamaican Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds.
About Kambala buffalo festivals • It is an annual Buffalo Race held in the Tulu region of Karnataka (districts of
Dakshina Kannada and Udupi). • The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, each pair race in wet
rice fields, controlled by a whip-lashing farmer. • Some farmers also run their buffalo in a non-competitive ritualistic manner for
thanksgiving for protecting their animals from diseases. About Jallikattu
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• Jallikattu, a bull-taming sport is traditionally held as part of the four-day Pongal festival (harvest festival) in the Tamil Nadu.
• It is a bull-taming sport in which a bull vaulter is expected to hang on to the animal’s hump for a stipulated distance or hold on to the hump for a minimum of three jumps made by the bull.
Sammakka Saralamma Jatara • Sammakka Saralamma Jatara which is a centuries-old festival of the Koya tribe is
being celebrated in the State of Telangana. About the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
• It is also known as Medaram Jatara is a tribal festival held biennially in the state of Telangana, which is also a State Festival of Telangana.
• The festival commemorates the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law.
Note: • Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary.
Asur tribe • The Asur tribe has been using mobile radio to transmit local news and songs which is
helping them revive the dying tribal language. About the Asur Tribe
• They are the Austroasiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
• Asur is among the nine Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups found in Jharkhand. • They speak the Asuri language which is on the verge of extinction with less than
8,000 people speaking it. • The Asur language figures in the list of UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World’s
Languages in Danger. • The main festival of the tribe includes Sarhul, Phagua, Navakhans among others.
About the PVGTs • In 1975, the Government of India initiated to identify the most vulnerable tribal
groups as a separate category called PVTGs and declared 52 such groups. Characteristics of PVGT’s
1. PVTGs have declining or stagnant population, 2. Low level of literacy 3. Pre-agricultural level of technology 4. Economically backwards 5. Generally, inhabit remote localities having poor infrastructure and administrative
support. Battle of Çanakkale/Gallipoli
• Recently Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments in Pakistan has criticised India’s policy in Jammu and Kashmir and compared the “struggle” of Kashmiris with that of Turkey during World War I.
About the Battle of Çanakkale • It is also known as the Gallipoli campaign or the Dardanelles campaign. • It is considered to be one of the bloodiest of World War I, during which the Ottoman
army faced off against the Allied forces, leading to the slaughter of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides.
• The Entente powers, Britain, France and Russia, sought to weaken the Ottoman Empire, one of the Central Powers, by taking control of the straits that provided a supply route to Russia.
• The Allies' attack on Ottoman forts at the entrance of the Dardanelles in February 1915 failed and was followed by an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in April 1915 to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul).
Note:
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• The campaign is also seen to have seeded Australian and New Zealand national consciousness — April 25, anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, is observed as ANZAC Day, the day of national remembrance for the war dead.
22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue
• Recently 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue was released on the occasion of Mother Language Day. The Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21.
Highlights of the Report
• Hindi is 3rd most spoken language in the world with 615 million speakers after English and Chinese Mandarin.
• Bangla has been ranked as the 7th most spoken language of the world.
About the Ethnologue
• Ethnologue brings out a yearly database of living languages of the world since its establishment in 1951.
• It has been published annually by SIL International, a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization.
• The current round of the database covers 7,111 living languages of the world. • It also contains data on languages which have gone out of use in recent history which
is around 348 such languages.
Herath Festivals The Prime Minister has greeted the people on the occasion of the Herath festival. About the Herath festival
• The word Herath comes from the Sanskrit word Hararatri or the Night or Hara (another name of Lord Shiva).
• It is one of the biggest festivals of Kashmiri Pandits. • The festival is marked by a night of praying followed by a day of feasting. • Some say Herath means the night of Lord Shiva. • The festival used to be equally celebrated by the majority community in Kashmir."
Yakshagana
• Recently Arshiya, a Yakshagana artist from Mangaluru is likely the first woman from the Muslim community in Yakshagana. This traditional art form was forbidden for women. This folk art is believed to have originated somewhere in between the 10th and 16th century.
About Yakshagana • It is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume,
make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. It is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
• It has been developed in Udupi, in the state of Karnataka. • It is popular in the Karnataka districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod, Udupi,
Uttara Kannada and Shimoga. • The Vaishnava Bhakti movement strongly influences the theme of the
Yakshagana. • Its stories are mainly drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other
Hindu epics.
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March 2020
Vasantotsav • Vasantotsav is an eight-day festival was inaugurated at Sanskruti Kunj in
Gandhinagar. • The annual festival is organised by the Department of Youth and Cultural Affairs,
Government of to celebrate the rich diverse heritage of the country. • This year the theme of the festival is Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat.
‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate • Government of India has submitted two nomination dossiers namely ‘Dholavira: A
Harappan City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2020
About Dholavira • It is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the
state of Gujarat. • It is also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus
Valley Civilization/Harappan city. • It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in
India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. About Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate
• The Deccan sultanates were five dynasties that ruled late medieval kingdoms, namely, Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar in south-western India.
• The Deccan sultanates were located on the Deccan Plateau. • Their architecture was a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture, heavily
influenced by the styles of the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal architecture, but sometimes also directly from Persia and Central Asia.
Uttarakhand govt names Gairsain as new summer capital of state • Uttarakhand Chief Minister has announced that ‘Gairsain’ as the new summer capital
of the state. Background
• Uttarakhand was carved out as a separate state from Uttar Pradesh in 1998. • Statehood activists had long contended that Gairsain, a tehsil in Chamoli district, was
best suited to be the capital of the mountainous state as it was a hilly region falling on the border of Kumaon and Garhwal regions.
• But it was Dehradun, located in the plains that served as the temporary capital. • The state Assembly is located in Dehradun, but sessions are held in Gairsain as well.
Joy Bangla’ to be the national slogan of Bangladesh • The High Court of Bangladesh has recently ordered that ‘Joy Bangla’ will be the
national slogan of Bangladesh. The court also directed the authorities to ensure that teachers and students use the slogan after assembly.
About the Joy Bangla
• ‘Joy Bangla’ was the main slogan during the liberation war of Bangladesh fought against Pakistan in 1971.
• The first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also used ‘Joy Bangla’ in his speeches and especially during his historic 7th March speech in 1971 declaring the goal of independence for Bangladesh.
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Attukal Pongala • The Kerala government has recently decided to go ahead with "Attukal Pongala after
the fresh guidelines in the backdrop of five fresh positive coronavirus cases being reported in the state.
About Attukal Pongala • The Attukal Pongala held in Attukal Temple, Thiruvananthapuram is the largest
congregation of women for a festival in the world. • Pongala, which means 'to boil over’, is the ritual in which women prepare sweet
payasam (a pudding made from rice, jaggery, coconut and plantains cooked together) and offer it to the Goddess or ‘Bhagavathy’.
• The ritual can only be performed by women and the streets of the city are known to be jam-packed with faithful devotees during the time of the festival.
• The Goddess-fondly referred to as ‘Attukalamma’ is said to be appeased by this ritual.
Indian Culture Portal
• Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism has informed the Lok Sabha about the Indian Culture Portal.
About the Indian Culture Portal • Indian Culture Portal was launched on 10th December 2019 to showcase information
about the rich cultural heritage of India across the globe. • The Indian Culture Portal is available in two languages i.e. Hindi and English. • The portal will create awareness about both the tangible and intangible cultural
heritage of India. • The portal, which comprises mainly of rare books, e-books, manuscripts, artefacts
from museums, virtual galleries, archives, photo archives, gazetteers, Indian National Bibliography, videos, detailed accounts of Indian UNESCO World Heritage site.
• It also comprises of musical Instruments of India, write-ups and beautiful pictures on cuisines, festivals, paintings, folk art and classical art from different States of India etc.
Navroz Why in the news?
• The Prime Minister has greeted the nation on the occasion of Navroz. About Navroz
• It is a Parsi New Year festival celebrated to mark the beginning of the new Iranian calendar.
• Navroz is also known as Jamshed-i-Navroz after the Persian King, Jamshed, who is credited to have created the Persian Calendar known as the Shahenshahi Calendar.
• The time of the festival is decided in Iran and then it is passed on to the entire Zoroastrian population in the world.
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April 2020
Tablighi Jamaat Why in the news?
• Recently over 200 have tested positive for COVID-19 from among 4,000-odd who had gathered in Delhi’s Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat.
What is Tablighi Jamaat?
• Tablighi Jamaat, which means a society for spreading the faith, is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement.
• It has emerged as one of the most dominant forms of religiosity in post-colonial India. The proselytizing movement aims to reach out to ordinary Muslims and revive their faith, particularly in matters of ritual, dress, and personal behaviour.
How did the movement begin?
• Its roots lie in the Deobandi version of the Hanafi School of jurisprudence. • It was launched by Deoband cleric and prominent Islamic scholar Maulana
Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalaw in 1927 in Mewat. • Its emergence also coincided with Hindu proselytizing movements.
How does it promote Islam? The Tablighi Jamaat is based on six principles:
a. The first is the kalimah, an article of faith in which the Tabligh accepts that there is no God, but Allah and that Prophet Muhammad is his messenger.
b. The second is salaat, or prayer five times daily. c. The third is ilm and dhikr, the knowledge and remembrance of
Allah conducted in sessions in which the congregation listens to preaching by the imam, performs prayers, recites the Quran and reads the Hadith
d. The fourth principle is Ikram-i-Muslim, the treatment of fellow Muslims with honour.
e. The fifth is ikhlas-i-niyat or sincerity of intention f. The sixth is dawat-o-tabligh or proselytization.
Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts Why in the news?
• Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair (IHGF) is Asia's largest gifts & handicrafts trade fair conducted by EPCH, 49th edition of the fair has been called off due to COVID-19.
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About the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts
• The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) was established under the Companies Act in the year 1986-87. It is a non-profit organization, with an object to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.
• It is an apex body of handicrafts exporters for promotion of exports of Handicrafts from the country and projecting India's image abroad as a reliable supplier of high quality of handicrafts.
• The Council has created necessary infrastructure as well as marketing and information facilities, which are availed both by the member's exporters and importers.
Spring Harvest Festivals in India Why in the news?
• The President of India greeted people on the occasion of Vaisakhi, Vishu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi, Puthandu, Pirappu, which are being celebrated in different parts of the country as a Spring Harvest Festivals in India.
• The first day of the month of Vaisakh (April 13, 14 or 15), marks the start of Hindu New Year.
• Variously called Baisakhi or Vaisakhi (UP, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Vishu (Kerala), Mahabishuva Sankranti (Odisha), Rongali Bihu (Assam) and Poila Boishakh (Bengal), it is also a celebration of the spring harvest.
Types of Spring Harvest Festivals in India a. Rongali Bihu
• Rongali Bihu also known as Bohag Bihu, is celebrated in Assam. • The festival celebrated in the Assam and other parts of northeastern India.
• Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu festival continues for seven days and called as Xaat
Bihu. The seven days are known as Chot Bihu, Goru Bihu, Manuh Bihu,
Kutum Bihu, Senehi Bihu, Mela Bihu and Chera Bihu.
• It marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.
• This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar and is also observed in
Bengal, Manipur, Mithila, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
though called by different names.
• The farmers prepare the fields for cultivation of paddy and there is a feeling
of joy around.
Poila Boishakh
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• Poila Boishakh also known as Pahela Baishakh or Bangla Nababarsha, is the first day of Bengali Calendar.
• Boishakh is the first month of the Bengali calendar, and Poila stands for First. So, Poila Boishakh means the first day of the month of Boishakh, thus, marking the beginning of a new year. People greet each other saying, Shubho Noboborsho where Naba means New and Barsho indicate Year, together with means New Year.
• According to the Gregorian calendar, the Bengali New Year usually falls around April 14 or April 15. This year Pohela Boishakh will be celebrated on April 14.
• The first day of the initial month of Baishakh of the Bengali solar calendar is called by many names like Naba Barsha, Pohela Boishakh, and Pahela Baisakh in various parts of India.
Puthandu
• Puthandu is celebrated with pomp and fervour by Tamilians across the world. It marks the first day of the Tamil New Year.
• On this day, people wish each other 'Puthandu Vazthukal' which means 'Happy New Year.'
• The Tamil New Year follows the spring equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year.
• In the temple city of Madurai, the Chitterai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. A huge exhibition is held, called Chitterai Porutkaatchi.
• Puthandu is also celebrated by Tamil Hindus outside Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, such as in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion, Mauritius, and other countries with Tamil diaspora.
• The day celebrates the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
• Several Buddhist communities in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka also celebrate the same day as their new year.
Baisakhi
• It is also known as Vaisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vaisakhi, is celebrated with much fanfare in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
• Baisakhi is a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs and Hindus. It is usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year.
• It marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
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• Vaisakhi is also an ancient festival of Hindus, marking the Solar New Year and also
celebrating the spring harvest. • Baisakhi was also the day when colonial British empire officials committed the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre on a gathering, an event influential to the Indian movement against colonial rule.
Bikhoti • It is the festival of Uttrakhand involves people taking a dip in holy rivers.
Jurshital
• It is celebrated in the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal; the New Year is celebrated as Jurshital.
Mahabishuva Sankranti
• It is celebrated in Odisha, also known as Pana Sankranti. To observe this festival, the Odisha govt has decided to cancel the Meru Jatra festival amid the lockdown in Odisha.
Meru Jatra festival Why in the news?
• Odisha government has recently banned the Meru Jatra festival and congregations related to it at temples on the occasion of Mahavishuva Sankranti.
• Mahavishub Sankranti is the start of the Odia New Year. About Meru Jatra festival
• It marks the end of the 21-day-long celebration of penance named 'Danda Nata'.Danda Nata or Danda Jatra is one of the most important traditional dance festivals organized in different parts of South Odisha and particularly in the Ganjam District.
• The Danda Nata festival is being held in the month of Chaitra of every year. • Only male persons take part in this festival. • The Participants of Danda are called Danduas (also known as Bhoktas).
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Some highlights
• Ganjam district is the heartland of the ancient Kalinga Empire. • The Kalinga Emperors organized this Chaitra festival for their Ista Devi,
Taratarini. • It is believed that the present-day Danda Nata is a part of the ancient Chaitra
Yatra festivals being celebrated every year at Taratarini Shakti/Tantra Peetha.
• The Danduas or Bhoktas pray Goddesses Kali and Shiva during this 13-, 18- or 21-day Danda period.
• All the `Bhoktas` or 'Danduas' lead a very pious life for all these days during the festival, and they avoid eating meat, fish or cohabiting during this period.
• Danda Nata is a form of a religious festival that has theatrical and dance components.
• The dance, along with the accompanying events, is performed over three months March, April, and May.
• Nihangs Why in the news?
• Recently, Patiala witnessed an incident between Nihangs and Punjab police during the national lockdown.
About Nihangs • It is an order of Sikh warriors, characterised by blue robes, antiquated arms
such as swords and spears, and decorated turbans surmounted by steel quoits.
They use the slogans ‘chhardi kala’ (forever in high spirits) and ‘tiar bar tiar’ (state of ever preparedness) for unforeseen events. Who can become a Nihang?
• Any person irrespective of caste, creed or religion can be included, provided he has unshorn hair as per the Sikh traditions at the time of entering the sect.
Historical Background • They had a significant role in defending the Sikh panth after the fall of
the first Sikh rule (1710-15) when Mughal governors were killing Sikhs and during the onslaught of Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Durrani (1748-65).
• They held the grand council (Sarbat Khalsa) of Sikhs at Akal Takht and pronounced the resolution (Gurmata) passed.
• DekhoApnaDesh webinar series Why in news?
• The Ministry of Tourism has recently launched its "DekhoApnaDesh" webinar
series to provide information on the many destinations and the sheer depth
and expanse of the culture and heritage of our Incredible India.
About the DekhoApnaDesh webinar series
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• It has been launched to provide information on the many destinations and
the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of Incredible
India.
• The first webinar of the series titled "City of Cities- Delhi's Personal Diary”
touched upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded as 8 cities.
• The webinar will be available on the Ministry’s social media handles-
IncredibleIndia on Instagram and Facebook.
Showcasing India’s rich culture:
• Series of webinars will be an on-going feature and the Ministry would work
towards showcasing the diverse and remarkable history and culture of
India including its monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural
landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian
civilization.
• The core of the session based itself on tourism awareness and social history.
Launch of webinar in public domain soon:
• The webinar will be available in public domain soon.
• The next webinar is on the 16th of April from 11 am to 12 noon and shall take
visitors to the amazing City of Kolkata.
Darbar Move Why in the news?
• For the first time in 144 years, the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)
administration has decided to halt the ‘Durbar move’ due to the ongoing
Covid-19 crisis.
About the Darbar move
• It is the name for the bi-annual shift of the secretariat and all other
government offices in J&K from Srinagar (state’s summer capital) to Jammu
(state’s winter capital).
Duration
• The secretariat is located in Srinagar from May to October and in Jammu
from November to April.
Historical origin
• The practice was started by Dogra King Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1872 to escape
extreme weather conditions in these places.
World Heritage Committee of UNESCO Why in the news?
• The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO scheduled in Fuzhou (China) has been postponed due to coronavirus outbreak.
• India ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1977.
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About World Heritage Committee of UNESCO • It is a group of representatives from 21 States Parties to the World
Heritage Convention. It is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
• It has the ultimate decision-making power of declaring a property on the World Heritage List.
• It also decides on the inscription or deletion of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
• Three advisory bodies aid the deliberations of the World Heritage Committee are: a. International Union for Conservation of Nature b. International Council on Monuments and Sites c. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of
Cultural Property. National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India Why in the news?
• Union Minister for Culture (I/C) has launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India in New Delhi.
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage • It was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in 2003 and entered into force in 2006. • This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture. • Intangible Cultural Heritages from India included in the UNESCO
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Domains of the intangible list • The list has been classified into five broad domains in which intangible cultural
heritage is manifested: • Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the
intangible cultural heritage performing arts • Social practices, rituals, and festive events • Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe • Traditional craftsmanship
Objectives: • It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage
elements from different states of India at the national and international level and ensure their protection.
• To safeguard the expressions of intangible cultural heritage that are endangered by the processes of globalization.
• To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups, and individuals
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• to raise awareness at the local, national, and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage.
India has a total of 13 intangible cultural heritages included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
These include: • Koodiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, Kerala • Mudiyett: a ritual theatre of Kerala • The Tradition of Vedic ChantingRamlila – the Traditional Performance of the
Ramayana • Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas • Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of Rajasthan • Chhau dance: a tradition from eastern India • Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: the recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the
trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India • Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming, and dancing of Manipur • Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of
Jandiala Guru, Punjab • Yoga • Kumbh Mela (Recently Added)
Devanahalli chakota Why in the news?
• Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has recently cultivated the Devanahalli Pomelo fruit under its CSR programme ‘Namma Ooru’.
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About the Devanahalli pomelo • It is a variety of the citrus fruit pomelo (Citrus maxima) of the family
Rutaceae. • It is exclusively grown in the region around Devanahalli taluk of Bangalore
Rural District. It is locally known as chakota. • It is protected under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration
& Protection) Act (GI Act) 1999 of the Government of India. Basaveshwara Why in the news?
• Prime Minister has recently offering homage to the 12th-century social reformer Basaveshwara on his birth anniversary.
About Basaveshwara • He is also known as Bhaktibhandari, Basavanna or Basaveswara was a 12th-
century philosopher, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka. He rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals.
• He introduced new public institutions such as the 'Anubhava Mantapa' (or, the "hall of spiritual experience"), which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds to discuss spiritual and mundane questions of life, in open.
• He was the founder of the Lingayats sect.
Literary works
• He spread social awareness through poetry (Vachanas) such as Shat-sthala-vachana (discourses of the six stages of salvation), Kala-jnana-vachana (forecasts of the future) and Mantra-gopya.
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May 2020
GI tag to Manipur black rice, Gorakhpur terracotta Why in the news?
• Recently Chinnaraja G. Naidu, Deputy Registrar, Geographical Indications, confirmed that the GI tag had been given for the two-products Manipur black rice and Gorakhpur terracotta.
About Manipur black rice
• It is also known as Chak-Hao (Black Rice). • It is scented glutinous rice, which has been in cultivation in Manipur over
centuries, is characterized by its distinctive aroma. • It is usually eaten during community feasts and is served as Chak-Hao kheer. • Traditional medical practitioners have also used it as part of traditional
medicine. • This rice takes the longest cooking time of 40-45 minutes due to the presence
of a fibrous bran layer and higher crude fiber content. About Gorakhpur terracotta
• It is a centuries-old traditional art form, where the potters make various animal figures like horses, elephants, camel, goat, and ox with hand-applied ornamentation.
• Some of the major products of craftsmanship include the Hauda elephants, Mahawatdar horse, deer, camel, five-faced Ganesha, singled-faced Ganesha, elephant table, chandeliers, and hanging bells.
What is Terracotta?
• It is a type of ceramic pottery which is often used for pipes, bricks, and
sculptures.
• Terracotta pottery is made by baking terracotta clay.
• The terracotta color is a natural brown orange.
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What is a Geographical Indication? • A GI or Geographical Indication is a name, or a sign given to certain
products that relate to a specific geographical location or origins like a region, town, or country.
• Using Geographical Indications may be regarded as a certification that the particular product is produced as per traditional methods, has certain specific qualities, or has a particular reputation because of its geographical origin.
Benefits of GI Tags The Geographical Indication registration confers the following benefits:
• Legal protection to the products • Prevents unauthorized use of GI tag products by others • It helps consumers to get quality products of desired traits and is assured
of authenticity. Promotes the economic prosperity of producers of GI tag goods by enhancing their demand in national and international markets.
Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai and Kashmir saffron gets G.I. tag Why in the news?
• Geographical Indication Registry of India has accorded Geographical Indication (G.I.) tag to Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai and Kashmir saffron.
About Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai • It is peanut candy made in southern parts of Tamil Nadu.
Special Characteristics
• It is made using all-natural ingredients such as the traditional and special 'vellam' (jaggery) and groundnuts.
• Water from the river Thamirabarani is used in the production, which is said to enhance the taste naturally.
About Kashmir Saffron:
• It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir.
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• It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800m above mean sea level.
• The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its • Longer and thicker stigmas • Natural deep red color • High aroma • Bitter flavor • Chemical-free processing • High quantity of crocin (colouring strength) • Safranal (flavour) • Picrocrocin (bitterness)
Types of the saffron available in Kashmir
• Lachha Saffron • In this stigma just separated from the flowers and dried without further
processing.
• Mongra Saffron • In this stigma are detached from the flower, dried in the sun,
and processed traditionally.
• Guchhi Saffron • This is the same as Lachha, except that the latter's dried stigmas are packed
loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined in a bundle tied with a cloth thread.
Historical Background of Saffron • Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by
Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. • In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as 'bahukam.'
About G.I. tag • It is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product
(handicrafts and also industrial goods) originating from the definite geographical territory.
Significance of a G.I. tag: • It conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially
attributable to the place of its origin. • It is covered as an element of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under
the Paris Convention for Protection of Industrial Property. • G.I. is governed by the WTO's Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of an
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). • G.I. are covered under the Paris Convention for the Protection of
Industrial Property as an element of IPRs. COVID-19: ‘Thikri pehra’ makes a comeback in Punjab, Haryana Why in the news?
• Indian states Punjab and Haryana have resorted to the age-old practice of thikri pehra — community policing — to curb the movement of people in and out of villages in the wake of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown.
Background of Thikri pehra' • The tradition made a comeback after more than two decades — communities
guarded their villages in the aftermath of terrorist movement and when the infamous Kala Kachcha gang gave local's sleepless night's years ago.
Significance • Movement for urgent business or supply of essential items is allowed under the
practice. • Local people take turns to guard the entry and exit points in these villages.
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Sardar Patel National Unity Award Why in the news?
• The central government has extended the last date of invitation of nominations for the Sardar Patel National Unity Award till June 30, 2020.
About the Sardar Patel National Unity Award • The Government of India instituted Sardar Patel National Unity
Award as the highest civilian Award in the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for contribution in promoting unity and integrity of India.
• The Award seeks to recognize the notable and inspiring contribution made by individuals or institutions or organizations in this field and reinforces the value of strong and united India.
• The Award seeks to promote the cause of national unity and integrity and to reinforce the value of a strong and united India. The Award will be announced on the occasion of the National Unity Day, i.e., the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel on October 31.
• The Award shall consist of a medal and a citation. • No monetary grant or cash award shall be attached to this Award. • Not more than three Awards shall be given in a year. • It shall not be conferred posthumously except in very rare and highly
deserving cases. Bishnu Sendra Parva Why in the news?
• For the first time in living memory, not a single animal was killed on Bishnu Sendra Parva.
About Bishnu Sendra Parva • It is an annual hunting festival observed by tribals of Jharkhand and the
neighboring Odisha and West Bengal.
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• Adivasis observed the centuries-old festival without leaving their houses as Jharkhand continued with a complete lockdown across the state.
• With the lockdown continuing, many tribal hunters could not reach the forests to observe the festival.
Pulitzer Prize 2020 Why in the news?
• Recently, five Indian Photographers were among the winners of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize.
Highlights of Prize distribution
• The three photographers from Andhra Pradesh, Mukhtar Khan, Dar Yasin, and Channi Anand, were recognized for their work in the Feature Photography category, for their "striking images on life" in Jammu and Kashmir after the state's special status was revoked.
• The Reuters' photographers Anushree Fadnavis and Adnan Abidi were awarded the Pulitzer in the Breaking News Photography category for their coverage of the citizens' protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.About Pulitzer Prize
• It is an award given for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.
• It was established in the year of 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer.
• Each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award. • The winner in the public service category is awarded a gold medal.
VESAK Why in the news?
• ‘Vesak,’ the Day of the Full Moon in May, is being observed by the United Nations on May 7, 2020.
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About Vesak • Vesak is the most sacred day for Buddhists around the world, which is also
known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day. Significance:
• The day commemorates birth, enlightenment, and Death (or Parinirvana) of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, all of which is said to take, have taken place on the same day.
Recognition by United Nations • The General Assembly, by its resolution in 1999, recognized the Day of Vesak
internationally. It was done to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism made to humanity.
Gandhi Peace Prize 2020
Why in the news?
• Amid the coronavirus outbreak and nationwide lockdown, the Ministry of Culture has extended the last date for receipt of nominations for the Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 has now been extended upto and including 15.6.2020.
About the Gandhi Peace Prize
• It was institutionalized in 1995 on the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. • It is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions
towards social, economic, and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
• It carries a cash prize of Rs 1 crore, a citation, and a Plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.
Selection Committee
A jury consisting of the
a. Prime Minister of India b. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha c. the Chief Justice of India, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and d. One eminent person.
Previous awardee • Ramakrishna Mission was the first institution and Baba Amte was the first Indian
person to receive Gandhi Peace Prize in 1998 and 1999 respectively. • Julius K Nyerere, former Tanzanian President, was the first recipient of the award in
1995.
GI tag for Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal Why is in the news?
• Recently Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal were given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
About Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting • The Sohrai Khovar painting is a traditional and ritualistic mural art being practised
by local tribal women during local harvest and marriage seasons using local, naturally available soils of different colours in the area of Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.
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Features • It is traditionally painted on the walls of mud houses; they are now seen on
other surfaces, too. • The style features a profusion of lines, dots, animal figures and plants, often
representing religious iconography. • In recent years, the walls of important public places in Jharkhand, such as
the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, and the Hazaribagh and Tatanagar Railway Stations, among others, have been decorated with Sohrai-Khovar paintings.
About Telia Rumal cloth • It involves intricate handmade work with cotton loom displaying a variety of
designs and motifs in three colours — red, black, and white. Features
• It can only be created using the traditional handloom process and not by any other mechanical means as otherwise, the very quality of the Rumal would be lost.
Geographical Indication Status
• It is an indication used to identify goods having unique characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• The Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks- who is the Registrar of Geographical Indications.
• The Geographical Indications Registry is located at Chennai. Time Period
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for ten years. It can be renewed from time to time for a further period of 10 years each.
• It is also a part of the World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
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Gangamma Jatra Why in the news?
• Amid the coronavirus outbreak and nationwide lockdown the Gangamma Jatra has been missed devotees from across Rayalaseema and the bordering districts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
About Gangamma Jatara
• It is an annual folk festival and a famous religious temple carnival in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
• This festival is to offer prayers to Sri Thathaya Gunta Gangamma, the Gramadevata (the goddess looking after the village) of Tirupati.
• During the celebrations of Gangamma Jatara, the people wear Vichitra Veshadarana and curse Goddess Gangamma for seven days.
• It is celebrated through the dancing of youth in symmetry to the beating of ‘Palakalu’ in rustic rhythm, the smearing of charcoal, kumkum and chalk powder all over the body and the dressing of men in glittering female attire used to be the flavour of the season.
GI tag for Thanjavur Netti Works, Arumbavur Wood Carvings Why in the news?
• The Geographical Indications Registry has given the Thanjavur Netti Works and Arumbavur wood carvings Geographical Indication (GI) tag in Chennai.
About Thanjavur Netti Works (Thanjavur Pith Work) • It is made from Netti (pith) from a marshy plant called as Aeschynomene
Aspera. • This is a traditional art form and has been transferred from one generation
to the next. • The pith work models are delicate to handle and are usually preserved
inside glass boxes. • The notable works include Brihadeeswara Temple, Hindu Idols, door
hangings and decorative pieces. • The government has also recognised the pith work industry as one of
the major handicraft symbols.
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About Arumbavur Wood Carving
• These are the sculptures primarily made out of the wooden logs of Mango, Lingam tree, Indian Ash tree, Rosewood, Neem tree.
• The wood supply comes from the Pachamalai Hills along the Trichy – Perambalur boundary and the Thanjavur – Kumbakonam zone.
Characteristic • Its work revolves around idols and deities, temple chariots and temple
cars, door panels of houses, pooja rooms and temples, decorative figures and pooja mandapam.
• The entire design carved is made out of a single block of wood given that a single error could damage the entire piece.
About Geographical Indication tag • It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and
possess qualities or a reputation by virtue of their geographical association.
• The tag conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the geographical origin of the product.
• The owner of the GI tag has exclusive rights over the product. Centre launches scheme to solarise entire Konark Temple, Konark town
Why is in the news? • The Government of India has recently launched a scheme for 100 per cent
solarisation of Konark sun temple and Konark town.
About the Scheme
• The scheme envisages setting up of the 10-MW grid-connected solar project and various solar off-grid applications such as solar trees, solar drinking water kiosks and off-grid solar power plants with battery storage. The implementation of this project will be done by the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency.
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• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has taken up the complete solarisation of Konark Sun Temple and Konark town in Odisha.
• The scheme will meet all the energy requirements of Konark town with solar energy.
About the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy • It is a ministry of the Government of India that is mainly responsible for research
and development, intellectual property protection, and international cooperation, promotion, and coordination in renewable energy sources such as wind power, small hydro, biogas, and solar power.
• The broad aim of the ministry is to develop and deploy new and renewable energy for supplementing the energy requirements of India.
Mission The Mission of the Ministry is to ensure
a. Energy Security: Lesser dependence on oil imports through development and deployment of alternative fuels (hydrogen, biofuels and synthetic fuels) and their applications to contribute towards bridging the gap between domestic oil supply and demand;
b. Increase in the share of clean power: Renewable (bio, wind, hydro, solar, geothermal & tidal) electricity to supplement fossil fuel-based electricity generation;
c. Energy Availability and Access: Supplement energy needs of cooking, heating, motive power and captive generation in rural, urban, industrial and commercial sectors.
d. Energy Affordability: Cost-competitive, convenient, safe, and reliable new and renewable energy supply options; and
e. Energy Equity: Per-capita energy consumption at par with the global average level by 2050, through a sustainable and diverse fuel- mix.
About Konark Sun Temple
• Konark Sun Temple (Surya Mandira) is a 13th-century CE Sun Temple at Konark on the coastline of Odisha, India.
• The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.
Manipur’s ‘khudol’ (gift), an initiative of LGBTQI Why in the news?
• The United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth has recently listed Manipur’s ‘khudol’ (gift) among the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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About Khudol
• It is a crowdfunded initiative of Ya_All, an Imphal-based NGO. • The initiative entails ensuring food supplies and health services for
the people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, LGBTQI+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) children and adolescents.
Key highlights • Manipur has been more accommodative to the transgender community than
other States during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. • It was considered prudent to open separate quarantine centres for the
transgender people to ensure their emotional security during the current pandemic.
• Ya_All created a model of an inclusive, safe space for transgender returnees. It teamed up with the local Tangmeiband United Club and Imphal West district administration to set provide separate rooms and toilets for transgender persons besides a ramp for the differently abled at a quarantine centre in Imphal’s DM College of Teacher’s Education.
Kangra Tea Why is in the news?
• Kangra tea has been recently marked as a potential coronavirus blocker after the well-known herb Ashwagandha.
About Kangra Tea
• It is a tea from the Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. • Kangra Tea is grown at a height ranging from 900 metres to 1400
metres above the sea level. • It is known for its unique colour and flavour due to which it got Geographical
Indication status in 2005. Medicinal Properties
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• It will be able to boost immunity against coronavirus by blocking the virus activity better than the anti-HIV drugs currently being used as preventive care for patients and health care professionals.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is likely to replace hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) with anti-HIV drugs to improve immunity and possibly reduce viral replication, in the revised protocol.
• As per the webinar organized on the occasion of the International Tea Day at Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), based in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, it was highlighted that the chemicals in Kangra tea could also be effective in boosting immunity as they can block coronavirus activity better than anti-HIV drugs.
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June 2020
Aguada Fenix Why in the news?
• Recently Scientists using an aerial remote-sensing (LiDAR) method have discovered the largest and oldest known structure built by the ancient Maya civilization.
About the Aguada Fenix
• It is a colossal rectangular elevated platform built between 1,000 and 800 BC in Mexico’s Tabasco state. The structure, unlike the soaring Maya pyramids at cities like Tikal in Guatemala and Palenque in Mexico erected some 1,500 years later, was not built of stone but rather of clay and earth, and likely was used for mass rituals.
About LiDAR • LiDAR stands for ‘Light Detection and Ranging’ which is a remote-sensing
technique that employs a pulsed laser and other data obtained flying over a site to generate three-dimensional information about the shape of surface characteristics.
• A LiDAR instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver.
Uses • Airplanes and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for
acquiring LiDAR data over broad areas.
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• LiDAR is used for agriculture, hydrology and water management systems, geology-related applications.
• LiDAR is commonly used by geologists and surveyors to make high-resolution maps.
Lonar lake Why in the news?
• Recently a 56,000-year-old Lonar crater sanctuary lake in Buldhana district of Maharashtra has turned red/pink and become a hot topic of discussion among forest department, scientists, and nature lovers.
About Lonar lake
• Lonar Lake has saline water and is a notified national geo-heritage monument which is famous as the world's most massive basaltic impact crater.
• It is notified as a National Geological Monuments are geographical areas of national importance by the Government of India's Geological Survey of India (GSI). This status will help in their maintenance, protection, promotion and enhancement of geotourism.
• Two other similar ones are in Dhala and Ramgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively, but both are relatively unknown.
How was it formed? • It was formed after a meteorite hit the Earth some 50,000 years ago. • An asteroid collision with earth impact created it during the Pleistocene Epoch.
Raja Parba festival Why in the news?
• Recently Prime Minister has greeted the people of Odisha for Raja Parba festival hoping that the festival strengthens the spirit of brotherhood in society.
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About Raja Parba festival • The Raja Parba of Odisha is one of the most popular festivals of the state,
which is a three-day unique festival celebrating the onset of monsoon and the earth’s womanhood.
• The festival is essentially the celebration of the earth’s womanhood. It is believed that during this time the Mother Earth or Bhudevi undergoes menstruation.
• The fourth day is the day of the ‘purification bath’. • This festival is a mark of respect towards the earth during her menstruation
days, all agricultural works, like ploughing, sowing is suspended for the three days.
As it is a celebration of womanhood, a lot of the focus is on young women, who wear new clothes, apply ‘Alata’ on their feet and enjoy folk songs while swinging on decorated rope swings. Juneteenth Day Why in the news?
• US President Donald Trump announced to postponement his upcoming election rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19 because it clashed with the Juneteenth, the day that celebrates the end of slavery in the US.
What is Juneteenth?
• Juneteenth is the portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and while it is not a federal holiday, it is recognised as a state holiday in over 45 US states.
• The day is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the US and is observed on June 19.
• It is also known as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. Significance of Juneteenth
• On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery.
• Since then, Juneteenth has become a largely symbolic date representing freedom for African Americans.
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What is the Tulsa race massacre of 1921? • According to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, after World War I,
Tulsa was recognised for its affluent African American community, which was known as the Greenwood District or the “Black Wall Street”.
• In June 1921 a series of events that took place there, “nearly destroyed” the entire Greenwood area.
• On June 1, 1921, the Greenwood area was looted and burned down by white rioters.
• The incident referred to as the Tulsa race massacre or the Tulsa race riot resulted in the deaths of over 300 people and is noted as one of the worst episodes of racial violence in US history.
Talamaddale Art Why in news?
• Recently ‘Talamaddale’, a variant of Yakshagana theatre, too has gone virtual in times of COVID-19.
About Tala-Maddale
• It is an ancient form of performance dialogue or debate performance in Southern India in the Karavali and Malnad regions of Karnataka and Kerala.
• It is a derived form of Yakshagana—a classical dance or musical form of art from the same region
About Yakshagana • It is a temple theatre art form of Karnataka that depicts mythological stories from
Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other Hindu epics. • It combines dance, music, dialogue, costumes, make-up and stage techniques with a
unique style and form. Excavation at Kodumanal reveals a megalithic belief in the afterlife Why in the news?
• Recently a team from the State Department of Archaeology, Chennai has identified 250 cairn-circles at the village in Erode district during the Kodumanal excavation.
• Earlier excavations revealed that the site served as a trade-cum-industrial centre from 5th century BCE to 1st century BCE.
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About the Kodumanal excavation
• The Kodumanal excavation of 10 pots and bowls, instead of the usual three or four pots, placed outside three-chambered burial cists and inside the cairn-circle, threw light on burial rituals and the concept of an afterlife in megalithic culture.
• This show that they belief in afterlife. About the Grave found during excavation.
• The Grave could be possibly of a village head or the head of the community as the size of two boulders, each facing east and west, are more significant than the rest of the boulders. Believing that the deceased person will get a new life after death, pots and bowls filled with grains were placed outside the chambers.
Chaolung Sukapha Why in the news?
• Assam Chief Minister has recently ordered the arrest of a Kolkata-based political commentator, Garga Chatterjee, who had described Chaolung Sukapha as a “Chinese invader”.
About Chaolung Sukapha • He was a 13th-century ruler who founded the Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam
for six centuries. Contemporary scholars trace his roots to Burma.
Significance of Sukapha’s
• He helps the assimilation of different communities and tribes. • He is widely referred to as the architect of “Bor Asom” or “greater Assam”.
Background • Sukapha was a leader of the Ahoms. • He reached Brahmaputra valley in Assam from upper Burma in the 13th
century with around 9,000 followers. • It was in Charaideo that Sukapha established his first small principality,
sowing the seeds of further expansion of the Ahom kingdom. Who are the Ahoms today?
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• The founders of the Ahom kingdom had their language and followed their own religion.
• Over the centuries, the Ahoms accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.
Victory Day: Why Russia celebrates WWII triumph on a different date Why in the news?
• The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is currently on a three-day trip to Russia to attend the 75th Victory Day. India has sent a tri-services contingent to participate in the Victory Day Parade.
What is Victory Day?
• Victory Day marks the end of World War II and the victory of the Allied Forces in 1945.
• Adolf Hitler had shot himself on April 30 after which on May 7, German troops surrendered, which was formally accepted the next day and came into effect on May 9.
Why does Russia celebrate Victory Day May 9, whereas in most European countries included the USA, it is celebrated on May 8?
• The Act of Military Surrender was signed by Germany on May 7 in France at Rheims, which was the headquarters of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).
• Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, wanted that such a significant event should reflect the contribution of the Red Army and wanted Germany also to sign surrender in Berlin.
• Though the document was signed, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill explained to Stalin that Victory in Europe Day celebration in Britain would take place on May 8, as they did in the United States".
• The USSR's Army was still fighting which did not convince Stalin, who argued that "Soviet troops were still fighting" the German forces in many areas in East Prussia, Courland Peninsula, Czechoslovakia till later.
• Since then May 9 has been celebrated at Victory Day in Russia. Note:
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is not the only one who attended this victory parade.
• At the 70th anniversary Victory Day celebrations in 2015, then President Pranab Mukherjee went to represent India.
• Manmohan Singh had attended the 60th anniversary in 2005 as the then Prime Minister of India.
