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Newspaper Terms Simplified for IAS Prelims

Part 4

1.      Kedarnath

·         Built by - Adi Shankarcharya

·         Deity – Lord Shiva

·         Location - Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river.

·         Mandakini is tributary of the Alaknanda River, emerges from Chorabari glacier and runs between Rudraprayag and Sonprayag.

·         Temple is open between April to November

·         In winter the diety is carried down to Ukhimath.

2.      Shumang Leela

·         It is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur.

·         The roles of female artists are all played by male actors, called Nupi shabis

·         Theme: focus on the issues of moral values, unity and integrity

3.      Mohenjodaro

·         Built around 2500 BCE, it is an archaeological site in the province of Sindh

·         Rediscovered by Rakhal Das Banerji in 1922 and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.

·         It had meticulous urban planning, architecture, road plan with rectilinear buildings and channeled sanitization.

·         It also had a huge well that served as a public pool to bathe - the Great Bath; and the Great Granary.

4.      Operation Polo

·         Operation Polo was the code name for the police action against the Princely State of Hyderabad in September 1948 by the newly Independent republic of India. The Indian Army marched into Hyderabad following the outbreak of hostilities, overwhelming the Hyderabadi military and annexed Hyderabad into the Indian Union.

·         The Centre has decided to mark Hyderabad State Liberation Day on 17th September.

5.      Sri Adi Shankaracharya

·         Indian philosopher and theologian known for ‘Advaita Vedanta’ and ‘Dashanami Sampradaya’.

·     Main Disciples of Adi Shankara: Padmapada, Totakacharya, Hastamalaka, and Suresvara; each headed one math (monastery) established by Adi Shankara. Monastries had been established at Dwarka, Joshimath, Puri and Sringeri.

·         He wrote commentaries on religious texts such as Brahma Sutras, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. E.g., Brahmasutrabhasya, is the oldest surviving commentary on ‘Brahma Sutra’.

·         He also wrote ‘Upadesasahasri’.

·       Advaita Vedanta states that all reality and everything in the experienced world has its root in Brahman, which is unchanging Consciousness. To Advaitins, there is no duality between a Creator and the created universe.

·         Significance of teachings in present scenario:

®    overcoming Avidya (ignorance or incorrect knowledge) through Vidya (knowledge), Shravana (careful listening), Manana (thinking or contemplating on the teaching) and Nididhyasana (mediating on the teaching).

®    True knowledge liberates an individual from worldly pleasures or materialism. It can help in reducing corruption and other malpractices

®    Reinvigorating Spiritualism over materialism

6.      Temple Architecture of Hoysala

·         Vesara style Temple

·         Location: Chennakesava at Belur (dedicated to Krishna), Hoysaleswara at Halebid (dedicated to Shiva) and Kesava at Somnathapura (dedicated to Vishnu)

·         Plan of these temples starts looking like a star, and is thus known as a stellate plan.

·         Made up of soapstone

·         Double building with a large hall for the mandapa to facilitate music and dance.

·         Follows the Shaivism tradition, but includes themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism, too, along with images from Jainism.

·         The sculptures inside the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.

·         The ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’ have been on UNESCO‘s Tentative List since April 15, 2014.

7.      Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

·         The “intangible cultural heritage” means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.

·         Preserving living traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation is the cornerstone of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

·         India has been a signatory to the Convention.

8.      Traditional Indian Textiles

·         Traditional Indian textiles can be divided into:

®    Embroidered textiles (Phulakri, chikankari),

®    Resist dyed textiles (Bandhani, Ikat),

®    Printed textiles (Kalamkari , Bagru prints) and

®    Hand-woven textiles (Banaras Brocades, Kashmir Shawls) etc.

·         Significance

®    Represents Culture of the region

®    Create jobs and preventing rural to urban migration.

®    contributes around 3% to the GDP of the country.

®    opening of international markets for artisan communities and development of rural tourism.

·         Issues

®    Unorganised sector, low wages, long working hours etc.

®    quality of products is not at an acceptable level to be exported

®    Artisans are unable to build a loyal customer base

®    financial shortage

®    unable to compete with the increased competition from mills

·         Initiatives taken to promote Traditional craft

®    National Handicraft Development Programme (NHDP): To create a globally competitive Handicrafts Sector and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to artisans through innovative products designs, improvement in product quality, introduction of modern technology, branding & marketing.

®    Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS): To scale up infrastructural and production chain at Handicrafts clusters across country which have remained unorganized.

®    Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojna (AHVY): To mobilise artisans into self-help groups and societies with agenda of facilitating bulk production and economies in procurement of raw materials.

®    Handicrafts Mega Cluster Mission (HMCM): To provide adequate infrastructural support for improved quality and productivity, to enable access of artisans to a larger market segment, both domestic and international.

®    Marketing Support and Services Scheme: It provides interventions for domestic marketing events to artisans, such as providing financial assistance for organising or participating in marketing events in India.

9.  New Tribes in STs list

·         Hatti tribe in Trans-Giri area of Himachal Pradesh, Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran hill tribes of Tamil Nadu and Binjhia in Chhattisgarh, were newly added to list.

·         Hattis are close-knit community who take their name from their traditional occupation of selling home-grown crops, vegetables, meat, and wool etc.

·         Narikoravan (jackal catchers) and Kuruvikaras (bird eaters) are nomadic tribal communities.

·         Binjhia, ethnic group found in Odisha and Jharkhand, have rich heritage of tradition and culture.