IAS PRELIMS 23-24 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY MATERIALS SERIES PART-1

Current Affairs IAS Prelims 

IAS PRELIMS 23-24 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY MATERIALS SERIES PART-1

The Patna circle of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered two 1200-year-old miniature votive stupas on the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara’, a world heritage site in Nalanda district.

The stupas, carved from stone, depict Buddha figures. Votive stupas are small, portable stupas that are typically made of metal, clay, or stone and are used as offerings in Buddhist temples or shrines. They are used in both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel participated in the traditional Cherchera festival celebration at Dudhadhari Math in the state capital Raipur.
The traditional Cherchera festival is celebrated on the full moon night in the happiness of taking the crops to their homes after cultivation.

Goa organised the Purple Fest, the first Inclusive festival for persons with disabilities. It celebrated the lives and achievements of PwDs and served as a platform to increase awareness towards the inclusion of such persons in the society.
Purple Fest was organized at Panjim, by the Directorate of Social Welfare, Office of the State Commissioner for PwDs (Goa), Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Information & Publicity Department (Goa) and Entertainment Society of Goa.

The world’s first Palm-leaf Manuscript Museum has been inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.
It is a repository of administrative, socio-cultural and economic facets of Travancore spanning a period of 650 years till the end of the 19th century. The museum also serves as a reference point for historical and cultural research for academic and non-academic scholars.

Leaders and people of Meghalaya paid rich tribute to the Freedom Fighter U Kiang Nangbah on his 160th death anniversary.
U Kiang Nangbah had revolted against the British when Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills region were not part of India. He was hanged publicly at in Jowai town on December 30, 1862.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respects to Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, the sons of Tenth Sikh Guru Guru Gobind Singh’s sons who laid down their lives while defending their faith.
December 26 is observed as Veer Bal Diwas in Idia. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as well as Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, opposed the government’s initiative.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the fifth edition of Kochi Muziris Biennale. The Biennale will be hosted on the theme ‘In Our Views Flow Ink and Fire’.
The four-month-long celebration of art is scheduled to see several discussions, performances and film screenings. The biennale showcases more than 200 main artworks of 90 artists from about 40 different countries.

Ministry of Culture in association with Department of Post launched ‘Daakroom’, the famous letter writing carnival.
The event was organised under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, at Raj Ghat, New Delhi. The event is supported by India Post, Ministry of Culture and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, with the aim of reviving the art of letter writing in India.

Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with Swar Dharohar Foundation inaugurated “Swar Dharohar Festival” under Kalanjali.
It is a Music, Art and Literature Festival which was organised to showcase the iconic art and culture of India and, the rich literary Art and Heritage of Indian States.

‘Gaslighting’ has been announced as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year 2022. Searches for the word on merriam-webster.com have increased over 1000 per cent in 2022 over the year before.
The definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, which causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem.

Padma Shri awardee Ramchandra Manjhi, who was a famous Bhojpuri folk dancer, passed away recently at the age of 97.
He preserved the ailing art form of Bhojpuri folk dance ‘Naach’ for eight decades through his consistent performance. Manjhi was a performer of ‘Launda Naach’, a sub-set of ‘Naach’, in which men cross-dress as women. He received several honours including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2017) and Padma Shri (2021).

The world’s largest museum of Harappan culture is being constructed in Rakhigarhi. It is a village in Hisar district of Haryana, famous for its archaeological site from the Indus Valley civilisation period.
The world-class museum will display 5000-year-old Indus Valley artefacts. Rakhigarhi was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation from 2600-1900 BC. In the skeletons found in the village, shell bangles, copper mirror and semi-precious stone beads were found.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a copy of the Braille version of the Assamese Dictionary ‘Hemkosh’.
Hemkosh was among the earliest Assamese dictionaries dating back to the 19th century. Hemkosh is the first etymological dictionary of Assamese language based on Sanskrit spellings. It was compiled by Hemchandra Barua.

Bathukamma is the official floral festival celebrated by women of the state Telangana. It is celebrated to deepen our relationship with nature.
The main celebrations of nine-day festival will be held on 3rd October, as Saddula Bathukamma. During the annual festival, women and girls sing and dance around specially arranged flowers.

Bihar state government has asked the state education department to set up academies for the promotion of Surjapuri and Bajjika dialects.
Surjapuri is a mix of Hindi, Urdu and Bangla. It is also known by another name called ‘Kishanganjia’. Similar to Maithili, Bajjika is mostly spoken in northwest Bihar. The two new academies for Bajjika and Surjapuri were set up on the lines of existing eight language centres.

Union Ministry of Tourism released a report titled ‘India Tourism Statistics 2022’. It was released by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on World Tourism Day.
The Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu was the most visited centrally-protected ticketed monument for foreign visitors. in 2021-22. Taj Mahal was the most popular centrally-protected ticketed monument for domestic visitors. The Red Fort and the Qutub Minar were the second and third most visited sites.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) announced a collaboration deal with Google to promote Sanskrit.
ICCR and Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the tech major’s artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) language technology for translating Sanskrit literature to many other languages and vice-versa.

National Archives of India, under the Union Culture Ministry organised the ‘Saga of Freedom: Known & Lesser-known Struggle’ exhibition.
It has been extended till 30th October, 2022. This exhibition is based on original government documents, cartographic records, newspapers, private papers and contemporary photographs housed in the National Archives of India.

Union Home Ministry has announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir.
Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Justice GD Sharma Commission has recommended reservation for Paharis in the report submitted to the government. The people are classified into two main groups Speakers of Western Pahari set of languages and Speakers of Lahnda.

The fourth edition of the Bangladesh Film Festival is being hosted in Kolkata. 37 films and documentaries from Bangladesh will be screened at the five-day event.
This will be the fourth year, that the Bangladesh Film Festival is being organised in Kolkata. The Cultural Events like book fairs and film festivals strengthen the bond between India and Bangladesh as well as West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Keralotsavam is the state-level Youth Festival of Kerala. It is coordinated by Kerala State Youth Welfare Board.
Palakkad emerged the overall champions of the state-level sports competitions held as a part of Keralotsavam. Kozhikode and Kannur stood in the second and third positions. The government provides support for setting up training grounds in all village panchayats.

The International Kite Festival 2023 recently commenced in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated the festival at Sabarmati Riverfront.
The festival is being organized by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future. International Kite festival will also be organized in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo, and Kevadia.

Goa organised the Purple Fest, the first Inclusive festival for persons with disabilities. It celebrated the lives and achievements of PwDs and served as a platform to increase awareness towards the inclusion of such persons in the society.
Purple Fest was organized at Panjim, by the Directorate of Social Welfare, Office of the State Commissioner for PwDs (Goa), Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Information & Publicity Department (Goa) and Entertainment Society of Goa.

Lohri is a popular North Indian festival, which marks the end of winter solstice and the beginning of longer days.
It is celebrated every year during the month of Paush, a day before Makar Sankranti. The festival is predominantly celebrated in Punjab, and other parts of the country such as Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Punjabi folk songs and dances are performed in honour of Dulha Bhatti, a folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal rule.

Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher, best known as the author of the Tirukkuraḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economics, and love.
Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations. On the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day, chief minister MK Stalin launched the ‘Vallalar Palluyir Kappagangal’, a Rs 20 crore scheme announced for animal welfare.

The 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela was inaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Faridabad, Haryana.
For this year, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is the participating international entity while eight northeast states, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, are the theme states. The artists of these states will come together to showcase their art, handicrafts, and cuisines on a single platform.

Guru Ravidass Jayanti is celebrated to mark the birth of Guru Ravidas, a mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th century.
The poet was a contemporary of Kabir Das and he taught monotheistic spirituality and message of equality and liberation from Indian caste system. His teachings are widely followed in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, among others.

PK Rosy, was the first actress in Malayalam cinema. She is famed for defying gender and social norms by acting in a film.
On her 120th birth anniversary, she was honored with a Google Doodle. PK Rosy belonged to a Dalit subcaste and learnt the traditional Kakkarissi Nattakam. Her debut film was Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child, 1928).

The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has badly damaged Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in south-eastern Turkey.
The castle collapsed during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which hit Turkey. According to archaeological excavations, the castle was first built as a watchtower in the Roman period in the second and third centuries C.E. and expanded over time. Most recently, it served as ‘Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museum’.

The 22nd edition of the Rang Bharat Mahotsav, an international theatre festival, is being organized in New Delhi by the National School of Drama.
The festival will showcase 33 plays in New Delhi and 47 plays in nine other major cities, which include Jammu, Bhopal, Guwahati, Ranchi, Nasik, Rajahmundry, Kevadia, Jaipur, and Srinagar. The festival will also feature various related events such as book launches, national and international seminars, and master-classes by theatre experts.

YUVA PRATIBHA– Singing Talent Hunt will be launched by MyGov in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Culture.
It is a unique opportunity for citizens across India to display their singing talent and skills and to gain national recognition.

The two-day maiden Sinthan Festival was organized recently by the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu in collaboration with the District Administration Kishtwar, Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
This festival was held in Kishtwar District of Chenab Valley.

Berenice Troglodytica is an ancient seaport situated on the western shore of the Red Sea in Egypt.
Recently, a curious ancient statue of Buddha was found in this seaport, revealing historical links between India and Egypt. The discovery was announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Rongali Festival is a 4-day festival which showcases ethnical diversity, creativity and entrepreneurship is held in Guwahati, Assam. This year marks the 7^th edition of the festival and is held from April 20 to 23.
The festival aims to promote the unique culture of Assam through a series of events and activities.

The Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam is an initiative under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program which aims to preserve and promote the rich culture & heritage of Saurashtra and Tamilnadu. The Sangamam will be organized In Gujarat from 17-30 April, 2023.
This event is scheduled at multiple locations in Gujarat such as Somnath, Dwarka and the Statue of Unity at Kevadia and feature an exhibition of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat’s art, culture, cuisine, handlooms, handicrafts etc.

Uttaramerur inscription was mentioned by Prime Minister Modi recently. This inscription was created during the reign of Parantaka Chola I (907-953 AD)
The walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple in Uttaramerur are inscribed with details revealing systems of local governance from the 10th century CE.

The Government of Maharashtra has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar  – May 28^th as ‘Swatantraveer Gaurav Din’.
Vinayak Savarkar was born in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, on 28th May 1883. Year 2023 would mark his 140th birth anniversary. Various programs will be organised by the state to promote and propagate the thoughts and works of Veer Savarkar on Swatantraveer Gaurav Divas.

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was a social activist and an author from Maharashtra, known for his works in fields like eradication of untouchability, caste system and more. His birth anniversary is observed on April 11.
Satyashodhak Samaj was a social reform society founded by Jyotiba Phule in Pune, on 24 September 1873 with a mission of education and social rights for underprivileged groups with special focus on women.

The Bihu naas (dance) is the defining feature of Rongali Bihu, or Bohag Bihu, which marks the Assamese New Year.
The state government of Assam is planning to bring together 11,140 artistes from all districts of the state to perform this dance at Guwahati’s Sarusajai Stadium to create a Guinness Record.

Basohli Painting is a world famous painting from Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. It recently received GI tag.
The Geographical Indications (GI) is a form of intellectual property right that identifies goods originating from a specific geographical location and having distinct nature, quality and characteristics linked to that location.

Matua Maha Mela is an annual event organized by the All India Matua Mahasangha. It has been estimated to be visited by around 45 lakh people during the week.
The mela is being organised to celebrate the 212th birth anniversary of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur ji, the founder of the Matua sect. It will be kicked off in West Bengal to highlight the unique culture of the Matua community.

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati is the founder of Arya Samaj. The Indian Government has decided to mark his 200th birth anniversary.

Speaking at the 148th Foundation Day of Arya Samaj, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati fearlessly propagated “swadharma, swabhasha and swaraj” in the pre-independence era.

The Gorsam Kora festival is popularly known as the friendship festival between India and Bhutan.
It was celebrated recently at the Gorsam Chorten Stupa in Zemithang – a village in Arunachal Pradesh.

Vaikom Satyagraha was a non-violent agitation for the access to the public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore. It was held in 1924-1925.
Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is set to jointly inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the Vaikom satyagraha on April 1.

Lord Basaveshwara is a 12th century Indian statesman, poet, Lingayat social reformer and a philosopher in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently unveiled the statues of Lord Basaveshwara and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at the premises of the Karnataka State Assembly in Bengaluru.

First Urban Climate Film Festival was organized by the National Institute of Urban Affairs in New Delhi.
The event showcased 11 films from nine countries to showcase the consequences of climate change in urban life.

Spring Fiesta 2023 is a first-of-its-kind event organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art. It was organized to celebrate 69 years of the museum.
It was officially inaugurated in 1954 by the then Vice President Dr. S Radhakrishnan. Over 50 stalls will be set up for display and sales at the museum lawns by enthusiastic participants from different walks of life who specialise in items such as handicrafts, ceramics, indigenous art, fashion, and so on.

The ‘Vaikom Satyagraha’ began on March 30, 1924 in the temple town of Vaikom, Kerala in the princely state of Travancore, marking the beginning of “temple entry movements” across the country.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers recently inaugurated the centenary celebrations of anti-caste struggle Vaikom Satyagraha.

Namda is a type of rug made using felted wool. This centuries-old traditional craft from the Jammu and Kashmir is at the brink of extinction.
Namda is made in several stages and requires skilled craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations.

Baisakhi Mahotsav 2023 will be organized by Jammu’s Directorate of Tourism. The event celebrates Dogra culture and heritage.
Baisakhi, also known as Vaisakhi, is one of the harvest festivals celebrated in India and in parts of the world largely by the Sikh community.

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