About Subika Paintings:

• It is a style of painting which is intricately linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history.
• It is surviving through its six manuscripts — Subika, Subika Achouba, Subika Laishaba, Subika Choudit, Subika Cheithil and Thengrakhel Subika.
• Although the royal chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, doesn’t mention a specific founder, there is a possibility that this art form existed when the writing tradition was introduced in the state.
• Experts estimate the use of Subika paintings since the 18th or 19th century.

Key points about Subika Laisaba:

• The painting of Subika Laisaba is a composition of cultural motifs made by pre-existing features and other influences stimulated by their cultural worldviews.
• Among the six manuscripts, Subika Laishaba represents a direct and authentic continuation of the Meitei cultural tradition depicted through visual images.
• The illustrations of Subika Laishaba have visual language from the elements such as lines, shapes, forms, colours, and patterns.
• These visual images become Meitei’s cultural motif, and structure to create visual effects as well as express cultural significance, meaning and values.
• The visual images found in this manuscript are painted on handmade paper.
• It is also found that the materials of manuscripts are prepared indigenously either handmade paper or barks of trees.

About Mesolithic Period:

• Mesolithic, also called Middle Stone Age, is an ancient cultural stage which existed between the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic (New Stone Age).
• Timeframe: This period is generally considered to have occurred between approximately 12,000-10,000 years ago.
• Some of the defining characteristics of the Mesolithic Age are as follows:
  • People transitioned from using large chipped stone tools to using smaller chipped stone tools (microliths).
    • Microliths were probably stuck onto handles of bone or wood to make tools such as saws and sickles.
    • At the same time, older varieties of tools continued to be in use.
  • People transitioned from hunting large herds of animals in groups to a more hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
  • Towards the end of the Mesolithic Age, people began growing crops and practicing animal husbandry, which is the controlled cultivation, management, and production of domestic animals.
  • It was during the Mesolithic Age that the dog was domesticated.
  • The permanent settlements in the Mesolithic Age varied from villages of huts to walled cities.
  • During the Mesolithic Age, the climate was warming after the last ice age, which occurred at the end of the Palaeolithic period. 
  • The art created in the Mesolithic Age is highly reflective of the change in climate that was happening at the time.
  • During the Mesolithic period, humans developed cave paintings, engravings, and ceramics to reflect their daily lives.
  • In certain areas of the world, a range of pottery was made during the Mesolithic Age.
• Mesolithic Sites in India: Bagor in Rajasthan, Sarai Nahar Rai in Allahabad and Chhota Nagpur plateau.

About Martand Sun Temple:

• It is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is dedicated to the Sun God. Martand is another Sanskrit synonym for Surya.
• It was built by King Lalitaditya Muktapida around the 8th Century CE. Lalitaditya Muktapida was the third ruler of the Karkota Dynasty. 
• Features:
• It has a unique architecture where the local Kashmiri style is blended with the architectural styles of Gupta, Chinese, Gandhara, Roman, and Greek.
• The temple is located on top of a plateau and has been constructed entirely out of stone.
• It stands in the middle of a large courtyard with 86 fluted columns. The courtyard is connected to the main shrine, where Sun God’s idol was installed. 
• The construction of the main shrine was such that during most of the days’ time, especially during sunrise and sunset, the rays would directly fall on the idol. 
• The central shrine, or vimana, stands tall at around 60 feet. It features intricate carvings and sculptures that depict various Hindu gods and goddesses. 
• There are 84 smaller shrines around the main Sun Temple. They are lined along the perimeter of the complex. 
• The temple is believed to have been demolished by Sultan Sikandar Shah Miri, who ruled Kashmir from 1389 to 1413.

About Shumang Leela:

• It is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur.
• In this, the roles of female artists are all played by male actors and male characters are played by female artists in the case of female theatre groups.
• It was started as a comic genre for royalty and has evolved into a powerful medium for mass education, entertainment, and relaxation. 
• In this, the roles of women are all played by men, called Nupi Shabis.
• The tradition is believed to be descended from Lai Haraoba,a ritual of the Meitei community of Manipur.
• Purpose: The plays provide a vehicle for educating the public about social, political, and economic issues.
• Types – Shumang Leela is of two types
• Nupa Shumang Leela– It is Performed only by men
• Nupi Shumang Leela– It is Performed only by women

What is Lai Haraoba?

• Lai Haraoba is a religious festival celebrated by the Meitei people who are largely settled in and around Manipur.
• It is held at neighbourhood shrines dedicated to the local umanglai deities.
• It is observed in the months between February and May-June.

About Parakram Diwas:

• It is celebrated on January 23 to commemorate the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
• This year marks the 127th birth anniversary of Bose, fondly known as ‘Netaji’. 
• Parakram Diwas aims to instil fearlessness and patriotism, especially among the youth, inspiring them to stand strong in the face of challenges.

Key points about Subhas Chandra Bose

• He was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa.
• In 1920, he passed the civil service examination, but in April 1921, after hearing of the nationalist turmoil in India, he resigned from his position.
• He was an Indian nationalist leader who was a key figure in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. 
• Bose then joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the Indian independence movement.
• President of Indian National Congress: Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi.
• In 1939, he formed the Forward Bloc, an organization aimed at unifying all the anti-British forces in India.
• At the outset of the Second World War, he fled from India and traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India.
• With Japanese assistance, he reorganized and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces. 
• Also with Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic, and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, and regrouped, and led the Indian National Army in battle against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

About Exercise Cyclone:

• It is the 2nd edition of the Exercise Cyclone which will be conducted at Anshas, Egypt from 22nd January to 1st February 2024. 
• The first edition of the exercise was conducted last year in India.
• The Indian contingent is being represented by troops from the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and Egyptian contingent comprising 25 personnel is being represented by Egyptian Commando Squadron and Egyptian Airborne Platoon.
• Aim of the Exercise is to acquaint both the sides with each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of Special Operations in desert/ semi desert terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter. 
• Exercise CYCLONE is designed to develop bilateral military cooperation and strengthen bond between two armies through conduct of discussions and rehearsal of tactical military drills.
• It will involve planning and execution of special operations in sub conventional domain and conducted in three phases.
• While the first phase will include Military Exhibitions and Tactical Interactions, second phase will focus on training on Improvised Explosive Device (IED), counter IED and Combat First Aid. The third and final phase will encompass Joint Tactical Exercise based on Fighting in Built-up Area and Hostage Rescue Scenarios.
• The Exercise will provide an opportunity to both the contingents to strengthen their bond and share best practices.
• It will also act as a platform to achieve shared security objectives and foster bilateral relations between two friendly nations.

About the Nagara style:

• Nagara architecture is a classical architecture of temple design in northern India, contrasted with Dravida architecture in southern India.
• Nagara temples have a shikhara (mountain peak) over the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum), a circumambulatory passage around it, and one or more mandapas (halls).
• Shikhara is a symbolic representation of the cosmic order and the divine presence.
• There are five modes of shikhara design: Valabhi, Phamsana, Latina, Shekhari, and Bhumija.
  • Valabhi and Phamsana are Early Nagara modes, derived from barrel-roofed wooden structures.
  • Latina is a single, slightly curved tower with four equal sides, dominant for three centuries.
  • Shekhari and Bhumija are composite Latinas with attached sub-spires or miniature spires, creating a complex and ornate appearance.
• These modes are scholastic classifications, not rigid categories. There is much variation and innovation within and across these modes.

About Guruvayur Temple:

• Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, also known as the Dwarka of the South, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the young form of Lord Krishna.
• It is located in the small town of Guruvayur, in the Thrissur District of Kerala.
• The earliest temple records date back to the 17th century, but other literary texts and legends indicate that the temple may be around 5000 years old.
• Features:
  • Lord Krishna, or Guruvayoorappan, is the chief deity of this temple.
  • The temple is built in the traditional Kerala architectural style.
  • The central shrine is believed to have been rebuilt in 1638 C.E. 
  • Structures like the Nalambalam (temple structure surrounding the sanctum sanctorum), Balikkal (sacrificial stone), and Deepasthambham (pillar of lights) are situated on the temple premises.
  • The wall of the sanctum sanctorum is decked with ancient 17th-century murals.
  • Another famous sight here is the Dwajasthambam. It is a flagstaff, around 70 feet tall, fully covered with gold.  
  • One of the most popular offerings at Guruvayoor temple is Thulabharam, where devotees are weighed against bananas, sugar, jaggery, and coconuts equivalent to their weight on a giant pair of scales.
  • The temple is also noted for being home to a large population of captive male Asian elephants.
    • The Punnathur Kotta elephant sanctuary, where 56 elephants live, is very close to the temple.

About Thiruvalluvar Day:

• It is usually observed either on January 15 or 16 in Tamil Nadu and is a part of Pongal celebrations.

About Thiruvalluvar:

• He was a poet and philosopher, is regarded as a cultural icon by Tamils.
• He is fondly referred to as Valluvar by Tamils.
• His most popular work is Thirukkural, a collection of couplets on ethics, politics, economy and love.
• Thiruvalluvar’s primary work Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets (kurals) that are divided into 133 sections of 10 couplets each.
• The text is divided into three parts with teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue, wealth and love).
• Each section covers a wide range of topics and imparts moral, ethical, and practical guidance to the readers.
• The couplets are composed in a concise and poetic form, making them easily memorable and quotable.

About Shankaracharyas:

• Shankaracharya, literally ‘teacher of the way of Shankara’, is a religious title used by the heads of the four Hindu maths (monasteries) that were established by the eighth-century Hindu saint Adi Shankara. 
• Adi Shankara established these maths to impart knowledge. These maths consist of religious shrines, temples, libraries, and residences.
• These maths are located in Dwarka (Gujarat), Joshimath (Uttarakhand), Puri (Odisha), and Sringeri (Karnataka).
• The Shankaracharyas also oversee the Dashanami Sampradaya, an order of renunciates.

Who was Adi Shankaracharya?

• Adi Shankaracharya, or Shankara, as he was known, was an ancient Indian philosopher and theologian who lived in theearly 8th century CE.
• Birth: He was born in Kalady, a village in present-day Kerala.
• Revered as an avatar of Lord Shiva, it is believed that he mastered the Vedas when he was just 16.
• Philosophical Contributions:

• • At a very young age, Shankara started criss-crossing the length and breadth of India to spread his commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita amid a rise in Jainism and Buddhism.
  • He is best known for his role in the development and propagation of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy.
    • The fundamental philosophy of Advaita Vedanta lies in the unity of atma (soul), or individual consciousness, and brahma or the ultimate reality.
    • According to this philosophy of non-duality, God and humans are not two and the material world is an “illusion”.

About Vadnagar:

• Vadnagar is a town and municipality in the Mehsana district of North Gujarat.
• As a historical city, it was known by various names, such as Vridhanagar, Anandapur, Anartapur, and Nagar.
• The town represents a continuously evolving historic urban landscape/area that played a major role in the hinterland trade network of Western India.
• It is mentioned often in the Puranas and even in the travelogue of the great Chinese traveller, Hieu-en-Tsang (7th century), as a rich and flourishing town. 
• Features:
  • The ancient town of Vadnagar is an L-shaped town with Sharmishtha Lake located on its northeastern edge.
  • The whole ancient town of Vadnagar is built over an ancient mound. The topography of the mound is gently rising, with its highest point in the middle of the settlement, also called Darbar Ghat.
  • Vadnagar town is divided into several blocks, also called Mohallas or Madhs. These mohallas are named after a temple, a community, or an occupation.
  • The town’s fortifications, arched gateways (toranas), temples, wells, residential structures (kothis), and excavated sites like Buddhist monasteries and dedicated stupas showcase the architectural influence of various cultural periods.
  • The current residential layer of the town is from the late Gaekwad period (late 18^th Century CE). 

About the Guru Gobind Singh:

• He was the 10th and last human Guru of the Sikhs.
• Born as Gobind Rai on December 22, 1666, in Patna, Bihar, Guru Gobind Singh was the son of the ninth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Teg Bahadur.
• He became the spiritual and temporal leader of the Sikhs on November 11, 1675, at the age of nine, following the martyrdom of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1675.
• He was renowned as a warrior, a poet, and a prophet. 
• He is fondly remembered by Sikhs as a defender of the faith and a champion of equality and justice.
• Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699.
  • He introduced the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times. These are Kesh: uncut hair, Kangha: a wooden comb, Kara: an iron or steel bracelet worn on the wrist, Kirpan: a sword, and Kacchera: short breeches.
• Throughout his life, he engaged in numerous battles against the Mughal Empire and their allies, totalling 21 battles.
  • Some of the notable battles include the Battle of Bhangani, the Battle of Nadaun, the Battle of Anandpur, the Battle of Chamkaur, the Battle of Muktsar, and the Battle of Khidrana.
• He authored numerous literary works in various languages. Among his famous works are Jaap Sahib, the Tav-Prasad Savaiye, and the Benti Chaupai. 
• He further codified Sikh law, wrote martial poetry and music, and was the reputed author of the Sikh work called the Dasam Granth (“Tenth Volume”).
• Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed that he was the last of the personal Gurus. From that point forward, the Sikh Guru was to be the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib(Sikh Holy Book).
• He was assassinated in 1708, at the age of 41. 

About Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival:

• The first-ever PPHF was held in 2015. The aim was to recognise the role played by the Nyishi tribal group in conserving hornbills in Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR).
• Other objectives were to raise alternative sources of income for the region and to create awareness in the rest of India about the wonders of PTR and its surrounding areas.
• This year, the festival’s theme is Domutoh Domutoh, Paga hum Domutoh. It translates to ‘Let Our Hornbills Remain’ in the Nyishi language.
• This year’s festival aims to underscore the critical need for preserving these iconic birds.

Key points about Pakke Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is surrounded by the Tenga Reserve Forest to the North, Doimara Reserve Forest on the West, Nameri National Park and Tiger Reserve (Assam) on the South.
• The landscape has high species diversity and endemicity as it forms the transition zone between the Indian and Malayan ecoregions.
• It is situated North of the river Brahmaputra in the transition zone between the Assam plains and the hilly forests of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Vegetation: It consists of tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest.
• Flora: Polyalthia simiarum, Pterospermum acerifolium, Sterculia alata, Stereospermum chelonioides, Ailanthus grandis and Duabanga grandiflor. About eight species of bamboo occur in the area.
• Fauna: Tiger, Elephant, predators like Leopard and Clouded leopard etc.

About the Farsi Language:

• Farsi, also known as Persian Language, is the most widely spoken member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, a subfamily of the Indo-European languages. 
• It is the official language of Iran, and two varieties of Persian known as Dari and Tajik are official languages in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, respectively.
• Significant populations of Farsi speakers can be found in other Persian Gulf countries (Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates), as well as large communities in the US.
• It has about 62 million native speakers, ranking it among the world’s 20 most widely spoken first languages.
• Farsi in Iran is written in a variety of the Arabic script called Perso-Arabic, which has some innovations to account for Persian phonological differences. This script came into use in Persia after the Islamic conquest in the seventh century.
• Its relatives are the languages of northern India and, more distantly, the major European languages including English.

Key Facts about Classical Languages in India:

• Criteria evolved by Government of India to determine declaration of a language as a Classical language is as under: –
• High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years;
• A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;
• The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;
• 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.
• Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status: Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).
• The benefits it provides 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.”

About the Makar Sankranti:

• It marks the Sun changing directions and shifting its trajectory towards the north, therefore, entering the Makara or Capricorn zodiac sign.
• The day is a marker for a change of season – warmer months are close and we are moving away from winter, which is seen as a period of inactivity in many ways.
• It is said that the northward journey of the sun (Uttarayan) begins on this day.
• Unlike most festivals that follow the lunar cycle, Makar Sankranti follows the solar cycle and thus, is celebrated almost on the same day every year.
• Astronomically, the Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete, as it continues to rotate on its own axis.
• The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. This, along with its distance from the Sun, determines the change in seasons for life on Earth.
• For the Northern Hemisphere, the axis points most toward the sun in June (specifically around June 21), and away from the sun around December 21.
• This corresponds to the Winter and Summer Solstice (solstice is Latin for “the sun stands”). For the Southern Hemisphere, this is reversed.”
• It is also called as –
  • Paush Parbon in Bengal
  • Pongal in Tamil Nadu,
  • Uttarayan in Gujarat,
  • Bhogali Bihu in Assam,
  • Lohri in Punjab and Jammu,
  • Makar Sankramana in Karnataka,
  • Saen-kraat in Kashmir.
  • Khichdi Parwa in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.