1. SAARC
Cultural Capital for 2016-17-à An
archaeological site in Bogra Bangladesh, Mahasthangarh (3rd century BC site)
·
The cultural
capital will host festivals on literature, films, foods and dances from October
2016 to September 2017.
·
The same
year 2016-17 has also be declared the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage.
·
Mahasthangarh
is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in
Bangladesh.
2.
Indian Yoga
Centre at China teams up with Peking University for research
This is
first time a Chinese university has come forward to do research in Yoga.
3.
International
Yoga Day: June 21st >
o
Celebrated
annually from 2015. The Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly
on December 11, 2014.
o
Prime
Minister of India proposed the date of June 21st which is the longest day of
the year in the Northern Hemisphere
o
Theme_ Yoga
for the Sustainable Development Goals
4.
Ganges Danube
cultural festival @Danube > @ Budapest
The Festival
will showcase Indian culture, i.e. dance, music, yoga, film and exhibitions.
Indian martial art experts and puppet artists are also performing.
Hungarian
artists, proficient in Indian art forms took part in the programme
5.
Karma Naach
Dance---@ Guinness book of world records
·
@Mandla, a
district in Madhya Pradesh
·
3,049
participants registered their spot
·
ever to
celebrate the culture and history of the Gond tribes of central India.
6.
USA returns
200 artefacts to India---worth more than $100 million
·
Includes
religious statues, bronzes and terra cotta pieces, some 2,000 years old that
were looted from some of India’s most treasured religious sites.
·
The pieces
returned is a statue of Saint Manikkavichavakar, a Hindu mystic and poet from
the Chola period (circa 850 AD to 1250 AD) stolen from the Sivan Temple in
Chennai that valued at USD1.5 million.
·
The items
being returned include bronze sculpture of Lord Ganesh estimated to be
1,000-year-old.
7.
BHU 100
years
·
Established
by Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in 1916.
·
Has two
campuses
·
The
University is one of the largest residential universities in Asia with over
20,000 students.
8.
Culture and
Tourism Min releases new commemorative coin on Maharana Pratap
Rs. 100/-
and a Circulation coin of Rs. 10/- in New Delhi as a part of 475th Birth
Anniversary celebrations of Maharana Pratap
The Ministry
has been celebrating the birth anniversary during 2015-16 in association with
the Rajasthan.
Union
government and the Rajasthan Government have decided to create a multi-purpose
indoor stadium at Khel Gaon, Udaipur
9.
World Sufi
Forum inaugurated @Delhi---- It is called the Bain-ul-Aqwami Sufi Conference
·
Organised by
the All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board, the apex body of Sufi Dargahs in India.
·
The meeting
is expected to debate on how Sufi teaching can prevent global terrorism.
10.
International
Children Film Festival---@gangtok
·
Theme: The
Golden Elephant
·
organised by
the Children’s Film Society of India, in association with the Sikkim
Government’s Culture and Heritage and Human Resources Development Departments.
Children’s
Film Society in India
-
CFSI
established in 1955 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
-
Film body
promotes films that provide healthy and wholesome entertainment for children to
broaden their perspective and encourage them to reflect on the world around.
-
Headquarters:
Mumbai.
11.
Chapchar Kut
festival across MIZORAM---Spring festival; This takes place after the
traditional people complete the Jhum cultivation
Believed to
have started around 1400-1700 AD
12.
AIR launches
24* 7 music channel RAAGAM
§
On the
occasion of 67th republic day Public Broadcaster
§
From
bengaluru
§
The channel
is launched by Prasar Bharati chairman.
§
The channel
will present classical music, Hindustani and Carnatic Classical Music, with
assistance from all famous regional stations.
13.
France
returns head of Hindu Stature taken 130 years ago----
§
The head of
a Hindu deity’s statue is reattached to its body after 130 years.
§
The stone
statue is of Harihara, an idol that combines aspects of Vishnu and Shiva.
§
The statue
represents the two most important gods in the Hindu pantheon who represent the
creation of the universe and its destruction.
§
It was taken
from the Phnom Da temple in southern Takeo territory by French researchers in
1882-1883.
§
The head was
attached after a ceremony at the National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
14.
SEVEN
ancient BUDDHIST caves discovered at Mumbai national park
§
Sanjay
Gandhi National Park, Borivli (Mumbai) in India, in January 2016. The caves are
discovered in the north fringes of the city.
§
Assumed to
be at least 2,000-years old.before Kanheri Caves (Same location, Both Hin and
Mah, contains 109 caves)
§
Caves are
Viharas; BUT one of them has shown the
remains of harmika, which refers to the top railing of a stupa.
§
Man-made
excavated from natural rocks
§
The absence
of water indicates that the monks lived there during monsoon.
§
Kanheri
caves known for their water management and rain water harvesting system
15.
World’s
largest TRICOLOR to be Hoisted @Ranchi---
§
Jharkhand is
all set to beat a record held by a flag in Faridabad, Haryana in March 2015 by
getting the world’s largest Tricolour flying atop the country’s tallest
flagpole at the Pahari temple in Ranchi.
§
Maeasures 99 by 66 feet will be hoisted at a height of
293 feet.
§
Aviation
light and a lightening arrester on top of the flag post will also be added.
Pahari
Temple---
-
During
pre-independence period, Pahari Mandir was once known as “Phansi Tongri” (place
to hang convicts by the British). Most of these convicts who were hanged by the
British were freedom fighters.
-
Only temple
in India where 70 year old tradition of hoisting the Tricolour since 1947
continues.
-
The National
flag has been hoisted on every Republic Day since Independence on the temple
premises.
16.
KULLU folk
dance @GUINNEESS Book
The
colourful Kullu folk dance “Nati” which saw participation of 20,000 dancers
during Kullu Dussehra festival on October 26 2015
Theme: “Beti Hai Anmol” (Girl child is precious).
17.
India’s
First SPACE PARK ---@bengaluru
§
As part of
Make in India initiative, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided
to open a 100 acre Space Park in Bengaluru where private industries would be
allowed to take up manufacturing of space system related components.
§
Area--Whitefield
§
In 2016,
India will launch 12 satellites for remote sensing and navigation.
§
Also India
will be the first country to have a high altitude polar landing of Chandrayaan
2 and it will have three components – orbiter, Lander and rover to study the
lunar surface. The mission is scheduled to be launched 2017-18.
18.
LOSAR
At J and K ---@Ladakh region also at TIBET, Depicts the celebrations of New
year
19.
UNESCO
Creative cities network—Varanasi and Jaipur
Irina Bokova
(Director-General of UNESCO) has announced the designation of 47 cities from 33
countries as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Jaipur
(Rajasthan) is added in the Crafts and Folk Art category.
Varanasi
(Uttar Pradesh) is added in the Music category.
Varanasi –
Combination of a Temple city with rich Tradition in Music.
-
Varanasi was
advocated as an ideal example of India’s intangible Cultural heritage.
-
The Varanasi
school of music or the Benaras gharana named after the city along with the semi
classical genres like Hori, Chaiti, Tappa, and Daadra are rich in musical
heritage.
-
The city has
over 250 music institutions private & public, 10 auditoria, 55 venues of
art promotion and nearly 12000 students of music.
Jaipur –
City with Rich variety in Craft.
-
36 varieties
of crafts were identified including the ones related to Sculpture, Pottery
Textiles and Jewellery making. Right from King Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in
18th Century to his successors, the city has been nurtured as a centre of
artistic excellence.
-
30% of the
city’s economy is sustained by small scale craft industries.
UNESCO
Creative City Network
§
It was
launched in 2004 and comprises 116 Member Cities with an aim to foster
international cooperation with and between cities committed to investing in
creativity as a driver for sustainable urban development, social inclusion and
cultural vibrancy.
§
The UNESCO
Creative Cities Network covers 7 creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design,
Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
§
20.
Centre to
declare Rishikesh, Haridwar as Twin National Heritage
Cities----
§
This will be
a first of its kind instance where a city has been given such a tag.
§
Funds to the
tune of Rs 120 crore for setting up a cable car ropeway system for Tehri Lake
and the char dhams were allotted.
§
Haridwar is
very rich in heritage as it has more than 370 heritage sites. On the other
hand, Rishikesh has around 30 of its own.
§
Unfortunately,
most of them are neglected and in a very bad state currently and require urgent
conservation.
§
Located at
Uttarkhand both of them (capital: Dehradun)
21.
Central
Research Institute in Yoga and Naturopathy to be set up in Khordha District of
Odisha
22.
Delhi
announced to host the first International Qawwali Festival 2016
Name of the
Festival : ‘Taali Ho’
Date : 12
February 2016 to 14 February 2016
Aim: To
reinforce a notion that music is not restricted to any borders.
Initiative
of India and Pakistan
23.
Jammu and
Kashmir to get its first handicrafts museum
- Jammu and
Kashmir would get its first handicrafts museum over one-and-a-half acres of
land at the exhibition ground in the heart of Srinagar.
24.
International
Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 startes in Shillong
- Also
called Slow food festival. one of India;s biggest food festival) bringing in
food of indigenous tribes from nearly 60 countries
§
@Shillong,
maghalaya
§
5 day long
event
§
There were
some almighty performances from a combined cultural group of Khasi, Jaintia,
Garo and Rabha artistes.
§
Founder of
the Slow Food movement: Carlo Petrini(Italian)
25.
India
cultural week inaugurated in Shanghai
26.
1st National
Tribal Carnival to be held in Delhi
To be held
from February 12 to 17, 2016 in New Delhi.
Event will
be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
AIM OF
CARNIVAL – To promote various aspects of tribal culture at a wider path.
PARTICIPANTS
– Three thousand tribal across the country
6 day event
27.
First
Bhagavad Gita Conference held in London
§
At this
conference, Indian and British experts came together with an aim to seek
answers to the “innumerable questions that exercise and confound all of us
today.”
§
The Indian
Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the High Commission of India + Department of the Study of Religions at the
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
28.
Odisha
celebrates the Festival Nuakhai
-
Harvest
festival, Western part of Odisha
29.
China
renovates 2000-year-old Ashoka Stupa
§
In a remote
town of Tibet
§
Was one of
the 19 stupas built with Lord Buddha’s relics sent by Emperor Ashoka to China.
Age--2000 year old
30.
Ancient TWIN
CAVES in Nalgonda, telengana
§
Department
of Archaeology and Museums has come across massive naturally formed ancient
twin caves in Nalgonda district of Telangana. The place is just a couple of km
from Nagarjunasagar backwaters and very close to Dindi rivulet.
§
Experts
claim that the caves are probably the oldest ever in both Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh and it could have been home to the pre-historic man.
§
One of the
twin caves is said to be about 50 feet deep and the other one is about 650
feet.
§
However, no
archaeological evidence like paintings have been found in the caves
§
Tourism dept
plans to include the caves within the proposed Devarakonda, Chandampet tourism
circuit.
31.
Excavations
reveal existence of thriving port town in Sangam era
§
Time
period---Sangam era and the Middle Chola period.
§
Mandripattinam,
Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.
§
FIndings---yielded
8 Ceylon man type copper coins of the Middle Chola vintage
§
A silver
Pana coin belonging to the Vijayanagar Empire was also found.Terracotta
figurine of an ox head and a snake hood dating back to the medieval period.
§
Also found
the remnants of a mud wall at the floor level, a huge water pot and an
indigenous water purifying system using a series of pipes for at least 10 feet.
§
A piece of
core gold and a broke part of gold jewellery were part of the artifacts.
32.
SC stays
Rajasthan HC’s decision declaring ‘Santhara’ ritual illegal---- involves voluntary fast-unto-death, illegal
and an offence punishable under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
33.
AIR copy of
Ramcharitmanas—although
two years
ago, the Prasar Bharati Board had red-flagged such a move.
It has taken
more than 30 years to get all the work recorded and digitally restored when the
process of digitisation started in Prasar Bharati in 2005.The Ramcharitmanas
was composed and recorded for the first time in 1980 at Akashvani Bhopal.
34.
Kochi first city in India to become World
Tourism Cities Federation member
--
Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council,
