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GS Paper: GS1

  • Vanniyar movement in Tamil Nadu

    The government in Tamil Nadu has announced the construction of a memorial in Villupuram to people killed in police firing and clashes in 1987, during a movement demanding reservation for the Vanniyar community.

    Vanniyar Movement

    • Vanniyar are one of the largest and most consolidated backward communities in the state.
    • They had raised massive protests in the mid-1980s demanding 20% reservation in the state, and 2% in central services.
    • Their movement was backed by the Justice Party as well as the Self-Respect Movement.
    • The agitation began in 1986 with activists sending hundreds of letters and telegrams to then Chief Minister M G Ramachandran seeking an audience.
    • As there was no response from MGR and the then Rajiv Gandhi government, agitators started demonstrations in community strongholds, then went on to blockading rail and road traffic.

    The 1987 deaths

    • The Vanniyars declared an agitation from September 17 to 23, 1987, which turned violent.
    • At least 21 protesters were killed, mostly in police firing, and also in clashes with members of Scheduled Caste communities.
    • While this shook the state establishment, there was no immediate solution.

    Reservation granted

    • After 1989, the OBC quota was split into two: Backward Castes and Most Backward Castes.
    • Vanniyars were categorized among the MBCs with 107 other communities, with 20% reservation.
    • Three decades later,10.5% reservation was granted for Vanniyars within the 20% MBC quota.

  • Dinosaur Footprints found in Thar desert

    In a major discovery, footprints of three species of dinosaurs have been found in the Thar desert in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district.

    Details of the footprints

    • The footprints, made in the sediment or silt of the seashore, later become permanently stone-like.
    • They belong to three species of dinosaurs — Eubrontes cf. giganteus, Eubrontes glenrosensis and Grallator tenuis.
    • While the giganteus and glenrosensis species have 35 cm footprints, the footprint of the third species was found to be 5.5 cm.
    • The dinosaur species are considered to be of the theropod type, with the distinguishing features of hollow bones and feet with three digits.
    • All three species, belonging to the early Jurassic period, were carnivorous.
    • Eubrontes could have been 12 to 15 metres long and weighed between 500 kg and 700 kg, while the height of the Grallator is estimated to have been two metres, as much as a human, with a length of up to three metres.

    Key findings

    • The discovery of dinosaur footprints prove the presence of the giant reptiles in the western part of the State, which formed the seashore to the Tethys Ocean during the Mesozoic era.
    • Careful geological observations enabled the scientists to interpret ancient environments in which the rocks of the footprints, which were once soft sediments, were deposited.
    • Geochemical analyses and calculation of weathering indices showed that the hinterland climate was seasonal to semi-arid during the deposition of the footprints.
    • Fieldwork in the Kutch and Jaisalmer basins has suggested that after the main transgression during the early Jurassic period, the sea level changed several times.
    • Spatial and temporal distribution of sediments and traces of fossils and post-depositional structures provided an indication to this phenomenon.

    Significance

    • These trace fossils are significant to ascertain how life started and evolved after the mass extinction of species, including dinosaurs, at the end of the cretaceous period around 65 million years ago.
    • This research also illustrates the evidence of a fluvial freshwater palaeo-environment and tropical palaeo-climate, indicating the presence of a tropical forest and a huge network of rivers.

    No matter what, try this PYQ:

    Q.The term “sixth mass extinction/sixth extinction” is often mentioned in the news in the context of the discussion of (CSP 2018):

    (a) Widespread monoculture Practices agriculture and large-scale commercial farming with indiscriminate use of chemicals in many parts of the world that may result in the loss of good native ecosystems.

    (b) Fears of a possible collision of a meteorite with the Earth in the near future in the manner it happened 65million years ago that caused the mass extinction of many species including those of dinosaurs.

    (c) Large scale cultivation of genetically modified crops in many parts of the world and promoting their cultivation in other Parts of the world which may cause the disappearance of good native crop plants and the loss of food biodiversity.

    (d) Mankind’s over-exploitation/misuse of natural resources, fragmentation/loss, natural habitats, destruction of ecosystems, pollution, and global climate change.

     

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  • Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP)

    The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is drafting a Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) in a bid to tackle climate challenges.

    What is the Mumbai Climate Action Plan?

    • Amid warnings of climate change leading to extreme weather events in the city, the civic body has started preparing the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP).
    • It will look at climate resilience with mitigation and adaptation strategies by focusing on six areas —
    1. Sustainable waste management
    2. Urban greening and Biodiversity
    3. Urban flooding and Water Resource Management
    4. Building Energy Efficiency
    5. Air Quality and
    6. Sustainable Mobility
    • The plan is expected to be ready by November ahead of the United Nations Climate Change (COP26) conference at Glasgow, Scotland.

    Why does Mumbai need a climate action plan?

    Mumbai’s climate action plan will help set a vision and implement strategies to fight these climate challenges with mitigation and adaptation steps.

    • Flash floods: As per a study conducted by the World Resource Institute (WRI) India, the city will face two major climate challenges — the rise in temperature, and extreme rain events which will lead to flooding.
    • Temperature rise: The city has seen a constant rise in temperature after 2007, and a substantial increase in intense rainfall and storm events in the last five years.
    • Sea level rise: A recent report from the IPCC has warned that at least 12 Indian coastal cities including Mumbai will face a sea rise of 0.1 metres to 0.3 metres in the next three decades due to climate change.

    What is the greenhouse gas emission of the city?

    • The data show that Mumbai’s greenhouse gas emission was 34.3 million tonnes in 2019, and of which 24.23 million tonnes or 71 per cent came from the energy sector which is mainly based on coal.
    • At least 24 per cent or 82,21,902 tonnes is from transport, and the remaining 5 per cent or 18,53,741 tonnes from solid waste management.
    • The maximum contribution from the energy sector was mainly due to domestic and commercial usage of electricity.
    • As per the data, 95 percent of Mumbai’s electricity is coal-based and needs to be shifted to renewable energy to bring down emissions.

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  • PM inaugurates Jallianwala Bagh Memorial

    Prime Minister has virtually inaugurated the renovated Jallianwala Bagh complex in Amritsar.

    What led to Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?

    Protesting the contentious Rowlatt Act

    • The act officially known as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919 was passed in 1919 by the Imperial Legislative Council.
    • It had authorized the British government to arrest anybody suspected of terrorist activities.
    • It also authorized the government to detain such people arrested for up to 2 years without trial.
    • It empowered the police to search a place without a warrant. It also placed severe restrictions on the freedom of the press.
    • The primary intention of colonial govt. was to repress the growing nationalist movement in the country.
    • The British were also afraid of a Ghadarite revolution in Punjab and the rest of the country.

    The day

    • The massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Col. Reginald Dyer fired rifles into a crowd of Indians.
    • The civilians had assembled for a peaceful protest to condemn the arrest and deportation of two national leaders, Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew.
    • Dyer without warning ordered his troops to fire at the unarmed crowd which included children as well.
    • The indiscriminate firing went on for about 10 minutes which resulted in the deaths of at least 1000 people and injured more than 1500 people.

    Aftermath

    • In protest against the massacre, Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood.
    • Gandhiji relinquished his title ‘Kaiser-e-hind’ bestowed on him by the British for his services during the Boer War in South Africa.
    • Michael O’Dwyer, the then Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, who had approved the actions of Dyer, was assassinated by Udham Singh in London in 1940 as revenge against the massacre.
    • The heroic treatment of Dyer’s heinous act again set a benchmark of colonial arrogance.

    Hunter Commission for inquiry

    • In October 1919 the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, ordered the formation of a committee of inquiry into the events in Punjab.
    • Referred to as the Disorders Inquiry Committee, it was later more widely known as the Hunter Commission (Not to be confused with Hunter Education Commission).
    • Still, there are long-standing demands in India that Britain should apologize for the massacre.

  • Hurricane Ida makes landfall in US

    Hurricane Ida has made landfall in Louisiana, US as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.

    What is a Hurricane?

    • A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
    • And a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean; in the south Pacific or the Indian Ocean, comparable storms are referred to simply as “tropical cyclones” or “severe cyclonic storms”.

    What are Tropical Cyclones?

    A Tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.

    • Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters. The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 meters, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
    • This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
    • Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
    • During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
    • Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea which adds to its heft.

    Try this question from CSP 2020:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. Jet Streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
    2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
    3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10 degree Celsius lesser than that of the surroundings.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

     

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    Destruction caused

    • Strong Winds: Cyclones are known to cause severe damage to infrastructure through high-speed winds.
    • Torrential rains and inland flooding: Torrential rainfall (more than 30 cm/hour) associated with cyclones is another major cause of damages. Unabated rain gives rise to unprecedented floods.
    • Storm Surge: A Storm surge can be defined as an abnormal rise of sea level near the coast caused by a severe tropical cyclone.

    Some (unexpected) benefits

    Although Tropical cyclones are known for the destruction they cause, when they strike they also bestow certain benefits to the climatic conditions of that area such as

    • Relieve drought conditions
    • Carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it towards temperate latitudes
    • Maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide

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    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Tropical Cyclones and India

  • Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano

    Geologists have detected a swarm of earthquakes at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, though it was not erupting.

    Kilauea Volcano

    • Kilauea is about 200 miles south of Honolulu, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
    • It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, having erupted 34 times since 1952. In Hawaiian tradition, Kilauea is home to the volcano goddess Pele.
    • From 1983 to 2018, it erupted almost continuously, in some cases sending streams of lava that covered farms and homes.
    • At the end of this decades-long eruption, Kilauea spewed lava from vents in a residential neighborhood on its eastern flank and destroyed more than 700 homes.
    • In December, Kilauea erupted at the crater, creating a lake with enough lava to fill 10 Hoover dams. That eruption ended in May.

    Do not skip answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

    1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian Territory.
    2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
    3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2014)

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

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    Back2Basics: Volcanic Landforms

    • Note the intrinsic and extrinsic types of volcanic landforms

    • A volcano has 3 main characteristics
    1. Cone shaped mountain
    2. Formed by rock or ash thrown from the inside of the earth
    3. At times, opening or depression at top
    • The three main types of volcanos are:

    1. Cinder cone Volcano: The cinder cones are small volcanoes with steep sides. Even though they are small, these are the ones you probably hear about.  They are very explosive and made of ash and rock.  Most of the cinder cones are small and less than 500 meters high.  A famous cinder cone is Sunset Crater Volcano in Arizona.
    2. Shield Volcanoes: A shield is a low and broad volcano that usually has a very wide crater (a dent in the Earth’s surface). It is formed from thin layers of lava after consistent low-grade eruptions.  The largest volcano in the world is a shield volcano.  It is located in Hawaii.
    3. Composite volcanoes: They are the tallest type of volcano. They look very impressive but do usually have quiet and slow lava flows.  They sometimes have small eruptions that cause ash and rock to go flying.  One of the most famous volcanoes in the world is a composite volcano.  It is Mount Fuji in Japan.

  • Making of the Modern City of Kolkata

    A 2003 judgment by the Calcutta High Court generates discussion of the city’s age, its date of founding, and Job Charnock, whom many credits for having “found” the city of Calcutta.

    Calcutta: Who founded the city?

    Nobody.

    • A place then called Kalikatah was an important religious centre due to the existence of the Kali temple in the adjacent village of Kalighat.
    • The first literary reference to the site is found in Bipradas Pipilai’s magnum opus Manasa Mangala which dates back to 1495.
    • Abul Fazl’s Ain-I-Akbari dating 1596 also mentions the place.
    • The Sabarna Roy Choudhury family was granted the Jagirdari of Kalikatah by Emperor Jehangir in 1608.

    Who was Job Charnock?

    • Job Charnock (1630–1693) was an English administrator with the East India Company.
    • He was once regarded as the founder of the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
    • However, this view is challenged, and in 2003 the Calcutta High Court declared that he ought not to be regarded as the founder.
    • Charnock was entrusted with procuring the Company’s saltpetre and appointed to the centre of the trade, Patna in Bihar in1659.

    Beginning of Urbanization

    • The establishment of the Government House in 1767 and the Lottery Commission in 1817 were the other important developments in the city’s history that gave its urban landscape more defined contours.
    • This commission was entirely responsible for the setting up of the city’s roads, streets and lanes.
    • Some markers of urban settlements include planned roads, water supply and transport.
    • The establishment of these in the early 19th century was responsible for making Calcutta the great city that it eventually became.

    Significance of Kolkata

    One of the most significant developments that gave the city a semblance of urban formation occurred in 1756 when the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah lay siege to Calcutta.

    • This was in retaliation for the British East India Company engaging in unauthorized development of the structure that is now known as Fort William.
    • The East India Company was defeated in a decisive battle, making them realise the vulnerability of the fort.
    • Post 1757 the fort was remade and fortified with enhanced protection, the construction was exceptionally well done.
    • It was really this attack on Fort William, a bastion of the British and other Europeans living there, that changed the map of Calcutta.
    • The Europeans who used to primarily lived inside the fort—the European merchants, the administrators etc—started moving out.
    • They knew that if there was an attack, there was infrastructure to save them. That was European Calcutta, what we call ‘White Town’.

    Hey! We won’t let you move away without answering this PYQ:

    Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because (CSP 2020):

    (a) He was asked by the board of directors at London to do so

    (b) He wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India

    (c) He wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment

    (d) He wanted to train British civilians for administrative purposes in India.

     

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  • Saroop of the Sikh Holy Book

    A union minister has received one of the Saroops of the holy Guru Granth Sahib flown in from Afghanistan.

    What is Saroop?

    • Saroop is a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi.
    • Every Bir has 1,430 pages, which are referred to as Ang. The verses on every page remain the same.
    • The Sikhs consider the Saroop of Guru Granth Sahib a living guru and treat it with utmost respect.
    • They believe that all the 10 Gurus were the same spirit in different bodies, and the Guru Granth Sahib is their eternal physical and spiritual form.

    Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

    • It was the fifth Sikh master, Guru Arjan Dev, who compiled the first Bir of the Guru Granth Sahib in 1604, and installed it at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
    • Later, the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, added verses penned by the ninth master, his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, and compiled the Bir for the second and last time.
    • It was in 1708 that Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib the living Guru of the Sikhs.
    • Guru Granth Sahib is a compendium of hymns written by six Sikh gurus,15 saints, including Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ravidas, Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Namdev, 11 Bhatts (balladeers) and four Sikhs.
    • The verses are composed in 31 ragas.

    What does the act of carrying the saroop on one’s head signify?

    • The installation and transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct called rehat maryada.
    • As a mark of respect, the Bir of the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot.
    • Whenever a devout sees the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib passing by, s/he removes her shoes and bows.
    • A ceremonial whisk is waved high over the Guru Granth Sahib either on the move or while reading from it.
    • Gurdwaras have a separate resting place for the Saroop, called ‘Sukh Asan Sthan’ or ‘Sachkhand’ where the Guru rests at night.
    • This takes place at the end of the day when the holy book is ceremoniously shut and rested. In the morning, the saroop is again installed in a ceremony called ‘prakash’.
    • Many tourists specially come to watch the prakash and sukha asan ceremony of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple.

    Where are copies of the Guru Granth Sahib published?

    • There was a tradition among Punjabis, both Sikhs and Hindus, to copy the Guru Granth Sahib by hand and produce multiple copies.
    • The Udasi and Nirmla sects also played a role in making handwritten copies of the Birs until the British introduced the printing press.
    • Nowadays, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has the sole rights to publish the Birs of the Guru Granth Sahib, and this is done at Amritsar.

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    Try answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following Bhakti Saints:

    1. Dadu Dayal
    2. Guru Nanak
    3. Tyagaraja

    Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over? (CSP 2018)

    (a) 1 and 3

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3

    (d) 1 and 2

     

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  • Person in news: Sree Narayana Guru

    The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Sree Narayana Guru on his Jayanti.

    Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928)

    • Narayana Guru was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India.
    • He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual enlightenment and social equality.

    His legacy:

    Temple Entry

    • He was in the forefront of the movement for universal temple entry and against the societal ills like the social discrimination of untouchables.
    • He gave the famous slogan “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All”.
    • In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Aruvippuram which was against the caste-based restrictions of the time.
    • In one temple he consecrated at Kalavancode, he kept mirrors instead of idols. This symbolised his message that the divine was within each individual.

    Untouchability

    • The social protest of Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25) was an agitation by the lower caste against untouchability in Hindu society of Travancore.
    • He taught equality but felt the inequalities should not be exploited to carry out conversions and therefore generate strife in society.

    Philosophy

    • Sree Narayana Guru became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by Adi Shankara.

    Answer this PYQ:

    Q.Which one of the following pairs does not form part of the six systems of Indian Philosophy?

    (a) Mimamsa and Vedanta

    (b) Nyaya and Vaisheshika

    (c) Lokayata and Kapalika

    (d) Sankhya and Yoga

     

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  • Places in news: Indira Point

    The Swarnim Vijay Varsh Victory Flame was taken to Indira Point, the southernmost tip of the country on August 22, 2021, as part of its voyage to the Nicobar Group of Islands.

    Indira Point

    • Indira Point is the southernmost point of Indian Territory.
    • It is a village in the Nicobar district at Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.
    • Rondo Island, Indonesia’s northernmost island in Sabang district of Aceh province of Sumatra, lies 163 km south of Little Andaman Island and 145 km or 80 nautical miles from Indira point.
    • The point was formerly known as Pygmalion Point and Parsons Point. It was renamed in honour of Indira Gandhi during mid-1980s.
    • Galathea National Park and Lighthouse are the major attractions here.

    India and Indonesia are upgrading the deep sea port Sabang under the strategic military and economic collaboration to protect the channel between Great Nicobar Island and Rondo Island which is 612 km or 330 nautical miles from Indira Point.

    What is Swarnim Vijay Varsh?

    • It marks the 50th anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
    • Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on December 16 to mark India`s triumph in liberating Bangladesh.
    • The journey of the Victory Flame is taken from north to south corners of India.