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  • What is the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’?

    The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano which massively erupted lies along the Pacific ‘Ring of fire’, and is just over 60 kilometers from the island nation of Tonga.

    What is the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’?

    • The Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ or Pacific rim, or the Circum-Pacific Belt, is an area along the Pacific Ocean that is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
    • Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Ring of Fire.
    • It is home to about 75 per cent of the world’s volcanoes – more than 450 volcanoes.
    • Also, about 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes occur here.

    Its spread

    • Its length is over 40,000 kilometres and traces from New Zealand clockwise in an almost circular arc covering Tonga, Kermadec Islands, Indonesia.
    • It is moving up to the Philippines, Japan, and stretching eastward to the Aleutian Islands, then southward along the western coast of North America and South America.

    Seismic activity of the region

    • The area is along several tectonic plates including the Pacific plate, Philippine Plate, Juan de Fuca plate, Cocos plate, Nazca plate, and North American plate.
    • The movement of these plates or tectonic activity makes the area witness abundant earthquakes and tsunamis every year.
    • Along much of the Ring, tectonic plates move towards each other creating subduction zones.
    • One plate gets pushed down or is subducted by the other plate.
    • This is a very slow process – a movement of just one or two inches per year.
    • As this subduction happens, rocks melt, become magma and move to Earth’s surface and cause volcanic activity.

    What has happened in recent eruption in Tonga?

    • In the case of Tonga, the Pacific Plate was pushed down below the Indo-Australian Plate and Tonga plate, causing the molten rock to rise above and form the chain of volcanoes.
    • Subduction zones are also where most of the violent earthquakes on the planet occur.
    • The December 26, 2004 earthquake occurred along the subduction zone where the Indian Plate was subducted beneath the Burma plate.

     

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  • Nusantara City: New Capital of Indonesia

    Indonesia passed a bill replacing its capital Jakarta with East Kalimantan, situated to the east of Borneo island. The new capital city of the country will be called Nusantara.

    About Nusantara

    • The New State Capital Law Bill has been drafted by a special committee set up by Widodo’s government and makes Nusantara, also called IKN, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia.
    • The transfer of the status of Jakarta as Indonesia’s capital to Nusantara, where 256,142 hectares of land has been set aside for the project, will take place in the “first semester” of 2024.
    • East Kalimantan, where the new capital will be, as per the bill is said to have a world-city vision.
    • It will be designed and managed with the objective of becoming a sustainable city in the world.

    Why is Indonesia changing its capital city?

    • The new location is very strategic – it’s in the centre of Indonesia and close to urban areas.
    • The burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the centre of governance, business, finance, trade and services.
    • Jakarta is also infamous for being the worlds’ first sinking capital city due to rising sea levels.
    • The city’s pollution levels are so bad that it has been ranking as one of the most polluted cities in the world for years.
    • Another important reason to shift the capital from Java island to Borneo island has been the growing inequality – financial and otherwise.

    Where is East Kalimantan?

    • East Kalimantan is 2,300 kilometres from Jakarta on the eastern side of Borneo island, shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
    • The new capital will be located in the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regions.
    • East Kalimantan is an area with immense water resources and habitable terrain.
    • East Kalimantan is rich in flora and fauna.

    Why Nusantara?

    • Nusantara is an old Javanese term that means ‘archipelago’.
    • Nusantara has historical, sociological, and philosophical aspects attached to the name.
    • The name would represent Indonesia as a whole and would show the potential of the nation.

    What are the other countries that have changed capitals?

    • Indonesia is not the first country to change its capital city.
    • There has been a long list of countries that have changed their capitals for various reasons. Brazil changed its capital city from Rio De Janerio to Brasilia, a more centrally-located city, in 1960.
    • In 1991, Nigeria hanged the country’s capital from Lagos to Abuja.
    • Kazakhstan moved its capital city from Almaty, which is still its commercial centre, to Nur-Sultan in 1997.
    • Myanmar changed its capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2005.

     

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  • AP govt bans Chintamani Padya Natakam: A noted Telugu folk play

    The Andhra Pradesh government has brought the curtains down on the popular Telugu play ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’, which has enthralled people for almost 100 years.

    Chintamani Padya Natakam

    • It is a stage play penned by social reformer, writer and poet Kallakuri Narayana Rao about 100 years ago.
    • In the play, the writer explains how people neglect their families by falling prey to certain social evils.
    • It was aimed to create awareness on the Devadasi system and how the flesh trade was ruining many families at that particular period.
    • Subbisetty, Chintamani, Bilvamangaludu, Bhavani Shankaram, and Srihari are some of the characters in the play.

    Its performance

    • The play is named after the main character, Chintamani, a woman born into a family involved in the flesh trade.
    • The play focuses on how she attained salvation after repentance.
    • Subbi Shetty, a character in the play, loses his wealth to Chintamani and his character is utilised in a way that engages the audience.
    • Chintamani play is popular across the state. It has been performed at thousands of places.
    • The play continues to engage the audience even today and has become a must stage play in villages during Dasara celebrations.

    Why it got banned?

    • Began as a social sermon, this play has been increasingly going vulgar.
    • Subbi Shetty, who resembles a person of a transgender community, is used to portray the social group in a bad way.
    • Obscene dialogues are added to the play in the name of creativity.

     

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  • 19th January 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent)

    GS-2    Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

    GS-3   Inclusive Growth and issues arising from it; Government budgeting

    GS-4   Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the objectives of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948? Why should India incorporate legal protections against genocide in its domestic legislation? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Covid and its associated restrictions have been a perfect storm for the informally employed. Suggest the provisions that could be made in the next Budget to insure the most vulnerable against such shocks? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 “Refugees should not be turned back to the country where they would face persecution or human right violation.” Examine the statement with reference to ethical dimension being violated by the nation claiming to be democratic with open society. (10 Marks)

     

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  • 18th January 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Salient features of world’s physical geography

    GS-2    Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

    GS-3   Disaster Management

    GS-4   Probity in Governance: Information sharing and_ transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 The year 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. The future offers enormous possibilities for the partnership. In the context of this, examine the future possibilities the two countries can explore. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 India’s cities will continue to be drivers of economic growth with significant production and consumption, but that sunrise story is threatened by unsustainable urban development in the era of climate change. In the context of this, examine the factors leading to the frequent floods in urban areas and suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 “Information sharing is the key to the Government’s goal of delivering better, more efficient public services that are coordinated around the needs of the individual.” In light of the statement, explain the essentials of information sharing and citizen charter in public service.(10 Marks)

     

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  • Art-form in news: Kathak

    Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj has recently passed away.

    About Kathak

    • Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance.
    • The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers.
    • The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means “story”, and Kathakar which means “the one who tells a story”, or “to do with stories”.
    • Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music.

    Its origin

    • Kathak dancers tell various stories through their hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility but most importantly through their facial expressions.
    • It evolved during the Bhakti movement, particularly by incorporating the childhood and stories of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as independently in the courts of north Indian kingdoms.
    • Kathak is unique in having both Hindu and Muslim gharanas and cultural elements of these gharanas.
    • Kathak performances include Urdu Ghazals and commonly used instruments brought during the Mughal period.

    Major gharanas

    • Kathak is found in three distinct forms, called “gharanas”, named after the cities where the Kathak dance tradition evolved – Jaipur, Banaras and Lucknow.
    • While the Jaipur gharana focuses more on the foot movements, the Banaras and Lucknow gharanas focus more on facial expressions and graceful hand movements.

    Performance details

    • It involves both Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressive dance).
    • Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement harmonized to the music.
    • The legs and torso are generally straight, and the story is told through a developed vocabulary based on the gestures of arms and upper body movement, facial expressions, neck movements, eyes and eyebrow movement, stage movements, bends and turns.
    • The main focus of the dance becomes the eyes and the foot movements.
    • The eyes work as a medium of communication of the story the dancer is trying to communicate. With the eyebrows the dancer gives various facial expressions.
    • A Kathak performance can be solo, duo or team. In a technical performance, the speed and energy the dancers exchange with the audience increases in multiples, that is the tempo doubles or quadruples.

     

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  • 17th January 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism

    GS-2    Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

    GS-3   Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Money-laundering and its prevention

    GS-4   Probity in Governance: Information sharing and_ transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Examine the uniqueness of tribal knowledge system when compared with mainstream knowledge and cultural systems.(10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Indo-Pacific will present India strategic and economic opportunities that India must not miss. However, the region will have to chart a course through inter-state tensions and crises. Comment. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What are the challenges in taxing cryptocurrency transactions? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 An independent and empowered social audit mechanism is an absolute must in every sphere of public service, including judiciary, to ensure performance, accountability and ethical conduct. Elaborate. (10 Marks)

     

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  • Undersea Volcanic Eruption in Hunga Islands, Tonga

    A distant undersea volcano has erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga sending large tsunami waves reaching the shore.

    Hunga Volcano

    • The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano has erupted regularly over the past few decades.
    • It consists of two small uninhabited islands, Hunga-Ha’apai and Hunga-Tonga, poking about 100m above sea level 65km north of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa.
    • But hiding below the waves is a massive volcano, around 1800m high and 20 kilometres wide.
    • During events in 2009 and 2014/15 hot jets of magma and steam exploded through the waves. But these eruptions were small, dwarfed in scale by the January 2022 events.
    • Researchers suggest this is one of the massive explosions the volcano is capable of producing roughly every thousand years.

    Impact of the eruption

    • The ash plume is already about 20km high.
    • Most remarkably, it spread out almost concentrically over a distance of about 130km from the volcano, creating a plume with a 260km diameter, before it was distorted by the wind.
    • The eruption also produced a tsunami throughout Tonga and neighbouring Fiji and Samoa.
    • Shock waves traversed many thousands of kilometres, were seen from space, and recorded in New Zealand some 2000km away.
    • All these signs suggest the large Hunga caldera has awoken.

    Why is it so explosive even after being underwater?

    Answer: Fuel-coolant interaction

    • If magma rises into sea water slowly, even at temperatures of about 1200 degrees Celsius, a thin film of steam forms between the magma and water.
    • This provides a layer of insulation to allow the outer surface of the magma to cool.
    • But this process doesn’t work when magma is blasted out of the ground full of volcanic gas.
    • When magma enters the water rapidly, any steam layers are quickly disrupted, bringing hot magma in direct contact with cold water.
    • Volcano researchers call this ‘fuel-coolant interaction’ and it is akin to weapons-grade chemical explosions.

    A chain reaction

    • Extremely violent blasts tear the magma apart.
    • A chain reaction begins, with new magma fragments exposing fresh hot interior surfaces to water, and the explosions repeat, ultimately jetting out volcanic particles and causing blasts with supersonic speeds.

    How has it emerged out to be so big?

    • The caldera is a crater-like depression around 5km across.
    • Small eruptions (such as in 2009 and 2014/15) occur mainly at the edge of the caldera, but very big ones come from the caldera itself.
    • These big eruptions are so large the top of the erupting magma collapses inward, deepening the caldera.
    • Looking at the chemistry of past eruptions, we now think the small eruptions represent the magma system slowly recharging itself to prepare for a big event.

    What next?

    • This latest eruption has stepped up the scale in terms of violence.
    • Researchers are still in the middle of this major eruptive sequence and many aspects remain unclear, partly because the island is currently obscured by ash clouds.

     

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  • 14th January 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Effects of globalization on Indian society

    GS-2    Constitution of India—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure; Representation of People’s Act

    GS-3    Inclusive growth and issues arising from it; Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth. 

    GS-4   Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 How does Indian society maintain continuity in traditional social values? Enumerate the changes taking place in it.(15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What makes curbing hate speech a challenging task? How social consensus against hate speech could go a long way in curbing it? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 How liberal economic policies and growing inequalities leads to social problems? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 While discretion is necessary for effective discharge of duties, it is also a major factor responsible for corruption in administration at all levels. Comment. In this context, suggest some ways in which smooth execution of responsibilities can be ascertained while minimising corruption. (10 Marks)

     

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  • Criminalizing Marital Rape in India

    The Delhi High Court has told the Centre that it will continue hearing the petitions challenging the legal exception to marital rape and not wait for the government’s ongoing process of initiating reform in the criminal laws.

    What is Marital Rape?

    • Marital rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one’s spouse without her consent.
    • It is no different manifestation of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
    • It is often a chronic form of violence for the victim which takes place within abusive relations.

    Status in India

    • Historically considered as right of the spouses, this is now widely classified as rape by many societies around the world.
    • In India, marital rape is not a criminal offense (as protected under IPC section 375).
    • India is one of fifty countries that have not yet outlawed marital rape.

    Reasons for disapproval of this concept

    • The reluctance to define non-consensual sex between married couples as a crime and to prosecute has been attributed to:
    1. Traditional views of marriage
    2. Interpretations of religious doctrines
    3. Ideas about male and female sexuality
    4. Cultural expectations of subordination of a wife to her husband
    • It is widely held that a husband cannot be guilty of any sexual act committed by himself upon his lawful wife their on account of their mutual matrimonial consent.

    Why it must be a crime?

    • Associated physical violence: Rape by a spouse, partner or ex-partner is more often associated with physical violence.
    • Mental harassment: There is research showing that marital rape can be more emotionally and physically damaging than rape by a stranger.
    • Compulsive relationship: Marital rape may occur as part of an abusive relationship.
    • Revengeful nature: Furthermore, marital rape is rarely a one-time event, but a repeated if not frequent occurrence.
    • Obligation on women: In the case of marital rape the victim often has no choice but to continue living with their spouse.

    Violation of fundamental rights

    • Marital rape is considered as the violation of FR guaranteed under Article 14 of the Indian constitution which guarantees the equal protection of laws to all persons.
    • By depriving married women of an effective penal remedy against forced sexual intercourse, it violates their right to privacy and bodily integrity, aspects of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21.

    Problems in prosecuting marital rape

    • Lack of awareness: A lack of public awareness, as well as reluctance or outright refusal of authorities to prosecute is common globally.
    • Gender norms: Additionally, gender norms that place wives in subservient positions to their husbands, make it more difficult for women to recognize such rape.
    • Acceptability of the concept: Another problem results from prevailing social norms that exist.

    Present regulations in India

    • Indian Penal Code criminalizes rape in most cases, although marital rape is not illegal when the woman is over the age of 18.
    • However, until 2017, men married to those between 15 and 18 could not be convicted of rape.
    • Marital rape of an adult wife, who is unofficially or officially separated, is a criminal offence punishable by 2 to 7 year in prison; it is not dealt by normal rape laws which stipulate the possibility of a death sentence.
    • According to the Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act (2005), other married women subject to such crime by their husband may demand for financial compensation.
    • They also have the right to continue to live in their marital household if they wish, or may approach shelter or aid homes.

    However, marital rape is still not a criminal offence in this case and is only a misdemeanour.

    Arguments against criminalization

    • Subjective: It is very subjective and intricate to determine whether consent was acquired or not.
    • Prone to Misuse: If marital rape is criminalized without adequate safeguards it could be misused like the current dowry law by the dissatisfied wives to harass and torture their Husbands.
    • Burden on Judiciary: It will increase the burden of judiciary which otherwise may serve other more important causes.

    Way forward

    • Sanctioning marital rape is an acknowledgment of the woman’s right to self-determination (i.e., control) of all matters relating to her body.
    • In the absence of any concrete law, the judiciary always finds it difficult to decide the matter of domestic rape in the absence of solid evidence.
    • The main purpose of marriage is procreation, and sometimes divorce is sought on the ground of non-consummation of marriage.
    • Before giving a final interpretation, the judiciary must balance the rights and duties of both partners.

    Must read:

    [RSTV Archive] Sexual Crime – Fast-tracking Justice

     

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