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  • [pib] 125 Years of Prabuddha Bharata Journal

    PM will address the 125th-anniversary celebrations of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’, a monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order, started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896.

    Try 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

    Prabuddha Bharata

    • The journal ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ has been an important medium for spreading the message of India’s ancient spiritual wisdom.
    • It is India’s longest-running English language journal (wiki).
    • Its publication was started from Chennai (erstwhile Madras), where it continued to be published for two years, after which it was published from Almora.
    • Later, in April 1899, the place of publication of the Journal was shifted to Advaita Ashrama and it has been continuously published from there since then.
    • Some of the greatest personalities have left their imprint on the pages of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ through their writings on Indian culture, spirituality, philosophy, history, psychology, art, and other social issues.
    • Luminaries like Netaji SC Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sister Nivedita, Sri Aurobindo, Former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, among others, have contributed to the Journal over the years.

  • Patharughat Uprising of Assam (1894)

    Twenty-five years before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, more than a hundred peasants fell to the bullets of the British on January 28, 1894, in Patharughat, a small village in Assam’s Darrang district.

    Make a note of all breakthrough peasants’ revolt in the nineteenth century. Also, try this PYQ:

    Q.The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for-

    (a) The reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third

    (b) The grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land

    (c) The uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom

    (d) Writing off all peasant debts

    Patharughat uprising

    • After the British annexation of Assam in 1826, surveys of the vast lands of the state began.
    • On the basis of such surveys, the British began to impose land taxes, much to the resentment of the farmers.
    • In 1893, the British government decided to increase agricultural land tax reportedly by 70- 80 per cent.
    • Up until then the peasants would pay taxes in kind or provide service in lieu of cash.
    • Across Assam, peasants began protesting the move by organising Raij Mels, or peaceful peoples’ conventions.

    The day of the massacre

    • The unarmed peasants were protesting against the increase in land revenue levied by the colonial administration when the military opened fire.
    • Despite these gatherings being democratic, the British perceived them as “breeding grounds for sedition”.
    • On January 28, 1894, when the British officers were refusing to listen to the farmers’ grievances, things heated up.
    • There was a lathi charge, followed by an open firing which killed many of the peasants present.
    • Official records, as mentioned in the Darrang District Gazette, 1905, edited by BC Allen, placed the casualties in the Patharughat incident as 15 killed and 37 wounded.

    Why was the incident significant?

    • The incident was one of the most tragic and inspiring episodes in the saga of the Indian freedom movement.
    • However, it rarely features in the mainstream historical discourse of the freedom struggle.
    • For the larger Assamese community, Patharughat comes second only to the Battle of Saraighat, when the Ahoms defeated the Mughals in 1671.

  • Expedition to Ram Setu

    In possibly a first, Indian scientists will undertake a scientific expedition to date the chain of corals and sediments forming the Ram Setu.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following have coral reefs?

    1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    2. Gulf of Kachchh
    3. Gulf of Mannar
    4. Sunderbans

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 2 and 4 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Ram Setu

    • Also known as Adam’s bridge, Ram Setu is a 48-km long bridge-like structure between India and Sri Lanka.
    • It finds mention in the Ramayana but little about its formation is known or proven, scientifically.

    What is the underwater archaeological project at Ram Setu?

    • The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will undertake a three-year scientific project.
    • The idea is to see whether Ram Setu is a man-made structure or not.
    • The most important aspect of the project is to establish its age, scientifically.
    • The explorers will apply a number of scientific techniques while attempting to date the Ram Setu, study its material composition, outline the sub-surface structure along with attempting to excavate remnants or artefacts, if any, from the site.
    • Once it is known, the information can be verified and co-related with its mention in the Ramayana and similar scriptures.

    How is the project planned?

    • An initial survey will make use of underwater photographs to check if any habitation remains inundated in the area. A geophysical survey will be performed to understand the structure.
    • Over the years, several kinds of depositions, including sand, have covered the actual structure. Initially, only physical observation, and no drilling, will be done.
    • NIO operates two oceanographic vessels – RV Sindhu Sankalp (ability to go up to and remain 56 metres underwater) and RV Sindhu Sadhana (ability to go up to and remain 80 metres underwater).
    • For collecting core samples at greater depths and for bathymetry purposes, Sindhu Sadhana will be deployed for the Ram Setu project.

    Two of the planned tests:

    1. Side-scan SONAR — Will provide bathymetry which is similar to studying the topography of a structure on land. Soundwaves signals will be sent to the structure which will provide an outline of the physical structure of the Ram Setu.
    2. Silo seismic survey – Mild earthquake-like tremor shocks will be sent at shallow depths close to the structure. These energized shockwaves are capable of penetrating into the structure. The reflected or refracted signals will be captured by instruments that will provide sub-surface structure.

    Significance of such exploration

    • India has a vast coastline of over 7,500 kilometres.
    • Oceans are a treasure trove of the past records — climate, evolutionary changes of the underwater fauna, coastal lives, habitations, settlements and civilizations.
    • Of these, the sea-level changes remain the most significant of all with respect to climate studies.
    • History has records of sailors who set out on unknown voyages to later discover new lands and islands.
    • They ventured into deep seas even before the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
    • Using such underwater exploration studies, scientists say that it is possible to trace numerous ship-wreckages and remains from the past.
    • Studies of ship wreckage, artefacts or remains could reveal a lot of information.

    Recently a 60000 YO submerged forest was explored off the Alabama coast in the USA.

    Has India undertaken underwater archaeological explorations?

    • A part of Dwarka, along with coastal Gujarat, is underwater, confirming the sea-level rise.
    • The NIO has been studying this site, and so far, traced large amounts of scattered stones which were retrieved at the depth between three to six metres beneath.
    • Stone anchors, too, were found at the site, suggesting it to be part of an ancient harbour.
    • In the past, NIO had initiated studies to trace the missing shore temples of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.
    • Presently, several ship wreckage studies, including the one-off the Odisha coast, are going on.

  • Global Climate Risk Index 2021

    India was ranked the seventh worst-hit country in 2019 in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021.

    The report holds much significance for prelims as well as mains. Just for the sake of information, we must be aware of India’s performance.

    Global Climate Risk Index

    • The GCRI is released annually by the environmental think tank and sustainable development lobbyist Germanwatch.
    • It analyses to what extent countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves etc.).
    • It pushes for the need to support developing countries in coping with the effects of climate change.

    Highlights of the 2020 year

    Global prospects

    • Mozambique, Zimbabwe and The Bahamas were the worst-affected countries in 2019.
    • While hurricane Dorian ravaged The Bahamas; Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi were affected by the single extreme weather event of cyclone Idai.
    • Japan and Afghanistan were the other countries that fared worse than India on the Index, while South Sudan, Niger and Bolivia fared better in comparison but still made it to the top 10 worst-affected countries.

    The burden of development

    • Eight of the 10 countries most affected between 2000 and 2019 were developing countries with low or lower middle income per capita.
    • Vulnerable people in developing countries suffered most from extreme weather events like storms, floods and heatwaves, whereas the impact of climate change was visible around the globe.
    • Poorer countries are hit hardest because they are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of a hazard and have the lower coping capacity.

    Data about India

    • According to the Index floods caused by heavy rain in 2019 took 1,800 lives across 14 states in India and displaced 1.8 million people.
    • Overall, the intense monsoon season affected 11.8 million people, with the economic damage estimated to be $10 billion (Rs.72,900 crore at $1=INR 72.9).
    • A total of eight tropical cyclones meant that 2019 was one of the most active Northern Indian Ocean cyclone seasons on record. Six of them intensified to become “very severe”.
    • The worst was Cyclone Fani in May 2019 which affected a total of 28 million people, killing nearly 90 people in India and Bangladesh, and causing economic losses of $8.1 billion (Rs.59,066 crore).

  • India’s Draft Arctic Policy

    India has unveiled a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy that and is committed to expanding scientific research, “sustainable tourism” and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

    Note: Five Arctic littoral states — Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia and the USA (Alaska) — and three other Arctic nations — Finland, Sweden and Iceland — form the Arctic Council (estd. 1996).

    Try mapping them.

    Caution: India became an Observer in the Arctic Council for the first time in 2013. And, India isn’t a full-time observer.

    India at the Arctic

    • India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic in 2007 and set up a research station ‘Himadri’ in the international Arctic research base at Ny-Ålesund in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.
    • It has two other observatories in Kongsforden and Gruvebadet. Himadri is manned for about 180 days a year.
    • Since its establishment, over 300 Indian researchers have worked in the station. India has sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic since 2007 and runs 23 active projects.

    Draft ‘Arctic’ policy

    • The draft policy discusses the importance of understanding the impact of climate change in the Arctic region and its connection with India’s monsoon, which is crucial for its economy.
    • India also proposes to focus on vast resources of the Arctic region including hydrocarbons, minerals and renewable power to ensure its energy security.
    • The policy is cautious in framing its involvement in the Arctic as “common heritage of mankind” but its priorities are similar to that of other non-Arctic states.
    • This policy roadmap draft rides on five pillars:
    1. Science and research activities,
    2. Economic and human development cooperation,
    3. Transportation and connectivity,
    4. Governance and international cooperation, and
    5. National capacity building.

    Nodal bodies

    • The Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research to lead scientific research and act as a nodal body.
    • It would thus coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities by expanding earth sciences, biological sciences, climate change and space-related programmes, dove-tailed with Arctic imperatives.

    Why study arctic?

    • The Arctic is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which approximately one-tenth are considered as indigenous people.
    • Climate change has meant that seasons in the Arctic influence tropical weather.
    • The Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the earth’s ecosystem.
    • The loss of sea ice, ice caps, and warming of the ocean and atmosphere would lower salinity in the global oceans.
    • This could increase the temperature differential between land and oceans in the tropical regions, dry subtropical areas and increase precipitation at higher latitudes.
    • Arctic research will help India’s scientific community to study melting rates of the third pole — the Himalayan glaciers.

  • What is a Tripuri Risa?

    Tripura CM has of late made a statement to sport the Risa, a customary hand-woven cloth used by Tripura’s indigenous tribal communities.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Sr. Tradition State
    1. Chapchar Kut festival : Mizoram
    2. Khongjom Parba ballad : Manipur
    3. Thang-Ta dance : Sikkim

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correct? (CSP 2018)

    a) 1 only

    b) 1 and 2

    c) 3 only

    d) 2 and 3

    What is Risa?

    • Risa is one of the three parts of customary Tripuri female attire, the other two being the Rignai and Rikutu.
    • The Risa, which is essentially a customary hand-woven cloth, is used as headgear, stole, female upper cloth or presented to honour a distinguished recipient.
    • The Rignai is primarily used to cover the lower part of the body and literally translates into ‘to wear’. The Rituku covers the upper half of the body, wrapping it all around.
    • However, it is also used as a ‘chunri’ or a ‘pallu’ of the Indian saree. It is also used to cover the head of newly married Tripuri women.

    Its cultural significance

    • Apart from its beautiful designs, the Risa plays a host of crucial social utilities.
    • Adolescent Tripuri girls are first given Risa to wear when she reaches 12-14 years in an event called Risa Sormani.
    • The event involves prayers to a Lampra god, where her elder women pray for her wellbeing throughout her life.
    • However, it is also used in religious festivals like the Garia Puja, a customary festival of the tribal communities, or as a head turban by male folks during weddings and festivals, as a cummerbund over dhoti or headscarf.
    • The cloth is even used as a makeshift baby carrier on the mother’s back.

  • Celebration of Parakram Diwas

    The Union Culture Ministry has announced that January 23, birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose, would be celebrated as “Parakram Diwas” — the day of courage — every year.

    Try this PYQ

    Q.Highlight the difference in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom. (150 W)

    Subhash Chandra Bose (1897-1945)

    • Bose was an Indian revolutionary prominent in the independence movement against British rule of India.
    • He also led an Indian national force from abroad against the Western powers during World War II.
    • He was a contemporary of Mohandas K. Gandhi, at times an ally and at other times an adversary.
    • He was highly influenced by a socialist ideology that acquired popularity as consequences of the Russian Revolution.

    Forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong. Remember the eternal law: You must give if you want to get.

    – Netaji

    Association with INC

    • In 1927, after being released from prison, Bose became general secretary of the Congress and worked with Jawaharlal Nehru for independence.
    • In late December 1928, Bose organised the Annual Meeting of the Indian National Congress (INC) in Calcutta.
    • Subsequently, Bose wanted to get elected as Congress President in a subsequent session of 1939 convened at Tripuri.
    • However, his candidature was challenged by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to prevent socialist orientation to the Indian National Movement.
    • Gandhi proposed Pattabhi Sitaramaya for this candidature.
    • In this election, Bose emerged victorious by a huge margin which was not acceptable to Mahatma Gandhi.
    • Congress leader supported Mahatma Gandhi and forced Subhash Chandra Bose to step down from Presidentship.
    • Under such collective pressure, Bose not only resigned from the Congress members. Thereafter he established a separate political party known as “Forward Bloc”.

    Escape to Germany

    • On the outbreak of WW-II, Bose advocated a campaign of mass civil disobedience to protest against Linlithgow’s decision to declare war on India’s behalf without consulting the Congress leadership.
    • Having failed to persuade Gandhi of the necessity of this, he was house arrested from where he escaped to Germany.
    • He then went to several countries of Europe and finally landed in a region of Singapore in “South East Asia”.

    Azad Hind Fauj

    • The SE Asia region was under the control of Japan where a large number of “Indian Prisoners of War” was confined.
    • When Subhash Chandra Bose reached Singapore in1943 this army was led by a prominent revolutionary Ras Behari Bose whose cadre was known as “Indian National Army”.
    • Subhash Chandra Bose reorganized and expanded this force in order to liberate India. This force was renamed as “Azad Hind Fauj” by him.

    The Azad Hind Government

    • The Provisional Government of Free India, or, more simply, Free India (Azad Hind), was an Indian provisional government established in occupied Singapore in 1943.
    • C. Bose was the leader of Azad Hind Government (AHG) and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
    • It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in the 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.

    Its collapse and INA Trials

    • INA under the leadership of Bose got defeated severely at Rangoon due to lack of support of Japanese.
    • Bose was suggested to leave Burma to continue his struggle for Indian independence and returned to Singapore before the fall of Rangoon.
    • The AHG govt in the islands collapsed when the island garrisons of Japanese and Indian troops were defeated by British troops and the islands themselves retaken.
    • The Provisional Government of Free India ceased to exist with the deaths of the Axis, the INA, and Bose in 1945.
    • It was followed by the Famous Trials at Red Fort.

    Also read:

    In news: 1946 Royal Indian Navy Mutiny

  • 1776 Commission report of the White House

    The White House has released the 1776 Commission report, just days before president-elect Joe Biden would take his oath in office.

    Read about anti-apartheid movement from your World History sources.

    What is the news?

    • Earlier, Trump has signed an executive order to set up a “national commission to promote patriotic education” in the country.
    • The initiative dubbed the ‘1776 Commission’, is an apparent counter to The 1619 Project, a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of essays on African American history of the past four centuries.
    • It explores the Black community’s contribution to nation-building since the era of slavery to modern times.
    • The name marks the independence of 13 US colonies from the British Empire in 1776.

    What is Trump’s 1776 Commission?

    • With this move, Trump sought to activate his right-wing supporters by doubling down on what he described as “cancel culture”, “critical race theory” and “revisionist history”.
    • Looking at the racial attacks, trump had said that Americans are inundated with critical race theory.
    • This was a Marxist doctrine holding that America is a wicked and racist nation, that even young children are complicit in oppression.
    • Trump wanted to reform this idea and wanted to portray himself as a defender of traditional American heritage against “radical” liberals.”

    What was the 1619 Project?

    • The Project is a special initiative of The New York Times Magazine, launched in 2019 to mark the completion of 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in colonial Virginia’s Jamestown in August 1619.
    • The project aimed to reframe US history by considering what it would mean to regard 1619 as America’s birth year.

  • Task force on Age of Marriage for Women submits its report

    The task force set up to take a re-look at the age of marriage for women has submitted its report to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

    Try this question for mains:

    Q.The different minimum age of marriage for women and men is a discriminatory provision. Analyse.

    What is the issue?

    • PM in his I-Day speech last year spoke about a panel formed to decide on the “right age of marriage” for women.
    • The minimum age of marriage, especially for women, has been a contentious issue.
    • The law evolved in the face of much resistance from religious and social conservatives.
    • Currently, the law prescribes that the minimum age of marriage is 21 years and 18 years for men and women respectively.

    Invoking ‘Majority’

    • The minimum age of marriage is distinct from the age of majority which is gender-neutral.
    • An individual attains the age of majority at 18 as per the Indian Majority Act, 1875.
    • The law prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevents the abuse of minors.

    About the Committee

    • The Union Ministry for WCD had set up a task force to examine matters pertaining to the age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio and the improvement of nutritional levels among women.
    • The task force would examine the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with health, medical well-being, and nutritional status of the mother and neonate, infant or child, during pregnancy, birth and thereafter.
    • It will also examine the possibility of increasing the age of marriage for women from the present 18 years to 21 years.

    How common are child marriages in India?

    • UNICEF estimates suggest that each year, at least 1.5 million girls under the age of 18 are married in India.
    • It makes our country home to the largest number of child brides in the world — accounting for a third of the global total.
    • Nearly 16 per cent adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married.

    Provisions for the minimum age for marriage

    • Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom.
    • For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.
    • However, child marriages are not illegal — even though they can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage.
    • In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.
    • The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively.
    • Additionally, sexual intercourse with a minor is rape, and the ‘consent’ of a minor is regarded as invalid since she is deemed incapable of giving consent at that age.

    Evolution of the law

    • The IPC enacted in 1860 criminalised sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 10.
    • The provision of rape was amended in 1927 through The Age of Consent Bill, 1927, which declared that marriage with a girl under 12 would be invalid.
    • The law faced opposition from conservative leaders of the Indian National Movement, who saw the British intervention as an attack on Hindu customs.
    • A legal framework for the age of consent for marriage in India only began in the 1880s.

    Comes in: The Sarda Act

    • In 1929, The Child Marriage Restraint Act set 16 and 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys respectively.
    • The law, popularly known as the Sarda Act after its sponsor Harbilas Sarda, a judge and a member of Arya Samaj, was eventually amended in 1978 to prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man respectively.

    Contention over different legal standards

    • There is no reasoning in the law for having different legal standards of age for men and women to marry. The laws are a codification of custom and religious practices.
    • The Law Commission consultation paper has argued that having different legal standards “contributes to the stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands”.
    • Women’s rights activists have argued that the law also perpetuates the stereotype that women are more mature than men of the same age and, therefore, can be allowed to marry sooner.
    • The international treaty Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), also calls for the abolition of laws that assume women have a different physical or intellectual rate of growth than men.

    Why is the law being relooked at?

    • Despite laws mandating minimum age and criminalizing sexual intercourse with a minor, child marriages are very prevalent in the country.
    • From bringing in gender-neutrality to reduce the risks of early pregnancy among women, there are many arguments in favour of increasing the minimum age of marriage of women.
    • Early pregnancy is associated with increased child mortality rates and affects the health of the mother.

    Upholding the Constitution

    • Petitioners, in this case, had challenged the law on the grounds of discrimination.
    • It is argued that Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee the right to equality and the right to live with dignity, were violated by having different legal ages for men and women to marry.
    • Two significant Supreme Court rulings can act as precedents to support the petitioner’s claim.
    • In 2014, in the ‘NALSA v Union of India’ case, the Supreme Court, while recognising transgenders as the third gender, said that justice is delivered with the “assumption that humans have equal value and should, therefore, be treated as equal, as well as by equal laws”.
    • In 2019, in ‘Joseph Shine v Union of India’, the Supreme Court decriminalized adultery, and said that “a law that treats women differently based on gender stereotypes is an affront to women’s dignity”.

  • UN Adaptation Gap Report, 2020

    The United Nations Adaptation Gap Report, 2020 was recently released by the UNEP.

    Must read edition: Five years of Paris Agreement

    UN Adaptation Gap Report

    • UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has managed the production of UN Environment’s Adaptation Gap Report series since its first edition in 2014.
    • The aim of the reports is to inform national and international efforts to advance climate change adaptation.

    Behind the concept: Adaptation Cost

    • Adaptation Cost includes costs of planning, preparing for, facilitating and implementing the climate change adaptation measures.
    • It thus derives benefits as the avoided damage costs or the accrued benefits following the adoption and implementation of adaptation measures.

    Highlights of the 2020 report

    • The annual cost of adaptation to the effects of climate change for developing countries is estimated to at least quadruple by 2050, according to the United Nations Adaptation Gap Report, 2020.
    • The current cost for developing countries is in the range of $70 billion (Rs 5.1 lakh crore) and may rise to $140-300 billion in 2030 and $280-500 billion in 2050.

    Funding gaps

    • The ever-increasing adaptation cost has also outpaced the growth in adaptation finance that refers to the flow of funds to developing countries to help them tide over the damages caused by climate change.
    • This, in turn, has kept the adaptation finance gap from closing with the current efforts, although the fund flow has increased, the report said.
    • Adaptation costs, in actual terms, are higher in developed countries but the burden of adaptation is greater for developing countries in relation to their gross domestic product.
    • These countries, especially in Africa and Asia, which are least equipped to tackle climate change will also, be the most impacted by it, the report noted.