• Neglect has taken a heavy toll on the 1,300-year-old Pallava period paintings at Talagirishwara temple at Panamalai in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
  • The panel depicting the dance of Lord Shiva has almost faded away and only the face of goddess Parvathi and a few patches remain now.
• The painting is on the wall behind the Ettupattai lingam.
• It shows Lord Shiva with eight hands dancing, known as Latathilagabhani, being watched by Goddess Parvathi with her crown and well decorated umbrella.
• The colours, face, eyebrows and other features would look stunningly beautiful.
• The paintings are on the wall of a sub-temple on the northern side of the Talagirishwara (Siva) temple, perched on Panamalai, the Tamil name of the word ‘Talagiri’.
• The temple is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• The temple was constructed by Pallava king Narasimhavarman II, popularly known as Rajasimha.
• The paintings bear a close resemblance to the paintings in Ajantha and Chithannavasal.
• The paintings were created after covering the stonewalls with paste made of limestone and sand.

• Principal scientific adviser to the union government Ajay Kumar Sood chaired the first joint science and technology clusters’ meet at Jodhpur.
• The meeting was organised by the Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) and hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur.
• Seven City Science and Technology Clusters of Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Pune, and Chandigarh participated in the meeting.

ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CLUSTERS’

• Launched in 2020, the City S&T Clusters is a flagship initiative of the office of the principal scientific adviser, established on the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
• This initiative aims to tackle local challenges through S&T interventions by bringing together academia, research and development institutions, industries, startups and local governments.
• Currently, there are seven S&T clusters as listed above, all working together to find solutions to regional issues through collaborative efforts.
• It will create strong linkages between academic institutions, research laboratories, and other stakeholders.

• A seismic swarm has hit the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland with more than 5,500 small earthquakes recently, raising the prospect of a volcanic eruption, the country’s meteorological office (IMO) reported.

• The quakes originated at a depth of up to 5 km and were caused by a long-term accumulation of magma that has been building pressure and is now slowly drifting towards the surface of the earth.
• Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.

ABOUT EARTHQUAKE SWARM

• It is a series of many low magnitude earthquakes without a noticeable main shock.
• These are observed in volcanic environments, hydrothermal systems, and other active geothermal areas.
• It occurs when the piled up seismic energy inside the earth is released in small amounts from certain points.
  • Seismic energy is related to the movement of fluid gases and liquids in the Earth’s crust.
• It may range from days, weeks to even months.
  • For e.g. Earthquake swarm in Palghar district of Maharashtra has occurred over the period from 2018 to 2019, with around 30 low-intensity earthquakes.

• Chennai recenlty hosted an art exhibit showcasing Pichwai paintings, some dating back 350 years.
• The exhibit hosted paintings from all four schools of the art form– Nathdwara, Kishangarh and Bundi in Rajasthan and Deccan School.
• The word Pichwai comes from ‘pichh’ meaning back, and ‘wai’, meaning textile hanging.
• The paintings, which originated over 400 years ago in Nathdwara, about 70 kilometres from Udaipur, are always done on cloth, usually khadi.
• These are used as a backdrop to the idol in the temple.
• Pichwai paintings feature intricate designs and vibrant colours, depicting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna.
• Other themes are also portrayed, such as the map of the Nathdwara, temple, cows (as symbols of Lord Krishna) among others and not very often, are also created on paper.
• The artists use stone pigments, especially for gold and silver tones.
• The brighter orange, red, chrome yellow and kesari colours come from vegetable dyes.
• They are made by members of the Pushti Marg sect, founded by Shri Vallabhacharya in the 16^th

• The Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) project has released its fourth and the more recent map of the prospective locations of subsurface water ice on Mars.
  • This will help mission planners decide where exactly to send the first humans to Mars.
• The SWIM project, led by the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and managed by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, combines data from several Nasa missions, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), 2001 Mars Odyssey, and the now-inactive Mars Global Surveyor.
• The instruments — Context Camera (CTX) and High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HIRISE) — provided high resolution imagery of the Martian terrain.

IMPORTANCE

• The map could help the agency decide where the first astronauts to the Red Planet should land.
  • The more available water, the less missions will need to bring.
• Ice buried on Mars will be a vital source for humans on Mars, serving both as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel.
• SWIM project manager emphasised the importance of landing sites close to the equator, where the atmosphere is thicker, making it easier to slow a descending spacecraft.
• These regions also offer the warmest possible temperatures for astronauts in an icy region, reducing the energy required to keep astronauts and their equipment warm.

• The birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is celebrated as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
  • Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day was introduced by the Government of India in 2014 to pay tribute to the great man.
• Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel also dubbed as ‘Sardar Patel’ was born on October 31, 1875, into a landowning family of the Leva Patidar caste.

ROLE IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE

• In 1917, impressed by the principles of satyagraha by Gandhi ji, he decided to follow and support him.
• Patel first made his mark in 1918, when he planned mass campaigns of peasants, farmers, and landowners of Kaira, Gujarat, against the decision of the Bombay government to collect the full annual revenue taxes despite crop failures caused by heavy rains.
• In 1928 he successfully led the landowners of Bardoli in their resistance against increased taxes.
  • His efficient leadership of the Bardoli campaign earned him the title ‘sardar’ (leader).

ROLE IN CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY

• He headed various Committees of the Constituent Assembly of India– Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Committee on Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas, Provincial Constitution Committee.

POST INDEPENDENCE

• He was the first home minister of Independent India.
• Sardar Patel achieved the incredible feat of persuading almost 565 self-governing princely states, that had been released from British suzerainty, to accede to the Union of India.
  • For his commitment to the national integration of the newly independent country, he earned the sobriquet “Iron Man of India”.
• He is remembered as the ‘Patron Saint of India’s Civil Servants’ as he established the modern all-India services system.

• Globally, World Stroke Day is celebrated on October 29^th.
• The theme for World Stroke Day 2023 was officially chosen by the World Stroke Organization (WSO) as ‘Together we are #Greater Than Stroke.’
• The day tries to raise awareness about the prevention and timely treatment of a stroke.
• World Stroke Day was established on 29 October 2004.
• Recognising the FAST symptoms can help one seek medical treatment on time. It is important to act FAST at the first symptoms of a stroke.
• FAST stands for:
  • Face: It means facial drooping. An individual may experience numbness on one side of the face. You should ask the person to smile to observe any unevenness.
  • Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. You may notice that the person is not able to move one arm or it is lower than the other.
  • Speech: A stroke can also lead to speech difficulty. If a person has slurred speech, it can be a sign of a stroke.
  • Time: If you notice the above symptoms, it is crucial to seek medical help on an urgent basis.

• The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India in collaboration with IIT (BHU), launched Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023.
• The deliverables of the Hackathon will be to design & prototype innovative apps or software based solutions such as browser extensions, plugins, add-ons, mobile applications.
  • A dark pattern refers to a design or user interface technique that is intentionally crafted to manipulate or deceive users into making certain choices or taking specific actions that may not be in their best interest.
  • It is a deceptive practice employed to influence user behaviour in a way that benefits the company implementing it.
• The winners will be rewarded with a Certificate of Achievement.
• The objective of the initiative is to provide protection to consumers from all types of unfair trade practices.

• When Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon’s surface on August 23, it resulted in a lunar phenomenon called ‘ejecta halo.’
• Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) have now published a paper highlighting the significance of ‘ejecta halo’, which has helped the space agency understand more about the lunar surface.
• The paper named ‘Characterisation of Ejecta Halo on the Lunar Surface Around Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander Using OHRC Imagery’ indicates that ‘ejecta halo’ was created due to descent stage thrusters and the consequent landing of Vikram lander.
• Scientists have “estimated that about 2.06 tonnes of lunar epi regolith were ejected and displaced over an area of 108.4 m² around the landing site”.
  • Epi regolith is the top layer of the lunar surface, which is made out of lunar rocks and soil, commonly known as moon dust.

• The traditional Banni festival was celebrated at Devaragattu in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
• The midnight event draws thousands of devotees from across the undivided Kurnool district every year.
• It is a practice for the villagers to gather with sticks and clash with one another on the sidelines of the main festival.
• The Banni festival is celebrated on the night of Vijayadasami on the account of the victory of Lord Mala Malleswara Swamy and Goddess Parvati over demonish Mani and Mallasura, who troubled the people at Devaragattu region.
• The annual religious festival is held on the premises of the Mala Malleswara Swamy Temple.