General Studies Paper 1 Context In its judgment recently a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India, comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and others interpreted the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 and gave a binding declaration of the law interpreting the Act, which, under the constitutional scheme, becomes the law of the land and binds all courts within the territory of India under Article 141 of the Constitution of India. Constitutional basis to an assurance The Preamble to the Act states: “An Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for....Read More

General Studies Paper 1 Context: On the occasion of International Museum Day PM Modi unveiled the Expos mascot – a “contemporised” version of the famous Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro. The traditional craft of Channapatna toys was used to create this mascot. Channapatna toys Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys and dolls that are manufactured in the town of Channapatna in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka. This traditional craft is protected as a Geographical Indication (GI). As a result of the popularity of these toys, Channapatna is known as the Gombegala Ooru (toy- town) of Karnataka. Traditionally, the work involved lacquering the wood of the Wrightia....Read More

General Studies Paper 1 Context: India hosted a two-day global Buddhist summit in New Delhi (April 20-21), which was organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation. Buddhist Summit(Delhi Summit): Key figures from the global Buddhist community, including the Dalai Lama. The Prime Minister laid emphasis on the continuing relevance of the Buddha’s teachings in today’s world. It saw a diverse group of 171 foreign delegates from South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, and Taiwan, along with 150 delegates from Indian Buddhist organizations. Attendance of prominent scholars, sangha leaders,and dharma practitioners. India’s efforts so far: Promoting tourism through the development of the “Buddhist tourist....Read More

General Studies Paper 1 Context: PM inaugurated the First Global Buddhist Summit hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation. About the Summit Theme: “Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis”. Aim:The Summit is an effort towards engaging the global Buddhist Dhamma  leadership and scholars on matters of Buddhist  and universal concerns, and to come up with policy inputs to address them collectively. Highlights:  The Summit witnessed the participation of eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dharma practitioners from all over the world. PM also offered monk robes (Chivar Dana)to nineteen eminent monks. The discussions were held under four themes:....Read More

General Studies Paper 1 Context: The government adopted the Panchamrit principles to guide its foreign policy, in actively promoting India’s image as a rising global power. The fifth of these five principles is sanskriti evam sabhyata (cultural and civilisational links). More about the soft power diplomacy Meaning: Soft power is the capacity to influence other nations through the use of persuasion and attraction rather than coercion or force. Soft power relies on culture, arts, and science. Proponent: Joseph Nye was the first to coin the term "soft power". India’s Soft Power tools Beginning Post independence: From the time of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Panchsheel principles, India has....Read More

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2 Why in News? Recently, Karnataka has categorized the two dominant communities, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, as “moderately backward” from the “backward” category in a move that could increase their share in reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). What are the Key Points of the Move? Karnataka currently has32% quota for OBC, and 17% and 7% quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively, taking the total to 56%. The Panchamasali sub-sect of Veerashaiva Lingayats has demanded inclusion in the 2A category which has 15% quota from their current 3B category which has 5% quota. The Cabinet’s decision is based on the recommendations....Read More

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1 The Geographical Indications Registry at Guindy, Chennai, has received an application from the Tribal Development Council, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, seeking the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Nicobari hodi craft. This is the first application from the Union Territory seeking a tag for one its products. About Hodi Craft The hodi is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft.  It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands.  The technical skills for building a hodi are based on indigenous knowledge inherited by the Nicobarese from their forefathers.  The hodi is built....Read More

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1 During the G20 Summit, Prime Minister mentioned Baliyatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack, which celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia. This year’s Baliyatra, which concluded on Thursday, also found a place in the Guinness World Records for achieving an impressive feat of origami, the creation of beautiful paper sculptures. Historical significance Baliyatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, is one of the country’s largest open-air fairs, which is organised every year to commemorate the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga (today’s Odisha) and Bali and....Read More

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1 Chhattisgarh celebrates its 23rd State Foundation Day on 1st November 2022 and as a part of the celebrations, Raipur will host the 3rd National Tribal Dance Festival. The National Tribal Dance Festival will be celebrated from 1st November 2022 to 3rd November 2022. National Tribal Dance Festival National Tribal Dance Festival is one of Chhattisgarh’s grand festivals which celebrates diverse tribal communities and their culture not just in India but from across the globe. It is organised under the Tourism and Culture Department of Chhattisgarh. This festival aims to unite the tribal communities and provides....Read More

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1 P. promotes tombs of Muslim devotees of Krishna for tourism. Raskhan or Syed Ibrahim Khan  He was a 16th century Sufi Muslim poet born either in Amroha or Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh.  He became a follower of Krishna and spent his life in Vrindavan.  He accepted Krishna as the supreme god (Svayam Bhagavan) and became a Vaishnava. He died in 1628 AD. His samadhi is at Mahaban, about six miles east of Mathura. He translated Bhagavata Purana into Persian. The poetry of Raskhan focuses on Lord Krishna. Rachnavali is the collection of Raskhan’s poetry His....Read More