Guru Nanak Jayanti being celebrated today

Guru Nanak Jayanti or Guruparb is being celebrated across the country today.The day marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev.This year will mark the 548th birthday of Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539) was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan.Guru Nanak's words are registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns in the holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib.The Guru Granth Sahib is worshipped as the Supreme Authority of Sikhism and is considered the eleventh and final guru of Sikhism.He emphasized the equality of women and rejected the path of renunciation and he rejected the authority of the Vedas.He started the institution of Guru Ka Langar.He was the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Babur.

Ten Sikh Gurus-

(1) Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) 
* Contemporary of Mughal emperor – Babur

(2) Guru Angad Dev (1539-1552)

(3) Guru Amardas (1552 to 1574 
* Contemporary of Mughal emperor - Akbar

(4) Guru Ram Das (1574- 1581)
* Founded the city of Amritsar
* Started the construction of the famous Golden Temple at Amritsar

(5) Guru Arjan Dev (1581-1606)

* Completed construction of Golden Temple in Amritsar
* Contemporary of Emperor Jahangir

(6) Guru Har Gobind Sahib (1606- 1644)

* First Guru to take up arms to defend the faith
* Contemporary of emperor Jahangir and Shah Jahan

(7) Guru Har Rai Sahib (1644 -1661) 
* Contemporary of Emperor Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

(8) Guru Har Krishan Sahib (1661-1664)
* Contemporary of Aurangazeb

(9) Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib (1665- 1675)
* Contemporary of Aurangazeb

(10) Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (1675- 1708)
* Contemporary of Aurangazeb
* Created the Khalsa in 1699.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture, Medieval History

Source- AIR + Wiki

Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana launched to promote philately

Minister of Communications launched a Pan India scholarship program for school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby)) Yojana to increase the reach of Philately.Under the scheme of SPARSH, it is proposed to award annual scholarships to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby through a competitive selection process in all postal circles.

Philately

Philately is the hobby of collection and study of Postage stamps.It also entails the collection, appreciation and research activities on stamps and other related philatelic products.

Topic-  GS-2-Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors

Source- PIB

Sonepur cattle fair begins in Bihar

Sonepur mela is one of the biggest cattle fair in Asia that takes place in Bihar.The month-long fair is organised annually in November.Also known as Kshetra Mela, its origins can be traced to the Mughal era.The Sonepur fair majorly attracts cattle traders from all over Asia.The fair, which is conducted at the confluence of Ganga, Gandak and Mahi rivers, spans across acres of land with nearly 5,000 stalls.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- Indian Express

Etikoppaka toys get GI tag

Etikoppaka toys, popularly known as Lakkapidathalu in the local parlance, finally received Geographical Indication by the Registration of Geographical Indication, categorised in class 20 of the toys category.The art is more than 400 years old and it has been traditionally handed over to them by their ancestors through generations.The toys are unique not only in shape and form but also the material used.They are made of wood and painted with natural dyes.There is no heavy metal or toxic content and that is why it is unique.The natural dyes are prepared from seeds, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves.The wood used is from ‘Ankudi Karra’ (Wrightia tinctoria) tree that is soft in nature and the art is also known as turned wood Lacquer craft.

GI Tag-

A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g. a town, region, or country).India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 has come into force with effect from 15 September 2003.This Act is administered by Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, who is also Registrar of Geographical Indications.GIs have been defined under Article 22(1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS) Agreement.Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- The Hindu

Tigress electrocuted in Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary

A tigress died of electrocution in the Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra recently.This is the sixth death of a tiger due to electrocution in one year in the state.

Topic- GS-3- Biodiversity

Source- Indian Express

Hindi Writer Krishna Sobti awarded Jnanpith award 2017

Eminent Hindi Litterateur Krishna Sobati will get the Jnanpith Award for 2017 (53rd) for her path breaking contribution to Indian literature.She has earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award (1980) for her novel ‘Zindaginama’ and was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (in 1996).

Jnanpith Award

The Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their 'outstanding contribution towards literature'.

Topic-

Source- DD news

Cauvery tribunal gets extension of 6 months for report

The Centre has given a six-month extension to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to submit its report on Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.The CWDT was constituted on June 2, 1990 under section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 for the adjudication of the water dispute.

Inter-state Water Dispute Act, 1956-

Under the Inter State Water Dispute Act, 1956, which provides legal framework to address such issues, a tribunal can be formed after a state government approaches the Union government with such a request and the Centre is convinced of the need to form the tribunal.Only three out of the eight existing tribunals have given awards accepted by the states concerned.Tribunals like those on the Cauvery and Ravi-Beas rivers have been in existence for over 25 years without any award.There is no time-limit for adjudication by a tribunal.Recently central government has decided to set up a tribunal to resolve issues relating to the sharing of the Mahanadi river water between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Topic- GS-2- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

Source- AIR

The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia will hold a referendum on self-rule next year

The French government andNew Caledonian politicians agreed on the size of the electorate, locations for polling stations and the presence of UN election observers.The political agreement could pave the way for independence.If a majority opts for independence it will be the first French territory to break away since Djibouti in 1977 and Vanuatu in 1980.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a special collectively of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia and 20,000 km (12,000 mi) from Metropolitan France.

Topic- GS-3- international Relation

Source- AIR

In a first, India, Nepal and Bangladesh to sync 2018 tiger census

For the first time, India, Nepal and Bangladesh will be conducting the 2018 tiger census in close coordination in their respective territories at the same time.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is responsible for conducting the exercise in India.

Topic- GS-3- Biodiversity

Source- Times of India