Personalities in News

Source– This post “Constantine Joseph Beschi(Veeramamunivar)” is based on the article “Constantine Joseph Beschi, a missionary, Tamil scholar, and Chanda Sahib’s Dewan” published in “The Hindu” on 14th November 2023.

Why in the News?

Recently Emerald Publishers released the English translation of the first biography of Veeramamunivar(known as Constantine Joseph Beschi) in Tamil written by A. Muttusami Pillei.

Who is Constantine Joseph Beschi?

1. Constantine Joseph Beschi, the Italian Jesuit missionary and Tamil scholar
2. He had also maintained a close friendship with Chanda Sahib, the Nawab of the Carnatic.
3. He had even acted as his Dewan.

What are the views of Muttusami Pillei on Constantine Joseph Beschi?

1. He was a Religious devotee and an Italian Jesuit missionary.

2. Office of Dewan– By appointing him to the office, the Nawab of the Carnatic also gifted the Italian Jesuit four villages in Tiruchi district, which yielded a revenue of ₹12,000 a year.

3. He held the office of Dewan in Tiruchi till 1740.

4. He abstained from the “use of flesh and fish”.

5. He also studied Sanskrit, Telugu, and Tamil assiduously and became a master of these languages, especially Tamil.

UPSC Syllabus-History (Literature)

Source: This post “FIDE Grand Swiss Open 2023” is based on the article ” India takes the top spot in the FIDE Grand Swiss Open-PM congratulates Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali for their outstanding victories” published in “PIB” on 6th November 2023.

Why in the News?

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has praised Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali for their outstanding victories in FIDE Grand Swiss Open 2023.

What is FIDE Grand Swiss Open?

UPSC Syllabus- Miscellaneous (Sports)

Source: The post is based on the article “Author Nandini Das wins 2023 British Academy Book Prize” published in “The Hindu” on 2nd November 2023

Why in the News?

Indian-born author Nandini Das has been named the winner of the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding.

What is the British Academy Book Prize?

UPSC Syllabus: Awards and Prizes

Source: The post is based on the article “Claudia Goldin wins 2023 Economics Nobel Prize for research on workplace gender gap” published in “The Hindu” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The Nobel Prize for economics has been awarded to Harvard University professor Claudia Goldin for her research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labour market.

Who is Claudia Goldin?

Claudia Goldin was born in 1946.She currently holds the position of Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University.

Work on Gender gap in labour market: Claudia Goldin’s extensive research on gender disparities in the labor market spanning over 200 years reveals several key insights:

– U-Shaped Female Labor Force Participation: Female participation in the labor market doesn’t show a consistent upward trend over time.Instead, it follows a U-shaped curve.Initially, it declined as society shifted from agrarian to industrial in the early 19th century.It later increased with the growth of the service sector in the early 20th century.This pattern is influenced by changes in economic structure and evolving societal norms about women’s roles.

– Education and the Contraceptive Pill: Women’s education levels have steadily risen throughout the 20th century and often surpass those of men in high-income countries.Access to contraception, notably the contraceptive pill, played a vital role in enabling women to plan their careers more effectively.

– Persistent Earnings Gap: Despite modernization, economic growth and increased female employment, the earnings gap between men and women remained largely unchanged for a long time.

– This is because young women’s expectations for their careers are often shaped by the experiences of previous generations such as their mothers who delayed their return to work until their children were older.

– Impact of Motherhood: Goldin’s research indicates that the bulk of the gender earnings gap now exists between men and women in the same occupation and it primarily emerges after the birth of the first child.This suggests that parenthood significantly influences the gender pay gap in contemporary times.

Source: The post is based on the article “PM releases commemorative coin and stamp on 500th birth anniversary of Veerangana Rani Durgavati” published in “PIB” on 9th October 2023

What is the News?

The Prime Minister performed bhoomi poojan of ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan‘ during the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati.

Who is Rani Durgavati?

Rani Durgavati (1524 – 1564) was the ruling Queen of Gondwana from 1550 until 1564.She was born in Mahoba’s Chandela dynasty. 

She is chiefly remembered for defending her kingdom against the Mughal Empire.

She was married to Dalpat Shah, the son of the Gond King Sangram Shah of the kingdom of Garha-Katanga.This kingdom is noted as one of the most powerful kingdoms of the Gond tribe.

However, Dalpat Shah died in 1550 and due to the young age of their son, Durgavati took the reins of the Gondwana kingdom. 

War with Mughals: In 1562, Akbar conquered Malwa and made it a Mughal dominion.Consequently, the state boundary of the Rani touched the Mughal Empire.

– Rani’s contemporary was a Mughal General, Khwaja Abdul Majid Asaf Khan.The prosperity of Rani Durgavati’s state lured him, and he invaded Rani’s state after taking permission from the Mughal emperor Akbar.

– When Rani heard about the attack, she decided to defend her kingdom with all her might. She maintained that it was better to die respectfully than to live a disgraceful life.

– However, soon the Mughals fortified the area and overwhelmed the Gonds. While fighting them in battle, she is believed to have stabbed herself with her dagger to not surrender to the Mughal forces.

Recognitions and Honors: In 1983, the Government of Madhya Pradesh renamed the University of Jabalpur as Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya in her memory.

– The government of India issued a postal stamp commemorating her death on 24 June 1988.

– The train between Jabalpur Junction and Jammutawi is known as Durgavati Express after the name of the Queen.

– Indian Coast Guard in 2018 commissioned ICGS Rani Durgavati, the third Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) of its kind.

Source: The post is based on the article “Nobel Prize for Peace: Who is Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian woman awarded this year?” published in “Indian Express” on 7th October 2023

What is the News?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi the 2023 Nobel Prize for Peace.

She has been awarded for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.

Who is Narges Mohammadi?

Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian human rights activist and scientist. 

She is the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), headed by fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Arrest: In 2011, she was arrested for the first time and sentenced to many years of imprisonment for her efforts to assist incarcerated activists and their families.

– After securing a bail in 2013, she campaigned against the use of the death penalty.She was again arrested in 2015 and was sentenced to additional years

Writings: Over the years she has written many articles arguing for social reforms in Iran and published an essay collection, ‘The Reforms, the Strategy, and the Tactics’. 

– Her book ‘White Torture: Interviews with Iranian Women Prisoners’ also won an award for reportage at the International Film Festival and Human Rights’ Forum.

Recognition: She has received various awards over the years — from the Alexander Langer Award in 2009 to the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and the Olof Palme Prize earlier in 2023.

 In 2022, she was featured in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.

Significance: She is the 19th woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman to win the award – after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003. 

– It is also the fifth time in the 122-year history of the awards that the peace prize has been given to someone who is in prison or under house arrest.

Source: The post is based on the article “Copper plates decoded by Pune-based Bhandarkar Institute sheds light on celebrated ancient Sanskrit poetess Shilabhattarika” published in The Hindu on 3rd May 2023

What is the News?

Researchers at the Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) have decoded the copper based inscriptions.

The inscriptions have revealed that the celebrated Sanskrit poetess Shilabhattarika was a daughter of Chalukyan Emperor, Pulakeshin II of Badami (in modern Karnataka).

Who was Shilabhattarika? 

Shilabhattarika was an ancient Sanskrit poet.

She is considered a leading figure of the Panchali literary style, which maintains a balance between words and meaning.

According to Rajashekhara, the Panchali style can be traced to the works of Shilabhattarika and possibly in some of the works of the 7th-century poet Bana.

Sharangadhara-paddhati, a 14th-century anthology, praises her and three other female poets for their great poetic genius and erudition.

One of the most iconic songs of the noted Marathi poetess Shanta Shelke, “toch chandrama nabhat” (it is the same moon in the sky), draws inspiration from the verses of Shilabhattarika.

What did the researchers find out about Shilabhattarika?

Researchers have found that Shilabhattarika was the daughter of Chalukyan Emperor, Pulakeshin II.

This finding marks a notable shift in the historiography of Badami Chalukyas by placing Shilabhattarika as having lived in the 7th century CE rather than the current theory which believes that she was the wife of 8th-century Rashtrakuta ruler, Dhruva.

Who was Pulakeshin II?

Pulakeshin II was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka). He ruled from 610-642 CE.

He defeated Harshavardhan of Kanauj in a battle near the banks of the Narmada River in 618 CE.

– Note: Badami Chalukyan rulers affixed the title of ‘Satyashraya’ (translated as “patron of truth”) to their names, the only ruler to be known purely by this title was Pulakeshin II.

Source: The post is based on the article “Getting it right: a historian’s effort to document the life of Bhagat Singh” published in The Hindu on 23rd March 2023

What is the News?

Prime Minister has paid tributes to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru on Martyrs’ Day (Shaheed Diwas)

What is Shaheed Diwas?

Shaheed Diwas also known as Martyrs’ Day is observed on March 23rd in India to honor and pay tribute to the three Indian freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence from British rule. 

The three freedom fighters who are remembered on this day are Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru who were executed by the British government in 1931 in Lahore (now in Pakistan). 

These three brave souls were hanged to death by the British government on March 23, 1931 in Lahore (now in Pakistan) for their involvement in the assassination of British police officer John Saunders. 

Who was Bhagat Singh?

Bhagat Singh was born in 1907 in Lyallpur district (now in Pakistan), Bhagat Singh grew up in a Sikh family deeply involved in political activities.

He belonged to a generation that was to intervene between two decisive phases of the Indian national movement – the phase of the ‘Extremism’ of Lal-Bal-Pal and the Gandhian phase of nonviolent mass action. 

CGetting it right: a historian’s effort to document the life of Bhagat Singhbution:

In 1924 in Kanpur, he became a member of the Hindustan Republican Association, started by Sachindranath Sanyal a year earlier. The main organizer of the Association was Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh became very close to him.

In 1928, HRA was renamed from Hindustan Republican Association to Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA).

In 1925, Bhagat Singh returned to Lahore and within the next year, he and his colleagues started a militant youth organization called the Naujawan Bharat Sabha.

In April 1926, Bhagat Singh established contact with Sohan Singh Josh and through him the ‘Workers and Peasants Party’ which brought out the monthly magazine Kirti in Punjabi. For the next year, Bhagat Singh worked with Josh and joined the editorial board of Kirti.

In 1927, he was first arrested on charges of association with the Kakori Case, accused for an article written under the pseudonym Vidrohi (Rebel).

To take revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and his associates plotted the assassination of James A. Scott, the Superintendent of Police. However, the revolutionaries mistakenly killed J.P. Saunders. The incident is famously known as Lahore Conspiracy case (1929).

Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt threw a bomb on 8th April 1929 in the Central Legislative Assembly, in protest against the passing of two repressive bills, the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Dispute Bill.

Bhagat Singh was re-arrested for the murder of J.P. Saunders and bomb manufacturing in the Lahore Conspiracy case. He was found guilty in this case and was hanged on 23rd March 1931 in Lahore along with Sukhdev and Rajguru.

Source: The post is based on the article “As part of Banjara community outreach, Union government to mark Sant Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti” published in The Hindu on 27th February 2023

What is the News?

The Government of India is celebrating the birth anniversary of Banjara community icon Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti for the first time at a national level.

Who is Sevalal Maharaj?

Santh Sevalal Maharaj was born on 15 February 1739 at Surgondankoppa in Shivamogga district of Karnataka. 

He is considered a social reformer and spiritual teacher of the Banjara community. 

His final resting place or Samadhi is situated at Pohradevi in Maharashtra’s Washim district, also known as Banjara Kashi.

Who are Banjaras?

The Banjara (also known as Lambadi, Gour Rajput, Labana) are a historically nomadic trading tribe who may have origins in Rajasthan.

They have settled across the country with different names and have permanently abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled in their settlements called Tandas.

They are now mainly distributed in Maharastra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal States and living in all the other States except the North-Eastern States and Union Territories. 

They speak Gor Boli also called Lambadi which belongs to the Indo-Aryan Group of Languages.

Banjara people celebrate the festival of Teej during Shravanam (in the month of august). In this festival young unmarried Banjara girls pray for a good groom.

Fire dance and Chari are the traditional dance forms of the banjara people.

Source: The post is based on the article “129th birth anniversary of Satyendra Nath Bose: a look at the scientist’s contributions” published in Indian Express on 3rd January 2023

What is the News?

The 129th birth anniversary of Satyendra Nath Bose was celebrated recently.

Who was Satyendra Nath Bose?

Satyendra Nath Bose was born on January 1, 1894. He was a mathematician and physicist specializing in theoretical physics. 

Contributions

Bose Einstein Statistics: At the age of 22, Bose was appointed lecturer at Calcutta University, along with astrophysicist Meghnad Saha. 

In 1921, he joined the then-Dacca University as Reader in Physics. It was here while teaching that he documented his findings in a report called Planck’s Law and the Hypothesis of Light Quanta. 

Even though his research was rejected by a journal, he decided to mail his paper to Albert Einstein.

Einstein recognised the significance of Bose’s theory and generalised it to a wider range of phenomena, and the theory came to be known as Bose-Einstein statistics.

X-ray crystallography laboratory: In 1927, Bose was appointed professor of physics and then Head of Department at Dhaka University in 1927. 

Here, Bose designed equipment for setting up an X-ray crystallography laboratory at the university, and wrote several papers on a range of subjects, such as ‘D2 Statistics’, and ‘Total Reflection of Electromagnetic Waves in the Ionosphere’.

In 1945, he left Dhaka to return to his alma mater, the University of Calcutta as the Khaira Professor of Physics. He retired from the University of Calcutta in 1956 and spent a year as the Vice Chancellor at the Viswa-Bharati University.

Headed many institutions: He served as president of many scientific institutions, which include the Indian Physical Society, the National Institute of Science, the Indian Science Congress and the Indian Statistical Institute.

He also acted as an advisor to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) and later became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Recognition of his contributions: Bose was awarded Padma Vibhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, by the Indian government in 1954.