Pashmina Shawls Subject – Art and Culture Context – New initiative in J&K to restore lost glory of Pashmina shawls. Concept – Pashmina Shawls are a fine variant of shawls spun from cashmere wools. A cashmere wool itself is obtained from the Changthangi goat (Capra aegagrushircus) native to the high plateau of Ladakh. Known for its soft features, the Pashmina Shawls himself had […]
Darjeeling Toy Train Subject – Art and Culture Context – A section of people in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal are protesting against the Centre’s proposed monetisation of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). They have staged protests at 10 stations of the heritage railway that connects New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, across 87.48 […]
Yakshagana Subject – Art and Culture Context – A Yakshagana play with an artist performing all the roles of a ‘prasanga’ (episode) is on the verge of making it to the over-the-top (OTT) platform for the first time. Concept – Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form of It is a temple artform that depicts mythological stories and Puranas. It is performed with massive headgears, elaborate facial make-up and vibrant costumes and ornaments. Usually recited in Kannada, […]
Gorakhnath Subject – Art and Culture Context – The government of Haryana has moved to prohibit the use of the expression “Gorakh Dhandha”, often used by politicians in speeches to refer to “unethical practices”. Concept – Gorakhnath (also known as Goraksanath, c. early 11th century) was a Hindu yogi, saint who was the influential founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement […]
Guru Granth Sahib Subject – Art and Culture Context – Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and others have carried on their heads saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib flown in from Afghanistan. Concept – Saroop is a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi. Every Bir has 1,430 […]
Shankaracharya Temple Subject – Art and Culture Concept – The Shankaracharya Temple is also known as the Jyeshteshwara Temple. It is situated on top of the Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Range in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, It is locally known as Takht-e-Sulaiman. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is at a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the valley floor and overlooks the city […]
Madur Mats Subject – Art and Culture Concept – Madurkathi mats, or madur, are mats woven in West Bengal from a reed called madurkottir, or madurkathi, a sedge of the family Cyperaceae. Madur mat-making is a long-standing tradition, centred on the Medinipur district, and is an important part of the rural economy. Madur mats are made of natural fibres. The mats are woven mainly […]
Kashmir Carpet Subject – Art and Culture Context – Kashmir’s famed hand-knotted carpet, with its intricate and colourful floral patterns, adorned a special cover of the Indian Postal Service this week. Concept – A Kashmir rug is a hand-knotted oriental rug from Kashmir valley in India, which is associated with Kashmiri handicrafts. Kashmir rugs or carpets have intricate designs that are primarily oriental, floral style in a range of colors, sizes and quality. They are primarily made using pure wool, […]
Hampi Subject – Art and Culture Context –Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu visited Hampi. Concept – It is a UNESCO world heritage site. It was a part of the Mauryan Empire back in the third century BC. Hampi was the capital city during the four different dynasties altogether in the Vijayanagar city that came into existence in the year 1336 […]
Onam Subject – Art and Culture Context: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the occasion of Onam. Concept: Onam is a harvesting festival observed by the Malayalis during the month of Chingam, the first month in the Malayalam calendar, Kollavarsham. It usually falls in the month of August […]