5th, September, 2022

 

Topic: State Level Teacher’s Day function

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit III: Topic: Latest Initiatives in Education.

 

What is the news?

• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar today conferred State Awards upon 15 teachers and honored one National Award winner’s teacher for the year 2021 during the State Level Teacher’s Day function held here at Raj Bhavan.
• Former president of India, great scholar Dr. Dedicated to Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan ji.
• Every year 5th September is celebrated as a teacher’s day in India.

Why is the Teacher’s Day celebrated?

• Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 every year in India to acknowledge the contribution of teachers in the society. The day marks the birth anniversary of India’s second President and first Vice President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

 

Why 5th September is celebrated as Teacher’s Day?

• Every year September 5 is celebrated as Teachers Day in India. The day marks the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s first Vice-President and second President. He was a celebrated academic and the recipient of Bharat Ratna.

 

About Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:

1) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, (born Sept. 5, 1888, Tiruttani, India—died April 16, 1975, Madras [now Chennai]), scholar and statesman who was president of India from 1962 to 1967. He served as professor of philosophy at Mysore (1918–21) and Calcutta (1921–31; 1937–41) universities and as vice chancellor of Andhra University (1931–36). He was professor of Eastern religions and ethics at the University of Oxford in England (1936–52) and vice chancellor of Benares Hindu University (1939–48) in India. From 1953 to 1962 he was chancellor of the University of Delhi.

2) Radhakrishnan led the Indian delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; 1946–52) and was elected chairman of UNESCO’s executive board (1948–49). From 1949 to 1952 he served as Indian ambassador to the Soviet Union. On his return to India in 1952 he was elected vice president, and on May 11, 1962, he was elected president, succeeding Rajendra Prasad, who was the first president of independent India. Radhakrishnan retired from politics five years later.

3) Radhakrishnan’s written works include Indian Philosophy, 2 vol. (1923–27), The Philosophy of the Upanishads (1924), An Idealist View of Life (1932), Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), and East and West: Some Reflections (1955). In his lectures and books he tried to interpret Indian thought for Westerners.

(Source: Himachal Government and Britannica)

 

 

Topic: Himachal ranks high in tracking criminals & sharing data

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-VI: GENERAL STUDIES-III: Unit I: Topic: Cyber crime and drug menace – mechanism to detect and control it in Himachal Pradesh.

 

What is the news?

• Himachal has not only attained the top position in the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) ranking in the country, but has also managed to bring down crime against women.

About ICJS Ranking:

• The ICJS ranking for July was released recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• The ICJS is an initiative of the e-Committee of the Supreme Court to enable seamless transfer of data and information among different pillars of the criminal justice system like courts, police, jails and forensic science laboratories.
• The ICJS was implemented in Himachal in December 2020.
• This platform is backed by Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) and Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO).
• The state has also topped among the hilly states in the CCTNS ranking and stands fourth overall.
• The compliance rate under ITSSO has increased from 22.9 per cent in 2018 to 82.6 per cent in 2022 due to weekly monitoring.

 

About Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO):

• The ITSSO is an online module that helps monitor the investigation into sexual offences. There are 3,927 sexual offenders in the state.
• As a result of several initiatives aimed at checking crime against women, the number of cases from January to July had declined marginally from 960 in 2021 to 936 in 2022.

 

Anti-women crime dips:

• Jan-July2021 -960 Cases
• Jan-July 2022 -936 Cases

 

Steps to curb crime:

• 1,582 cases of rape & those under POCSO Act pending trial.
• HP Police begin ‘Robust Trial Management’ for such cases.
• Women help desks set up in all 146 police stations in state.

(Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Nahan teachers make 20 ft pen to aid learning

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit III: Topic: Latest Initiatives in Education.

 

What is the news?

• A unique pen measuring 20 feet and weighing 43 kg has been made by a team of teachers at Government High School, Naurangabad, at Nahan in Sirmaur district as a teaching and learning aid.

What is this pen named?

• Named “Shakti”, the pen was installed on the school premises by Nahan MLA Rajiv Bindal.

 

About this Pen:

• A teacher, who is absent, can record his lecture and sent it to other teachers. The lecture can be aired through the pen which has a sound sensor.
• It is also equipped with CCTV cameras and can keep tabs on students. Its footage will be controlled by the school management. Additional features like an alarm for the prayers and an inbuilt audio player further enhance its utility. It can be charged with solar power.
• A sum of Rs 45,000, which was spent on making the pen, has been pooled by six teachers.
• Divided into three parts, it comprises a top lid, the middle trunk and nib. The nib and shaft of the pen measure about two-and-a-half feet of the total 20 feet. The pen can also be used to write as the provision of filling ink through a pipe has also been made.
• Two-liter ink was pumped into the pen using glucose bottle. An effort was made to make a look-alike of an actual pen and this involved several modifications in the design. Several workers were approached to make its parts.

 

Who lead this initiative?

• The team, led by the school headmaster Dr Sanjeev Attri, made this ink pen after putting in three months of strenuous efforts. It was designed by Dr Attri, who himself is a science teacher and encourages students to take up new initiatives.
• Made of metal and wood, the pen has attracted onlookers. The school management wants its entry into the Limca Book of Records as the biggest pen.

 

Other initiatives by Dr Attri:

• Dr Attri has other initiatives to his credit. He had kickstarted “Hello Moginand”, a new All-India Radio destination developed by him while he was working at Government Senior Secondary School, Moginand in Nahan. It was a platform for airing educational as well as social awareness programmes.
• Being the state’s first and country’s sixth educational radio station, a group of 14 students, had been successful in securing a 24-hour slot on the AIR’s Shimla station in 2019.
• Dr Attri, who had joined this school 18 months ago, said, “Since the school lies in a remote area, childern of the Gujjar community study here.
• The school strength, which was merely 65 last year, has now touched 130 with more girls studying in the school. Efforts have been made to rope in dropout girls by encouraging the Gujjar community to educate their children.”

(Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: 2-day seminar on national security concludes at Himachal Pradesh University

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-V: GENERAL STUDIES-II: Unit III: National Security

 

What is the news?

• 2-day seminar on national security concludes at Himachal Pradesh University

Who organized this?

• A two-day national seminar ‘India’s national security: Military Challenges, Management and Responses’ which was organized by the Defense and Strategic Studies, Department of the Himachal Pradesh University and sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research concluded.

 

What was the topic for discussion?

• Detailed discussions were held on challenges on military and non-military dimensions, geopolitical complexity in Asia, Rohingya crisis, military rebalance, cyber security, and threats from social media to the country’s national security on the second day of the event.

 

Who joined?

• Major General A M Bapat of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Lt General (retd) Balbir S Sandhu, Major General (retd) Shammi Raj and Prof Rishi Raj Sharma of the Guru Nanak Dev University addressed the plenary session.

(News Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: A photo exhibition by Dr Madhumeet Singh, entitled “The Spiti valley”

 

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit III: Society and Culture in Himachal Pradesh: Culture, customs, fairs and festivals, and religious beliefs and practices, recreation and amusement.

 

What is the news?

• A photo exhibition by Dr Madhumeet Singh, entitled “The Spiti valley”, depicting various hues of the tough terrain of the Spiti valley of Lahaul and Spiti district were inaugurated.

Where it was inaugurated?

• It was in Artist Residency at Sobha Singh Art Gallery at Andretta, 12 km from here today.

 

Who organized this?

• Prof Dhara Pathania and Bibi Gurcharan Kaur, daughter of artist Sobha Singh, jointly inaugurated the exhibition. They said the services of such artists depicting the beauty of the state should be utilized by the agencies concerned as brand ambassadors of the state.

 

When it was organized?

• Organized on the eve of Teachers’ Day, the exhibition has been dedicated to his teacher parents by photo artist Dr Madhumeet. He said the 30 exhibited photographs depicted geography, flora and fauna, art and culture and life of the Spiti valley.

 

About Sobha Singh Art Gallery at Andretta:

• Dedicated to the work of eminent artist Sobha Singh, the Sobha Singh Art Gallery is situated in Andretta village, which is located 14 kms south of Palampur which is in District Kangra.
• The art gallery displays some of the finest work of Sobha Singh, which include portraits of Sohni-Mahinval and Hir-Ranjha (famed Punjabi couples).
• Most of the paintings here have the influence Kangra School of art and are done-well in western classical techniques of oil painting.
• The art gallery also has sculptures and busts of some eminent Punjabi icons such as M.S. Randhawa, Prithviraj Kapoor and Nirmal Chandra, and an incomplete head-study of the Punjabi poetess Amrita Pritam.
• Apart from Sikh Gurus, Sobha Singh also painted portraits of Indian national heroes like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

About Sobha Singh:

• One of the greatest Indian artists of twentieth century S. Sobha Singh was born on 29 November 1901 at Sri Hargobindpur (Gurdaspur), India.
• It was here where S Sobha Singh learned to draw and sculpt. In 1905, his mother Bibi Acchran died. His father S. Deva Singh died in 1917.
• He learnt and mastered painting by self practice.
• In 1919 he was present in Jalianwala Bagh at the time of firing. Later, he joined the British India army as a draughtsman and was posted at various places in Iraq.
• He studied European Paintings and got inspiration from the works of English painters.
• 1925-1929: Established Echo School of Art at Anarkali, Lahore. Got reputation as a successful commercial artist. Came in contact with Dr M.S.Randhawa (later ICS) and Giani Kartar Singh Hitkari (father of Amrita Pritam). Also painted many titles/sketches for magazines. The titles of two such magazines, “Chand”, 1928 and “Karak” were also painted by him. These magazines were banned by the Government as these were produced by freedom fighters.
• 1930-1942: Studio at Connaught Circus, Delhi. Painted posters, paintings, etc for Indian Railways, Post & Telegraph Department and Maharajas of Princely States. Participated in exhibitions (including Annual Exhibitions by Simla Art Society) & won many medals/prizes. Established himself as a prominent artist. In 1935, two his paintings were included in the London Illustrated Weekly. Painted famous, “Nam Khumari Nanaka” painting in 1937. “Noor Jahan in the Durbar of Guru Hargobind”, another painting was published in “Civil and Military Gazette of Lahore”, which caused lots of excitement among some people. Some reprints of his paintings were reproduced. Many of his works were acquired by officers and others from the Govt. Two such works were auctioned in 2004 in London.
• He wanted to settle in Kangra valley during this period but did not get a good piece of land.

1942-1944: Stayed at Pritnagar. Imparted training to the students of fine arts. Met many writers, playwrights, etc. Visited Andretta with an aim to settle down, but other professional obligations kept him busy in city life.

1945: Served as Chief Artist in Publicity Deptt. of Indian Army. Painted posters for the historical Shimla Conference.

1946: Art Director of “But Tarash” movie at Lahore. Met Prithvi Raj Kapoor, later a bosom friend. His bust was made twice by the artist; one still adorns his Grow More Good House, Andretta.

1947: Left Lahore on the eve of partition, leaving behind around 300 artworks, including sixty priceless paintings & other valuables. Some of the paintings were in the custody of his friend at Shekhupura and some were left in the custody of his another friend in Lahore. These could not be retrieved due to increased violence. Settled permanently at Andretta (Kangra valley).

1948: Dr. M.S.Randhawa, ICS, rehabilitation commissioner arranged an exhibition of his works at Sirhind Club, Ambala.Some of the paintings were sold to the Air Force. Painted posters for Government of India to collect funds for rehabilitation work. Constructed a mud walled thatched cottage after purchasing four Kanal land. Made extensive study of psychology, comparative religion, sociology and art and continued to delve deep into philosophy.

1953: Yuvraj Karan Singh acquired many paintings, including famous Sohni Mehiwal. This was printed for the first time and it remains most sought after reprint even now.

1967: Wife passed away on 15 January.

1969: Famous painting of Guru Nanak Dev (hand raised in blessings) published by S.G.P.C. More than five lac copies were sold.

1970: Punjabi University bestowed life fellowship.

1972: Visited U.K. Nominated to several high level committees of the Punjab Govt.

1973: Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting made a documentary film, “Painter of People” on him. It has been dubbed in all major Indian languages. A paralytic stroke put him in bed for six months. Governors of Punjab visited him (Dr D C Pavte & Mr M M Chaudhary) with the offer to shift to Punjab for better medical care, etc. Artist politely declined to express his love for the hills and serene environs.

1974 : Government of Punjab acclaimed him as State Artist, made documentary and honored him.

1975: Prime Minister of India & other dignitaries visited an exhibition of his painting at AIFACS on his 75th birthday.

1976: Government of Punjab offered a gift of Studio-cum-Residence at Chhatbir (Patiala). The artist refused to accept attached conditions.

1978: Visited Rome to see historical monuments, art galleries and make art collections.

1982: Punjab Art Council honored him with its highest award.

1983: Government of India decorated him with ‘Padam Shree’ on Republic Day. It was followed by honors from many organizations in different parts of the country.

1984: BBC, London made a documentary on him. Visited Switzerland, Norway, Canada, UK, etc.

1985: Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) conferred by Punjabi University, Patiala.

1986: Passed away on 22 August in Chandigarh. Cremated with full Sate honors.

(News Source: The Tribune and sobhasinghartist)

 

 

Topic: Low-intensity quake shakes Chamba suburb in Himachal

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Indian and World Geography- physical, social, economic geography of India and the world.

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit III: Geographical Introduction to India, India as a unit of Geographical Study.

 

What is the news?

An earthquake measuring 3.10 on the Richter scale shook parts of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday evening.

• The epicenter of the quake was at Thanoli in Bhattiyat tehsil of the district, which is about 70 km from the district headquarters Chamba. According to the National Centre for Seismology officials, the quake was measured at a depth of 5 km from the surface.
• The tremors, felt around 6.40 pm, were felt by residents who rushed out of their houses in panic. There were no immediate reports of loss to life or property, said officials.
• Several low-intensity quakes have been experienced in neighboring Kangra and Mandi districts too in the recent past. On May 13, a 3.5-magnitude quake shook parts of Kangra district. People rushed out of their houses after they experienced the tremors.
• Most parts of Himachal Pradesh fall in a high seismic zone and mild quakes are a regular feature of the region. A major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude had hit the Kangra valley on April 4, 1905, claiming more than 20,000 lives. The Kangra region was then part of the undivided Punjab province.

 

About Earthquake:

• An earthquake is an intense shaking of Earth’s surface. The shaking is caused by movements in Earth’s outermost layer.

 

Earthquake Magnitude Scales:

• The severity of an earthquake is generally proportional to the amount of seismic energy it releases. Seismologists use a Magnitude scale to express this energy release. Here are the typical effects of earthquakes in various magnitude ranges.

 

What instrument measures magnitude?

• The magnitude of an earthquake is measured by an instrument called seismographs. The scale of measure used to calculate the magnitude of an earthquake is called the Richter Scale.

(News Source: The Tribune)

 

Some More HP News:

• Himachal’s daughters have won bronze medals in the Under-19 National Kabaddi Competition. In the interesting match in the semi-finals, Himachal’s team trailed by just two points.