Harvest Festivals in India

Makar Sankranti:

• Makar Sankranti denotes the entry of the sun into the zodiac sign of Makara (Capricorn) as it travels on its celestial path.
• The day marks the onset of summer and the six months auspicious period for Hindus known as Uttarayan, the northward movement of the sun.
• As a part of the official celebration of 'Uttarayan', the Gujarat government has been hosting the International Kite Festival since 1989.

The festivities associated with the day are known by different names in different parts of the country - Lohri by north Indian Hindus and Sikhs, Sukarat in central India, Bhogali Bihu by Assamese Hindus, and Pongal by Tamil and other South Indian Hindus.

Lohri:

• Lohri is primarily celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus.
• It marks the end of the winter season and is traditionally believed to welcome the sun to the northern hemisphere.
• It is observed the night before Makar Sankranti, this occasion involves a Puja Parikrama (revolve) around the bonfire with prasad.
• It is essentially termed as the festival of the farmers and harvest, whereby, the farmers thank the Supreme Being.

Pongal

• The word Pongal means ‘overflow’ or ‘boiling over.
• Also known as Thai Pongal, the four-day occasion is observed in the month of Thai, when crops such as rice are harvested and people show their gratitude to the almighty and the generosity of the land.
• Tamilians celebrate the occasion by making traditional designs known as kolams in their homes with rice powder.

Bihu

• It is celebrated when the annual harvest takes place in Assam. People celebrate Rongali/Magh Bihu to mark the beginning of the Assamese new year.
• It is believed that the festival started from the time when people of the valley started tilling the land.
• Bihu is believed to be as old as the river Brahmaputra.

Makaravilakku festival in Sabarimala:

• It is celebrated at the sacred grove of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.
• It is an annual seven-day festival, beginning on the day of Makar Sankranti when the sun is in the summer solstice.
• The highlight of the festival is the appearance of Makarajyothi- a celestial star which appears on the day of Makar Sankranti on top of Kantamala Hills.
• Makara Vilakku ends with the ritual called 'Guruthi', an offering made to appease the god and goddesses of the wilderness.

Channapatna Toys

The Prime Minister has called upon to explore the possibility of e-marketing of Channapatna toys across the country and the world, during the India Toy Fair 2021.

About Channapatna Toys:

• Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys. Artisans of the town Channapatna in Karnataka manufactures them.
• In Kannada, Channapatna is also called “Gombegala Ooru”, which means toy town in English.
• Origin: The origin of these toys can be traced to the reign of Tipu Sultan.
• He invited artisans from Persia to train the local artisans in the making of wooden toys.
• He is known for his commitment to helping the local artisans with the art of toy-making and bringing in new technologies to improvise the toys.
• Wood Used: The Channapatna toys are made of specific wood, called “Aale Mara or the ivory wood”.
• Vegetable dyes are used for colours that are safe to use and environment-friendly.
• Toxic chemicals found in toys usually include Butyrate TXIB & Citrate ATBC.
• GI tag: This traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication(GI) under the World Trade Organization(WTO).

Other Traditional Indian Toys of Different States:

• Kerala- Kathakali dance dolls, animal-shaped toys, and Woodcraft Toys
• TamilNadu- Thanjavur Thalaiyatti Bommai , Choppu saman Toys
• Punjab- Folk toys, Handwai, Chankana, Lattu, Ghuggu
• Telangana: Nirmal Toys
• Madhya Pradesh– Adivasi Gudia Hastashilpa (Dolls), Betel Nut’s Toys, and Tin Toys.
• Uttar Pradesh- lacquered toys and miniature utensils Toys.
• Jammu & Kashmir- Walnut wood carving toys
• Chhattisgarh- Clay & Terracotta, Dhokra Metal Casting, Wood Carving, Metal Craft toys.
• Daman & Diu- Tortoise Shell toys and crafts,
• Andaman & Nicobar Island- Timber Toys, Coconut shell toys

Goldilocks Zones

• A habitable zone, also called the “Goldilocks zone”, is the area around a star where it is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface of surrounding planets.
• Our Earth is in the Sun’s Goldilocks zone.
• If Earth were where the dwarf planet Pluto is, all its water would freeze; on the other hand, if Earth were where Mercury is, all its water would boil off.
• Life on Earth started in water, and water is a necessary ingredient for life as we know it.

Mass Spectrometry

• Mass spectrometry is an analytical method useful for calculating the mass–to–charge ratio ( m / z) of one or more molecules.
• Using this, researchers can ionise or break down the compound into simple ions and then identify the molecules based on their masses.
• The current process of ionisation requires electrical potential of a few kilovolts, heat or high-energy ultraviolet lasers (UV-lasers).
• But now, a new method has been developed soft ionisation using nanosheets which eliminates the need for external energy sources completely.
• Molybdenum disulphide was used over a sheet of paper that enabled the electrical flow of current.
• This can help in detecting alcohol in the breath analyzer tests.

New IT Rules related to Social Media

• Social media companies are prohibited from hosting or publishing any unlawful information.
• This information is “in relation to the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, friendly relations with foreign countries, etc.
• If such information is hosted or published the government can take down such information within 24 hours.
• The user will be given a notice before his/her content is taken down.
• The government can direct messaging platforms to tie the identity of the user with the message transmitted by him/her for strengthening traceability.
• The IT rules 2021 call for social media companies to publish a monthly compliance report.
• Social media platforms are classified into two categories
  • Social media intermediaries – Platforms that have a limited user base.
  • Significant social media intermediaries – These are the platforms with a large user base.
• The significant social media intermediaries have to follow few additional measures like:
  • These platforms should have a physical contact address in India.
  • Appointing a Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and a Resident Grievance Officer in India. All of them should be Indian Residents.
  • Nodal Contact Person will do 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies.
  • The Resident Grievance Officer must acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours, and resolve it within 15 days of receipt.

New IT Rules related to Digital media and OTT platforms:

• A Code of Ethics has been prescribed for OTT platforms and digital media entities.
• The streaming platforms (Like Netflix and Amazon Prime) will have to self-classify content on five age-based categories: U (universal), 7+, 13+, 16+, and A (adult).
• They need to have suitable parental locks for 13+ content and a robust age verification system for accessing adult content.
• Publishers of news on digital media will have to observe the norms of journalistic conduct of the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act.
• A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has also been established:
  • Level-I: Self-regulation by the publishers
  • Level-II: Self-regulating body: This body shall be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court or independent eminent person.
  • Level-III: Oversight mechanism: I&B Ministry will formulate an oversight mechanism and establish an inter-departmental committee for hearing grievances. This body will also have censorship and blocking powers.

Snow Leopard

• Also known as Ghost of the mountains acts as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
• Habitation: The Snow Leopard lives at high altitudes in the steep mountains of Central and Southern Asia, and in an extremely cold climate.
• They inhabit the higher Himalayan and trans-Himalayan landscape in the states/union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• India is a unique country to have a good presence of 5 big cats, including the Snow Leopard. The other 4 are Lion, Tiger, Common Leopard, and Clouded Leopard.
• Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.
• Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.

Protection:

• IUCN Red List- Vulnerable
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)- Appendix I
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)- Appendix I
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972- Schedule I

Conservation Efforts Launched by India:

• HimalSanrakshak: It is a community volunteer programme, to protect snow leopards, launched on 23rd October 2020.
• In 2019, First National Protocol was also launched on Snow Leopard Population Assessment which has been very useful for monitoring populations.
• SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on the conservation of high-altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem.
  • This project is now operational in four snow leopard range states, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.