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This quote is part of a passage/essay written by Bhagat Singh. In this passage, Bhagat Singh outlines why reason, rather than blind faith, should drive anyone who believes in progress. Usage of the term faith: first, as a synonym for religious beliefs (‘old faiths’) and second, simply as faith (complete trust or confidence in someone or something) itself. Meaning …

Lights at public places and some temples in different cities including Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi were turned off between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. as part of the global ‘Earth Hour’ event. Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and its partners in Sydney, Australia. Earth Hour is described …

The Parsi community in India, which follows Zoroastrianism, celebrated Nowruz on March 21, marking the beginning of the New Year. Nowruz begins on the first day of the Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar at the spring equinox, and continues for 12 days. In 1079 AD, a Persian king Jalaluddin Malekshah introduced …

Tipu Sultan was feared and envied not just during his reign (1782-99) by his fiercest enemies, the British, when he became the stuff of folklore in England. In the Passage to England, news of his fearless opposition inflated his strengths and exaggerated his vices. He and his island abode, ‘Seringapatam’, …

Vice President pays tribute to Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on Shaheed Diwas. ‘Shaheed Diwas’ is commemorated every year on March 23 to remember the sacrifice made by the revolutionary leaders Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar who were hanged at the Lahore Central Jail in 1931. The trio was found guilty of the murder of deputy police superintendent JP Saunders in 1928, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. Contributions …

March 23 is a milestone in the history of India’s Independence struggle. It was on this day, in 1919, that Mahatma Gandhi was in Chennai on the invitation of Kasturi Ranga Iyengar. Gandhiji had hitherto been struggling to find a way to counter the draconian and recently enacted Rowlatt Act …

Union Home Minister said the government would move forward to open a corridor to the Sharda Peeth in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor. Key details: The Sharda Peeth, a revered site for the Hindu community. It is located in the Neelum Valley in PoK in the valley of Mount Harmukh. It is a ruined Hindu …

A Sufi Samvad (Sufi Dialogue) programme was launched by a political party as a means of reaching out to the Muslim community. Key details: It is a year-long programme. It will end with a big meeting set to be addressed by Prime Minister of India. The idea of the programme is to go among the Muslim …

Oscar awards were held recently. About the awards: These awards are also known as the Academy Awards. These are given for artistic and technical merit for the American film industry. It is given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony. What is the Academy? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts …

Also known as burnout culture and grind culture, hustle culture refers to the mentality that one must work all day every day in pursuit of their professional goals. Hustle culture is a lifestyle of someone who continues to work and only rests for a short time. This is done because those who run the culture feel that …

This year the month of February was the hottest so far since 1901 in India. According to a study in The Lancet, published in July 2021, with two decades of data (2000-2019), more than five million people died on average each year worldwide because of extreme temperatures. The Sixth Assessment Report …

In the first command appointment for a woman officer in the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has been selected to take over the command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector, the IAF said on Tuesday. Having been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on two …

Thirteenth-century temple ruins have been recently unearthed amidst a shrub jungle northeast of the Durga temple, atop a hillock in the Pushpagiri Kshetram of Vallur mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district. The hillock, also known as Pushpachala, is famous for the chain of temples. With the river Penna flowing southwest, …

For India it was the hottest month since 1901, recording the highest monthly average maximum (day) temperature (29. 5 degrees Celsius) in 122 years. The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday signalled bitter days ahead with a forecast of hotter than normal summer in many parts of the country during the …

Rock samples dating back 4. 1 billion years and bearing traces of the weather-proof mineral zircon have been found in Telangana’s Chitrial, around 100km north of Hyderabad. It can shed light on geological events from a dark age when the earth was in its infancy. The latest research from a …

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stumbled upon a 1,300-year-old stupa right in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s Jajpur district from where Khondalite stones were supplied for the beautification project around the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. “We have managed to unearth a Buddhist stupa …

Fossils of an extinct species of animal that scientists reported in a sensational discovery from India’s Bhimbetka Rock Shelters in 2021 have been found to be belied hopes. Gregory Retallack, the lead author of the February 2021 paper that reported the discovery, has acknowledged to The New York Times that they are …

The Sansad Ratna Awards were instituted in 2010, inspired by the teachings of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who launched the first edition of the Award function in Chennai. They seek to recognise and felicitate the top-performing MPs on the basis of their work in the apex legislative body. So far, …

February has recorded an unusual surge in temperature. GoI, like everyone else, will be anticipating a torrid summer. Initial forecasts are that peak power demand in April will be 229GW, higher than the June 2022 record of 211GW, and therefore, by the time it’s June this year, demand will be …

India and Pakistan make up one-third of the total number of people globally exposed to glacial lake outburst floods — around three million people in India and around two million people in Pakistan. According to a 2020 study, the number and total area of glacial lakes worldwide have increased by …