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‘DICKINSONIA FOSSIL’

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 …

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SANSAD AWARDS

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, …

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SUMMER AND ENERGY DEMAND

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 …

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GLACIAL LAKE FLOODING

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 …

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THREATS TO HIMALAYAS

Number of pilgrims and tourists in stressed areas must be capped. Globally, this is the accepted norm. The large cracks appearing on the Badrinath highway near subsidence-hit Joshimath pose big questions for the Char Dham Yatra. There are reports that even old cracks along the highway are re-emerging. If true, …

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MEHRAULI

⦁ Mehrauli is the oldest inhabited area of what we call Delhi. ⦁ Little more than an urban village today, Mehrauli has survived and thrived over the years as a spiritual centre, a trading post, a wholesale market and now, as a destination housing multiple high-end boutiques. The seven cities …

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LAVANI

The word Lavani comes from ‘lavanya’ or beauty. Lavani is a traditional folk art form in which women dancers wearing nine-yard-long sarees in bright colours, make-up, and ghunghroos perform on dholak beats on a stage before a live audience. As an indigenous art form, Lavani has a history going back …

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VATTEZHUTHU INSCRIPTION

A tenth century hero stone with ‘Vattezhuthu’ inscriptions on it was found in Thoothai village near Thirupuvanam district. It is three feet in height and 21 inches in width, a stone was found. The relief sculpture on the stone is that of aman, going to war, and he is holding …

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TURKEY EARTHQUAKES

Two large earthquakes, one of magnitude 7.8 and closely followed by a magnitude 7.5, hit south-eastern Turkey, claiming at least 17,000 lives and counting, wreaking considerable damage in Turkey as well as Syria. Nearly 200 aftershocks have followed with earthquakes of magnitude 6 being reported in the region three days …

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ASI’S KEELADI REPORT

Keeladi continues to redefine Tamil history. In the latest development, the Sangam age has been pushed to 800 BCE based on the archaeological findings from the first two phases of excavation carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in this sleepy hamlet along the Vaigai river, about 13 …

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THREE GI TAG APPLICATIONS FILED FOR T.N. PRODUCTS

The Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board has filed three applications seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kavindhapadi Nattu Sakkarai (country sugar), Ramnad Chithiraikar Rice and Salem Kannadi Kathiri (brinjal) at the Geographical Indications Registry office in Chennai. The local associations from where these products originate were the co-applicants while …

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PADMA AWARDS

Since the Government of India began conferring the Padma awards in 1955, the work of laureates in the ‘science and engineering’ category has most often been related to mechanical engineering, materials science, metallurgy, aeronautics, space science, agriculture, plant breeding, mathematics and theoretical physics. Scientific work in these fields is typically …

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FIVE FROM T.N., ONE FROM U.T. GET PADMA AWARDS

1 of 6 Vani Jairam, K. Kalyanasundaram Pillai, ‘Palam’ Kalyana Sundaram, Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan, Nalini Parthasarathy and Gopalsamy Five persons from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry have been chosen for Padma Awards this year for their contribution in the their respective fields, including medicine, art and social work. Renowned …

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AYODHYA, A CITY OF PARAMOUNT BELIEF

It is unfortunate that Ayodhya has come to occupy space in public discourse only with the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi conflict. Historically, the city of Ayodhya, literally meaning, ‘to fight’, goes much deeper than many of the more celebrated cities of India. Often respected as a sacred city for Hindus, the …

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INDIA BAGS OSCAR NOMINATIONS FOR ORIGINAL SONG AND 2 DOCUMENTARIES

Naatu Naatu, the hit dance track from S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR, continued its winning march on Tuesday with a coveted nomination for the original song at the Oscars 2023 where Indian documentaries All That Breathes and Elephant Whisperers also got nods in the documentary feature and documentary short categories. Surreal sci-fi film Everything Everywhere All At …

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PARAM VIR CHAKRA AWARDS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday named the 21 largest unnamed islands in the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees. Modi participated in the ceremony through videoconferencing and unveiled a model of the national memorial dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose that is to be built …

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PRADHAN MANTRI RASHTRIYA BAL PURASKAR

The  President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2023 to 11 exceptional children in an  award ceremony which will take place at Vigyan Bhawan tomorrow i.e. on 23rd January, 2023. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will interact with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar …

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LAND SINKING IN JOSHIMATH

Cracks first appeared in a few houses in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town in October 2021. Over a year later, by January 11, 2023, 723 houses in all of the nine wards in the town had developed major or minor cracks on the floors, ceilings and walls. In response, 145 families have …

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BEYPORE BOAT FOR SWADESH DARSHAN PROJECT

The Kerala Tourism Department is likely to highlight Beypore ‘Uru’, the wooden dhows handcrafted by artisans and carpenters, and the water sports there in the detailed project report (DPR) to be submitted to the Centre for the Swadesh Darshan project. Beypore and Kumarakom are the only two tourism destinations from …

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NORTHEAST MONSOON

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the northeast monsoon is likely to withdraw from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Thursday. Nippy weather may set in, especially over the interior parts of the State, where the minimum temperature is likely to drop by two or three degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, …

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