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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on Utkal Dibasa. Utkala Diwas, also known as the Odisha Diwas, is the foundation day of Odisha. Every year, the state celebrates April 1 as the day of its origin. On this day, the state of Odisha was declared an independent province when divided by Bihar. The state …

Northwest India has seen multiple spells of rainfall due to western disturbances. Out of the 10 States and Union Territories of northwest India, six have recorded a large excess in rainfall so far this month, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chandigarh. A western disturbance is an extratropical cyclone that originates in the Mediterranean region and provides heavy winter rain to the Indian subcontinent’s northern regions. A Western Disturbance is defined …

The Dalai Lama has named a US-born Mongolian boy as the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the head of the Janang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the Buddhist spiritual head of Mongolia, a report by the Times said. Janang Tradition The Janang is one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Its origins in Tibet can be …

Lebanon was thrown into mass confusion after its government at the last minute delayed the start of daylight saving time by a month. Meanwhile, Greenland has chosen to stay with daylight saving time forever. What is daylight saving time? Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward …

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 …