GENERAL AWARENESS STUDY MATERIAL

Current Affairs

August 5, 2016  Senior Gujarat BJP leader Vijay Rupani will be the next Chief Minister of Gujarat while Nitin Patel elected as deputy Chief Minister.

August 4, 2016  The 23rd Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award will be given to Shubha Mudgal.  Communist party of Nepal-Maoist Chairperson (CPN-MC) Pushpa Kamal Dhal ‘Prachanda’ was elected as the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal.

August 3, 2016  The Rajya Sabha passes the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill unanimously.  West Bengal cabinet cleared a proposal to rename the state as ‘Bengal’ in English and ‘Bango’ or ‘Bangla’ in Bengali.

August 1, 2016  Anandiben Patel resigns as Chief Minister of Gujarat.  The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) gave Narsingh Yadav a clean chit from doping to participate in the 74 kg freestyle category at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.  Railway minister flagged off maiden train service between Agartala and Delhi named ‘Tripura Sundari Express’.

July 28, 2016  Social activist and writer Mahasweta died at the age of 90 in Kolkata after multiple organ failure. She has won the the Sahitya Akademy and Jnanpith awards for literary excellence. She was also the recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award and Padma Vibhushan Award.

July 27, 2016  Karnataka born Bezwada Wilson,a prolific campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging and Carnatic singer T.M. from Chennai have been chosen for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.  Flipkart acquired online fashion portal Jabong.

July 26, 2016  Kargil Vijay Diwas was observed in India to honour the sacrifices of Indian soldiers during Kargil War.

July 22, 2016  An Indian Air force AN-32 transport plane carrying 29 people missing after it took off from Chennai to Port Blair.  Rohit Khandelwal becomes the first Indian, Asian to win the Mister World 2016 title.

July 17, 2016  UNESCO has declared Bihar’s ancient Nalanda University as a World Heritage Site.

 Mr. Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi has been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a five-year term.  Pakistan’s test cricket captain Misbah-Ul-Haq became the oldest cricketer to score a test hundred at the age of 42 years.  First batch of three female fighter pilots commissioned in the Indian Air Force First batch of three female pilots: ♦ Avani Chaturvedi ♦ Bhawana Kanth ♦ Mohana Singh

Narayan Singh (16 October 1944 – 28 July 2016), known professionally as Lachhu Maharaj, was an Indian tabla player of Benaras gharana.

 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 29, 2016 emerged the champion of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as it defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs in the final played at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. RCB’s captain Virat Kohli was adjudged Player of the Series. He also won the Orange Cap for being the highest run-scorer in the Tournament. David Warner of Australia was the skipper of the champion’s team. SRH’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed the Purple Cap for being the highest wicket taker in this IPL.

 Lhakpa Sherpa, a Nepal- born US-Based mountaineer reached Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak of the world for the seventh time on May 20, becoming the most successful female climber of the peak.

 Veteran cricket administrator Shashank Manohar from India was on May 12, 2016 unanimously elected as International Cricket Council (ICC) first independent chairman. He will have a two year term as ICC Chief.

 The Air Forces of India and the US conducted a joint four- week long ‘Red Flag’ aerial combat exercises at Alaska, USA on May 13, 2016.

 Rishi Nair, an Indian-origin American student won the 28th National Geographic Bee Competition at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington.

 The world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel has been opened in Switzerland. The 57 km (35-mile) twin- bore Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between Northern and Southern Europe. The tunnel has overtaken Japan’s 53.9 km Seikan rail tunnel as the longest rail tunnel in the world. The full service will begin in December 2016. The tunnel has taken 17 years to build at a cost of 12.2 billion Swiss francs (£8.4 billion).

 Saina Nehwal clinched the Australian Open Women’s Singles Badminton title on June 12 in Sydney.

 India’s tennis player Leander Paes and his Swiss tennis court partner Martina Hingis on June 3, 2016 clinched the French Open Mixed Doubles Title. It was Paes 10th Mixed Doubles Grand Slam title and 18th Grand Slam title overall.

 Kiran Bedi, the BJP leader and former IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry.  Anil Kumble, former Indian captain and leg-spinner, has been appointed as the new coach of the Indian Cricket Team for one-year tenure. His tenure will begin from the upcoming West Indies’s tour which starts on July 9, 2016. With this, Kumble has become the first Indian to be appointed as the head coach of the national team since Kapil Dev in 1999-2000.

 France was the host nation of the 15th edition of UEFA European football championship 2016 (Euro 2016).

 The Copa America cup for 2016 is being hosted by United States.Chile won the 2016Copa America football cup by defeating Argentina 4-2 on june 26, 2016 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, USA. It was the 45th edition of Copa America.

 Argentina’s Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football soon after the end of Copa America Cup in which he failed to lead his team to title victory at Eat LIONEL MESSI Rutherfoed on June 26, 2016 as Chile retained the Copa America title.

 Legendary former heavyweight boxing Champion Muhammad Ali passed away on June 2016 after a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74.

MUHAMMAD ALI

 The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Afghanistan’s highest civilian honour “Amir Amanullah Khan Award”. Mr Modi is the first Indian and is among a handful of foreign leaders to receive the award. Beside this, Narendra Modi has also inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam, which was rebuilt with India’s aid.

 The new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh is Pema Khandu. On 17 July 2016, he was sworn as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, becoming the Chief Minister at the age of 37 years.  The New Prime Minister of Britain is Theresa May, taken over to David Cameron.  The 29th and current Prime Minister of Australia is Malcolm Turnbull.  Juno spacecraft has entered on the surface of the Jupiter.  The G-20 summit held in China, attended by PM Modi, Barak Obama and Xi Jinping in July 2016.  Mr.Anil Kumble is the present coach of Indian Cricket team.  Amit Shah, the BJP President is visiting various places in India for the canvassing of elections of 2017. He also visited to Haridwar in June 2016.  The present SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) of Haridwar is Mr.Rajeev Swaroop.  Lionel Messy has taken retirement from the International football matches.

INDIAN CULTURE AND TRADITION-

Neelkanth-  According to , the place where the currently situated is the sacred location where Lord consumed the poison Halahala that originated from the sea when Devas (Gods) and (Demons) churned the ocean in order to obtain . This poison that emanated during the Samudra-manthan (churning of ocean) made his throat blue in color. Thus, Lord Shiva is also known as Neelkanth, literally meaning The Blue Throated One. The shikhara of the temple is adorned with sculptures of various Devas and Asuras depicting the Samudramanthan. Neelkanth Mahadev in the form of Shivalinga is the presiding deity of the temple. The temple complex also has a natural spring where devotees usually take a holy bath before entering the premises of surrounded by dense forests.

Lakshman Jhula-  The 82 year old Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge is surrounded by 13-story temples, a bustling market, ashrams, yoga schools, guest houses, restaurants and a never-ending string of local and foreign tourists. To say it’s the busiest part of town would be an understatement.  According to legend, Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord , crossed the Ganga River using a jute bridge located in the same location. This led to another hanging jute bridge being built there in 1889, though it was washed away by floods in 1924.

 Onam festival is the grand carnival of Kerala state, celebrated during the month of Chingam (August– September). The ancient festival has a significance of homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali and harvest of rice and rain flowers in Kerala. The ten day festival is celebrated with various festivities such as flower carpets, Vallamkali,Puli and Kaikottikkali.

 Kut festival is a major Post Harvest festival celebrate in the month of November by Kuki-Chin tribes. The annual festival is a leading festivals of Manipur state and does not restricted by community any more, various cultural events are Organized to celebrate the kut festival such as folk dances,traditional dances and songs along with Miss Kut contest. Another harvest festival of Manipur is Chumpha Festival,celebrated by the Tanghul Nagas tribes of the region.

 West Bengal is a land of festivals. There is a popular saying in Bengali ‘‘Baro Mase Tero Parban’: it literally means thirteen festivals in twelve months. Almost all festivals of all religions are celebrated here with equal religious sentiment and fervor. The people of West Bengal strive hard to maintain the tradition and culture of its land in the festivals they celebrate. A great number of fairs are also organized. The most popular festival celebrated in West Bengal is Puja where all the people come out in the streets and celebrate this four day festival.

 Bihu is the national festival of Assam celebrate three time in the year, Maagh in January, Bohaag in April and Kaati in October. Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu is the major among the other and most popular Bihu festival celebrated as the Assamese New Year in mid-April along with Spring season. The seven days festival is celebrated with the feeling of joy, worship, traditional cuisines and folk dance.

 Hareli is one of the major harvest festival of tribal Chhattisgarh state, celebrate during the holy month of Sawan or in the month of monsoon (July-August). During the Hareli festival of Chhattisgarh tribes worshipping farm equipment, cows and pray for good crops along with many social and cultural events. Cher-Chera is another most popular harvest festival of Chhattisgarh celebrated with traditional folk songs and dance like raut nacha,Panthi,Gaur Madiya and Karma in the tribal region of state.

 Located at the Aryapatta Hill at an average elevation of 2292 meters above sea level, Tiffin Top is a famous view point that offers some of the most breathtaking views of the Himalayas and Nainital. The place is named after an English painter Dorothy Kellet who used to sit at this very spot and paint. This place is also known as Dorothy’s seat.

 Bhimgoda Tank This tank is at a distance of about 1 km from Harki Pairi. It is said that while Pandavas were going to Himalayas through Haridwar, Bhim made this tank with the blow of his knee.

 Sapt Rishi Ashram & Sapt Sarovar It is said that Ganga had split herself in seven currents at this place so that the Sapt(seven) Rishis worshipping there would not be disturbed.

 CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS  There are eighteen in Hindu religion.  Guru Arjan Dev compiled the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev into the holy book ‘Guru Granth Sahib’.  ‘Sattriya’ is a classical dance form of Assam.  Kathak is the classical dance form of Uttar Pradesh.  ‘Aipan’ is the traditional form of Rangoli, practiced in the state of Uttarakhand.  ‘Jhumar’ or ‘Jhoomar’ dance form is associated with Punjab.  The famous Madhubani painting belongs to Bihar state of India.  The Pushkar Fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) or locally ‘Pushkar ka Mela’ is an annual five-day camel and livestock fair held in the town of Pushkar in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the world's largest camel fairs. Apart from the buying and selling of livestock, it has become an important tourist attraction.  The leaning temple of Huma in Odisha is the only leaning temple in the world where Lord Shiva is worshipped.  Buddhism stands on three pillars . Buddha – Its founder . Dhamma – His teachings . Sanhga – Order of Buddhist monks and nuns.

 The Buddha . Siddhartha, also known as Gautama, the founder of Buddhism was born in 563 BC on the Vaishakha Poornima Day at Lumbini (near Kapilavastu) in Nepal. . At the age of 16, he was married to Yashodhara. He remained in marital life for 13 years and had a son named Rahula. . At the age of 29, he left his home in the search of truth (also called the ‘Mahabhinishkramana’ or The Great Renunciation) and wandered for 6 years. . He attained ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Enlightenment’ at 35 at Bodh Gaya in Bihar under a peepal tree and thereafter known as Buddha – the wise one. . He gave his first sermon in Sarnath and this was known as ‘Dharmachakrapravartan’ or ‘Turning the wheel of Law’. He passed away in kusinagar (in UP) in 483 BC at the age of 80.

 The Sangha . An association consists of monks and nuns (Bhikshus) and they acted as a torch bearer of the dhamma.

Sikhism- What is the way of address to the God by us for the fulfillment of our Ardas wishes which is also a custom in Sikhism called?

What are the compulsory five prayers performed by a Sikh according to Nitnem ‘Rehat Maryada’ together called?

What is the first hymn /shloka in Japji Sahib Paath addressed as? Mool Mantra

What is the singing of holy scriptural compositions in praise of God in Kirtan traditional musical measures in the Sikh religion called?

Write the ‘Jaikara’ spoken by Sikhs to show victory or triumph which Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal literally means ‘Hail the True and the Timeless one’.

What is the way of the ‘sweet remembrance of God and abiding by his Simran teachings Sikhism called?

What is the literal meaning of the word ‘Singh’? Lion

What is the literal meaning of the word ‘Kaur’? Princess

 COMPUTER  Charles Babbage is known as the ‘Father of Computer’.  Browser allows us to surf the internet.  Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) is used in banks to verify the correctness of cheques. SMS SHORT MESSAGING SERVICE

SIM SUBSCRIBER’S IDENTIFICATION MODULE

PCO PUBLIC CALL OFFICE

VAT VALUE ADDED TAX

WWW WORLD WIDE WEB

GOOGLE GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF ORIENTED GROUP LANGUAGE OF EARTH

 BOOKS AND AUTHORS

BOOKS AUTHORS

i) Chareveti, Chareveti Ram Naik (Governor of Uttar Pradesh)

ii) The Golden Tap Kashyap Deorah

iii) The Unseen Indira Gandhi K.P. Mathur

iv) The World Outside My Window Ruskin Bond

v) The Hottest Season Kota Neelima

vi) The Ivory Throne : Chronicles of the House of Manu S. Pillai Travancore vii) Old History and New Geography- Jairam Ramesh (Congress Leader) Bifurcating Andhra Pradesh viii) Black Taj Mohini Kent

 REASONING

 BLOOD RELATIONS (i) A, B and C are sisters. D is the brother of E and E is the daughter of B. How is A related to D? Ans. E is the daughter of B and D is the brother of E. So, D is the son of B. A is the sister of B. Thus, A is D’s aunt. (ii) A and B are married couple. X and Y are brothers. X is the brother of A. How is Y related to B? Ans. A and B are husband and wife. Since X and Y are brothers and X is the brother of A, Y is also the brother of A. Thus, Y is the brother-in-law of B.

 MATHEMATICAL OPERATIONS (i) If + means ÷ , ÷ means - , - means ×, × means +, then 12 + 6 ÷ 3 – 2 × 8 = ? Ans. Using the correct symbols, we have: Given expression = 12 ÷ 6 – 3 × 2 + 8 = 2 – 6 + 8 = 10 – 6 = 4. (ii) If + means - , - means × , ÷ means + and × means ÷, then 15 – 3 + 10 × 5 ÷ 5 = ? Ans. Using the correct symbols, we have: Given expression = 15 × 3 – 10 ÷ 5 + 5 = 45 – 2 + 5 = 50 – 2 = 48.

National Flag- In the center is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag designed by Pingali Venkayya. An adaptation of Lion Capital of Asoka at Sarnath was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic.

National Emblem-

 The State Emblem of India, as the national emblem of India is called, is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Varanasi Sarnath Museum in India. It was adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.  The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India and appears on all Indian currencyas well. It also functions as the national emblem of India in many places and appears prominently on Indian passports. The Ashoka Chakra (wheel) on its base features in the centre of the national flag of India.  In the emblem adopted by Madhav Sawhney in 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus, with a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus beneath the abacus has been omitted.  Forming an integral part of the emblem is the motto inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script: Satyameva Jayate स配यमेव जयते (English: Truth Alone Triumphs). This is a quote from Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu .