1 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 GS - I 2 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 RAMANUJA Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism. His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement. He is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta. He wrote influential texts, such as bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit. Context: A 216-foot-tall statue of Ramanuja will be built at Hyderabad. When unveiled, it is set to become the world’s second tallest statue of a seated figure. Facts for Prelims: Currently, the Great Buddha of Thailand is the tallest statue, at 302- feet. Once the Ramanujacharya statue is unveiled, it will become the second tallest, a distinction now held by the Guanyin figure on Mount Xiqiao in China’s Guangdong region, at 203 feet. About Ramanujacharya: He was a Hindu theologian, philosopher, and one of the most important exponents of the Sri 3 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 INDIA GETS ITS 37TH WORLD UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE a natural or man-made area or a structure that is of international importance, and a space which requires special protection. These sites are officially recognised by the UN and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, also known as UNESCO. UNESCO believes that the sites classified as World Heritage are important for humanity, and they hold cultural and physical significance. Background: Context: In a Remarkable In 1982, the International Council Achievement, India gets its 37th on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) WORLD UNESCO World announced, 18 April as the “World HERITAGE SITE. The decision was Heritage Day”, approved by the taken at the 42nd session of the World General Assembly of UNESCO in Heritage Committee of UNESCO at 1983, with the aim of enhancing Manama in Bahrain. awareness of the importance of the 37th site: Victorian Gothic and Art cultural heritage of humankind, and Deco Ensemble of Mumbai. redouble efforts to protect and conserve the human heritage. Facts for Prelims: This makes Mumbai city the second city in India after Ahmedabad to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. In the past 5 years alone, India has managed to get inscribed seven of its properties/sites on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. India now has overall 37 World Heritage Inscriptions with 29 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01 Mixed sites. While India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of World Heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, it is overall sixth in the world. What is a World Heritage site? A World Heritage site is classified as 4 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 MEGHALAYA CELEBRATES BEHDIENKHLAM FESTIVAL Context: Behdienkhlam, one of the most colourful festivals of the State, was recently celebrated in the Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. About the festival: Behdienkhlam is a major festival of the people in the Jaintia Hills. It is celebrated to invoke the gods for a bumper harvest and drive away plague. It is the ritualistic expression of the relentless struggle of mankind to overcome the destructive forces of nature, including diseases, since the dawn of civilization. During the festival, decorated and colourful raths are immersed in ‘Wah Ainar,’ a muddy pool. The non-Christian ‘Pnar’ people who believe either in the traditional faith of ‘Niamtre’ or Hinduism observe this festival. 5 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 THANJAVUR PAINTINGS Why in news? scattering), thus a scattered light has Raman Spectroscopy been is now being used to different energy from incident light. ascertain if gold or gemstones on Thanjavur paintings are fake or not. More on news Thanjavur painting is a form of miniature painting that flourished during the late 18th and 19th centuries. However, its origin can be traced back to early 9th century. It is characterised by bold drawing, techniques of shading and the use of pure and brilliant colours along with semi-precious stones, pearls and glass pieces. The conical crown appearing in the miniature is a typical feature of the Tanjore painting. Gold is extensively used in Thanjavur paintings as the glitter makes it more attractive as well as prolongs the life of the painting. It has also been granted Geographical identification tag. Raman Spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy is one of the vibrational spectroscopic techniques used to provide information on molecular vibrations and crystal structures. This technique uses a laser light source to irradiate a sample, and generates an infinitesimal amount of Raman scattered light, which is detected as a Raman spectrum. Raman scattering (Raman effect) When light is scattered by matter, almost all of the scattering is an elastic process (Rayleigh scattering) due to which there is no change in energy. However, a very small percentage of scattering is an inelastic process (Raman 6 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 MOB LYNCHING Why in news? adjudication takes place within the courts Government has set up a high-level committee of justice, and not on the streets. chaired by the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Against human rights: The lynching by Gauba to make recommendations for checking mob create an atmosphere where human incidents of mob lynching across the country. beings are dehumanised, freedom of speech, expression and personal choices Mob Lynching in India are endangered and plurality and diversity Mob Lynching or Mob violence is a is not accepted. violent punishment or execution, Fuel communalism and casteism: as in without following due process of law, most cases, victims are the most for real or alleged crimes. vulnerable people of society - nomadic India is perhaps the only place in the tribes, religious minorities, lower castes world where mobile messaging has led to etc. such a widespread mass exodus and No database to analyse trends: As per lynching. Ministry of Home Affairs there is no In September 2017, the Supreme Court record keeping on public lynching. Thus, had asked states to take strong measures making it difficult to draw conclusions to curb such instances of violence in the and possible solutions to the problem. name of cow protection, but not much Rise in causes that fuel the tendency steps were taken to that effect. towards such incidents More recently, Supreme Court o Loss of faith of people in the denounced the horrendous acts of judicial/democratic system of mobocracy and gave certain directions to governance especially the poor and deal with such crimes. marginalized. So they are tempted to o Appointment by states of senior police deliver instant justice in their own officers as nodal officers in districts, ways. o Identification of vulnerable and o Socio-political framework: it sensitive regions involves people with little or no o More efficient patrolling of highways education, deep fissures and mistrust, in these areas political patronage to achieve narrow o Lodging of FIRs without delay political gains, rising intolerance and o Compensation schemes for victims growing polarization. and their families o Misinformation and propagandas o Designated fast track courts to try the spread through platforms like culprits Facebook, WhatsApp: For e.g. o Prompt departmental action against recent rumours regarding child lifters police officers and administrative have incited many impulsive and officials who fail to uphold the law. unplanned acts of violence across the o A special law to be framed by country. Parliament, creating a separate o The incapability/unwillingness of offence of lynching. law enforcement agencies to act against mob crimes further Issues with mob lynching encourages it to take the law into their own hands frequently. Public officials Against rule of law: The process of and police departments should be held 7 Easy to PICK – “UPSC Monthly Magazine" July - 2018 accountable for showing incompetence rumours, creating awareness rather than putting onus on social media regarding misuse of social media by platforms completely mass campaigns with help of civil o Dispersion of responsibility and society etc. guilt unlike sense of responsibility in Strengthening administration and individual action. governance to ensure public confidence in state institutions: by strengthening local intelligence Need of a separate law networks, swifter response from No existing law: Presently there is no law police, proactive flagging of rumors. which criminalizes mob lynching as a Holding Social media platforms separate crime. accountable: WhatsApp should Deterrence: A dedicated law would help change its platform to enable privacy create enough deterrence against such in messages between individuals and heinous crime. tracking identity where forwarded Ensure governance: The killing of human message is to public. being by a crowd out to enforce mob Adopt innovative practices as justice puts a dent on democratic society adopted in various states: For and questions governance capabilities of example the state. Thus, it needs to be punished. Telangana police has trained a Deal with multi-dimensional challenges: team of 500 police officers to such as vigilantism, lynching due to spread tackle the fake news menace. of rumor etc. These officers go to villages to However, some experts feel that the lynch mob spread awareness about social is a law and order challenge and there are issues. Police personnel have also enough provisions in IPC related to murder, been added to local WhatsApp attempt to murder, acts done by several persons groups in villages to spot rumors in furtherance of common intention etc. to that could lead to violence. tackle such menace if implemented strongly and The West Bengal police took to effectively. Twitter to dispel a rumor that government had sanctioned a five- day holiday on account of Eid, nixing attempts to incite Way forward communal tension. Setting example and ensuring prosecution and punishment: Mob lynching points to a disruption that reflects the loss of trust in state capabilities in justice delivery.