CURRENT AFFAIRS FACTS FOR PRELIMS JULY 26, 2018

FACT # 1 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN MUMBAI

Why in news? Mumbai’s rich cluster of Victorian and Art Deco buildings in the Fort precinct and Marine Drive has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mumbai UNESCO list:

 Mumbai’s cluster of Victorian and Art Deco buildings in the Fort precinct and Marine Drive has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.  With this, Mumbai gets its third such site as the and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus are also on the Unesco list.  And Maharashtra now has more than any other state in the country, with a total of five sites, including the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Aurangabad.  It is collectively known as the ‘Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai.  The ensembles include the structures that line the city’s Oval Maidan — a row of 19th-century Victorian buildings characterised by Gothic spires and gargoyles on one side, and the 20th-century Art Deco structures on the other.  The first lot includes historic landmarks like the Bombay High Court, University of Mumbai, David Sassoon Library and Maharashtra Police Headquarters buildings.  Art Deco ones are mainly residential, but the ensembles also includes the buildings along Marine Drive, and the Eros and Regal cinema halls.  Together, the collection embodies the 200 years that transformed a small coastal fortification into a preeminent colonial city of the British Empire.  These historic buildings are unique because they’re not dead monuments but active public buildings in use as courts, libraries and cinema halls.  This tag means an international acknowledgement of Mumbai’s pioneering role in managing historic urban heritage that is in living use.

IASLibrary CURRENT AFFAIRS FACTS FOR PRELIMS JULY 26, 2018

 It also positions Mumbai high on the global map of financial and cultural destinations and will translate into increased cultural tourism in Maharashtra.

IASLibrary CURRENT AFFAIRS FACTS FOR PRELIMS JULY 26, 2018

FACT # 2

‘SAFEGUARDING THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE AND DIVERSE CULTURAL TRADITIONS OF ’ SCHEME

Why in news? The scheme to strengthen, protect, preserve and promote the rich intangible cultural heritage of India has been recently launched.

‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ Scheme:

 The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Culture.  Its main purpose is to reinvigorate and revitalize various institutions, groups, individuals, identified non-MoC institutions, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars so that they may engage in activities/ projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India.  The scheme covers all recognized domains of ICH such as: o oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, o Performing arts, Social practices, rituals and festive events, o Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, o traditional craftsmanship etc.  Assistance under the scheme will be provided in the form of non-recurring grants, honoraria, infrastructure grants for the survival and propagation of all forms of ICH.  The scheme is being implemented through Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture.  Many proposals regarding safeguarding of intangible cultural heritages received from have been approved under the scheme since its inception.

IASLibrary CURRENT AFFAIRS FACTS FOR PRELIMS JULY 26, 2018

FACT # 3 KUMBH

Why in news? The government is taking various measures to promote the globally to attract foreign tourists.

Kumbh Mela:

 Kumbh Mela is inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  It is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river.  Traditionally, four fairs are widely recognized as the Kumbh : o the Kumbh Mela o the Kumbh Mela o the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha o Simhastha  These four fairs are held periodically at one of the following places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayaga), Nashik district (Nashik and ), and Ujjain.  The main festival site is located on the banks of a river: o the () at Haridwar o the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the invisible Sarasvati at Allahabad o the Godavari at Nashik o the Shipra at Ujjain.  Bathing in these rivers is thought to cleanse a person of all the sins.  At any given place, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years.  The festival is one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world and is considered as the "world's largest congregation of religious pilgrims.

IASLibrary CURRENT AFFAIRS FACTS FOR PRELIMS JULY 26, 2018

 The “49 day Kumbh Mela” is going to be held in January, 2019.  The government is taking various measures to promote globally to attract foreign tourists like: o Launch of ‘Chalo Kumbh Chalo’ campaign across the country o Development of a designated area for flag hoisting for 192 countries visiting Kumbh Mela o Organising the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’, 2019 in Varanasi to attract ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Delegates’ to visit Kumbh, 2019.

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