Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 03 June 2024 | Download PDF

• Recent scientific analysis has pushed back the origin of the Tamil-Brahmi script to the 6th century BCE​.

Key points:

• New Scientific Dates: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating has pushed the origin of the Tamili script back by a hundred years.
• Previous Belief: Initially thought to date back to the 6th Century BCE based on 2019 AMS dating.
• Revised Date: New findings indicate the script originated in the 7th Century BCE.
• Earliest Date: 685 BCE from Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu.
• Significance of the Discovery:
  • Challenges the earlier belief that Brahmi scripts were introduced during Asokan times.
  • Literacy Evidence: Inscribed potsherds found across Tamil Nadu show the penetration and level of literacy during Early Historic times.
  • Widespread Use: Inscriptions engraved with personal names by common people reflect widespread script use.
• Impact on India’s History:
  • Historical Timeline: Implications for India’s historical timeline, pushing back the Sangam era by three hundred years.
  • Efforts to Rewrite History: Scientific efforts to rewrite India’s history from Tamil Nadu gained momentum after findings in 2019 and 2021.

• India, one of the first countries to recognize Palestine, has long supported the two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

About Two-state solution:

• The two-state solution refers to the proposal to establish two separate states for Israelis and Palestinians, aiming to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Historical Context:
  • The concept dates back to the early 20th century, notably with the 1937 Peel Commission and the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
  • The 1947 UN plan proposed the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states alongside an internationalized Jerusalem.
• Key Agreements and Efforts:
  • Oslo Accords (1993-1995): A series of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) that aimed to achieve a peace treaty based on UN Resolutions 242 and 338 and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
  • Camp David Summit (2000): U.S. President Bill Clinton’s attempt to mediate a final status agreement, which ultimately failed.
  • Roadmap for Peace (2003): A plan proposed by the Quartet (UN, EU, US, and Russia) that envisioned a two-state solution by 2005.
• Main Components:
  • Borders: Establishment of recognized borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, likely based on the pre-1967 boundaries with mutually agreed land swaps.
  • Jerusalem: Jerusalem’s status as the capital of both states, with special arrangements for holy sites.
  • Security: Measures to ensure security for both states, addressing Israeli concerns about terrorism and Palestinian concerns about sovereignty.
  • Refugees: A solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, balancing the right of return with practical resettlement and compensation.

• A team from the Karnataka State Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage has discovered rock shelter paintings estimated to be around 2,500 years old near Pampa Lake in the Hampi World Heritage Area.

About Pampa lake:

• Location: Pampa Sarovar is located near Hampi in the state of Karnataka.
• Significance: It is one of the five sacred sarovars (lakes) mentioned in Hindu scriptures.
• Mythological Importance: Associated with the legend of Lord Rama and Sita from the Ramayana. It is believed to be the place where Shabari, a devotee of Lord Rama, met him and offered him berries.
• Nearby Attractions: Close to other significant sites in Hampi, including the Virupaksha Temple and the Tungabhadra River.

• India has become chair of regional grouping Colombo Process for the first time since its inception in 2003.

About Colombo Process:

• Establishment: The Colombo Process was established in 2003.
• Purpose: It is a regional consultative process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labor for countries of origin in Asia.
• Member Countries: The member countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Objective: The main objectives are to optimize the benefits of organized labor migration, protect migrant workers’ rights, and prevent illegal migration.
• Key Areas of Focus:
  • Skills and Qualification Recognition
  • Ethical Recruitment
  • Pre-departure Orientation and Empowerment Remittance
  • Return and Reintegration
• Chairmanship: The chairmanship of the Colombo Process rotates among member countries.
• Secretariat: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) serves as the secretariat for the Colombo Process.
• Collaborations: It collaborates with various international organizations, including the IOM, International Labour Organization (ILO), and United Nations (UN) agencies.

• The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has allocated funds to build canopy bridges in eastern Assam. 
• These bridges will help Hoolock Gibbons, India’s only apes, cross a railway track that divides their primary habitat.

About Hoolock Gibbons:

• Scientific Name: Hoolock hoolock (Western Hoolock Gibbon) and Hoolock leuconedys (Eastern Hoolock Gibbon).
• Family: Hylobatidae.
• Distribution:
  • Western Hoolock Gibbon: Found in northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
  • Eastern Hoolock Gibbon: Found in northeastern India and parts of Myanmar.
• Habitat: Primarily inhabits tropical and subtropical evergreen forests and occasionally in semi-evergreen forests.
• Behavior:
  • Arboreal and brachiating (swinging from branch to branch).
  • Diurnal (active during the day).
  • Highly territorial and live in monogamous pairs with their offspring.
• Conservation Status:
  • Western Hoolock Gibbon: Classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
  • Eastern Hoolock Gibbon: Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

• Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha has introduced a unique initiative of ‘Stargazing’, offering visitors a chance to observe constellations and enjoy the night sky in the natural beauty of the sanctuary.

Key points:

• The sanctuary has developed six new stargazing cottages with glass roofs to facilitate nighttime star viewing, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state.
• Spread over 353 square kilometers, along with 700 square kilometers of Hirakud wetland without human habitation, Debrigarh offers more than 1,000 square kilometers of dark sky, ensuring clear visibility for identifying stars, constellations, and even planets like Jupiter.

• The Odisha Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has recommended the Governor for the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly, just a day before the counting of votes in the 2024 Elections.

Key points:

• In terms of Article 83(2) of the Constitution, the House of the People, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five yearsfrom the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer andthe expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as adissolution of the House. 
• As per the Government of India(Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, the function regarding dissolution of the House of the People has been allocated to theMinistry of Parliamentary Affairs.

• Koraput, a district in southern Odisha, experienced an astonishing 15,000 lightning strikes within a mere seven-minute span. 
• This event coincided with a nor’wester rain that swept through the region. 
• The ‘Damini’ app of the Ministry of Earth Sciences confirmed these strikes, which affected various areas including Borigumma, Jeypore, Koraput, and Damanjodi.

Lightning:

• Lightning is a potent and visible electrical phenomenon occurring due to the accumulation of electrical charges within clouds and between clouds and the ground. 
• This discharge of energy produces a bright flash of light and a sudden expansion of air, leading to the characteristic thunder sound associated with lightning. 
• Among various types of lightning, cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning poses a significant danger to people as it carries high electric voltage and current, capable of electrocuting individuals.
• India has established itself as one of the top five countries globally with an early warning system for lightning. 
• This system offers forecasts ranging from five days to as close as three hours before lightning strikes occur, aiding in mitigating its potential impact.
• Despite such measures, lightning remains a significant cause of accidental deaths, with 2,880 fatalities attributed to it in 2021, accounting for 40% of all accidental deaths due to “forces of nature,” as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
• When analyzing the geographical distribution of lightning strikes in India, it is observed that the northeastern states, along with West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Bihar, experience the highest frequency of lightning strikes.

• Renowned puppeteer Maguni Charan Kuanr, a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2023, has passed away at the age of 88.

About:

• Kuanr, born in 1937 in Keonjhar, founded the Utkal Biswakarma Kalakunja Kandhei Nacha troupe and is credited with developing over 20 puppetry productions with 300 characters based on mythological stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Despite facing opposition from his family and society, Kuanr pursued Kathi Kandhei Nacha from a young age, learning the craft from master puppeteer Makaradhwaja Jharaa. 
• He transformed Kathi Kandhei Nacha from a crude puppetry style to a polished art form, handling all aspects of production including puppet creation, costume design, screenplay writing, music composition, stage design, and character portrayal.
• He staged over 500 puppetry plays across the country, reviving a dying craft and training numerous youths in the process.
• Kuanr’s contributions to puppetry were recognized with several awards, including the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2004. 
• His work has been documented by various art agencies in India and abroad. 

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