International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between c. 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem’s imaginative and allegorical vision of the afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church. It helped establish the Tuscan dialect, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language.

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Vijay Diwas is celebrated in India on December 16 to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. The day is celebrated to honour the martyrs of the 1971 war between the two countries. On this day in 1971, about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the Indian forces. This historic victory led to creation of Bangladesh.

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The first G-20 summit was held in Washington D.C., United States, in response to the global financial crisis. The summit brought together leaders from 20 major economies to discuss solutions to the crisis and ways to reform the international financial system. The city was chosen as the host because it is the home of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, two key institutions involved in addressing the global financial crisis.

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The Bretton Woods system is commonly refers to the international monetary regime that prevailed from the end of World War II until the early 1970s. Taking its name from the site of the 1944 conference that created the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, the Bretton Woods system was history’s first example of a fully negotiated monetary order intended to govern currency relations among sovereign states.

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The Shatt al-Arab waterway was the main factor in the Iran-Iraq War. The Shatt al-Arab is formed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The southern end of the river forms the border between Iran and Iraq. The Shatt al-Arab was an important channel for oil exports for both countries. The dispute over the Shatt al-Arab lasted from 1936 until 1975. Iran rejected the demarcation line established in the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of Constantinople of November 1913. Iran wanted the border to run along the thalweg, the deepest point of the navigable channel. The Iran-Iraq War lasted from September 1980 until August 1988. The war was also called the First Persian Gulf War or the Imposed War in Iran.

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Coast Guard Stations are facilities operated by the Indian Coast Guard, which is a branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The Coast Guard is responsible for maritime security and law enforcement in India’s territorial waters, as well as for the protection of the country’s maritime interests. Coast Guard Stations are typically located along the coast and are equipped with boats, ships, and other equipment necessary for carrying out the Coast Guard’s duties. These stations may also serve as training centers for Coast Guard personnel and as bases for search and rescue operations. Maximum Coast Guard stations have been established in Gujarat.

Notes:
AFSPA became a law on September 11, 1958. Initially, it was applicable to the seven Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. This was so because in all these states there were movements of ethnic groups demanding separation from India. The government felt that such insurgencies could be checked through deployment of the armed forces, and they would need special powers to carry out their responsibilities. AFSPA was extended to J&K in 1990, on similar considerations.

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Humayun-nama is a historical account of the life of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The book was written by Gulbadan Begum, who was Humayun’s half-sister. It is considered significant as it provides an in-depth reflection of life during the Mughal era, offering extensive details about the Emperor’s life and the sociopolitical atmosphere of the time.

Notes:
Saint Surdas, revered for his intense devotion to Lord Krishna, is the author of Sahitya Ratna. Blind from birth, he belonged to the Saguna School of the Bhakti Kal. Apart from Sahitya Ratna, Surdas has also composed Sur Sagar (Ocean of Melody), and Sur Saravali. His works, primarily centered around his spiritual affection for Lord Krishna, are celebrated for their melodious and devotional undertone.

Notes:
During the reign of Kashmir king Ananta (1028-1063 AD) and his son Kalasha (1063-1089 AD), Kshmendra was a great poet of Kashmir. He was a Sanskrit poet who composed many plays, descriptive poems, a satirical novel, etc. Some of his famous works are Brihat kathamanjari, Ramayana Manjari, Suvrittatilaka, Dashavatara Charita (Ten incarnations of Vishnu), Avadana kalpalata, etc.