International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

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Kalidasa was one of the gems of the court of Gupta king Chandragupta II (375–415 CE). The poems he wrote were usually of epic proportions and were written in classical Sanskrit. He wrote two epic poems called Kumara sambhava, which means birth of Kumara and the Raghuvamsha, which means dynasty of Raghu. There are also two lyric poems written by Kalidasa known as Meghadutta that stands for cloud messenger and the Ritusamhara that means description of the seasons. Meghadutta is one of the finest works of Kalidasa in terms of world literature. The beauty of the continuity in flawless Sanskrit is unmatched till date. The most famous and beautiful work of Kalidasa is the Shakuntalam. It is the second play of Kalidasa after he wrote Malavikagnimitra. The Shakuntalam tells the story of king Dushyant who falls in love with a beautiful girl Shakuntala, who happens to be the daughter of a saint.

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The Human Rights Day (HRD) is observed every year on December 10 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 as the shared standard benchmark to protect human rights across the world.

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The SAARC Food Bank was established during the 15th SAARC Summit held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2008. This initiative aimed to address food security issues among member countries by providing a mechanism for food assistance during crises. The food bank is a important step towards regional cooperation in agriculture and food security within South Asia, which is home to a large population facing food scarcity challenges.

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The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval battle fought on October 21, 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought between a British fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson and a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain, near the Cape of Trafalgar. The British fleet emerged victorious, despite being outnumbered by the combined French and Spanish forces. The battle was a significant victory for the British, as it effectively ended the threat of a French invasion of Britain and cemented British naval dominance for the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle was also notable for the death of Nelson, who was killed during the fighting.

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Asian Clearing Union (ACU) is a payment settlement forum for the transactions clearing that take place within the regions. The Asian Clearing Union, with headquarters in Tehran, Iran. It was established on December 9, 1974.

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“Nomadic Elephant” is a joint military exercise focusing on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations between India and Mongolia. This exercise is part of a series of military cooperation activities undertaken by the Indian Army with various countries and is aimed at enhancing military cooperation and interoperability, particularly in areas related to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism.

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The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) that measures and tracks hunger at global, regional, and national levels. It takes into account factors such as undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality to provide an overall assessment of hunger and malnutrition in various countries.

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Tenali Ramakrishna wrote Panduranga Mahatyam. It’s one of the Pancha maha kavyas of Telugu literature. The book is a legendary account of a shrine of Vishnu as Panduranga, at Pandharpur. Ramakrishna was a court-poet of the Vijaya Nagar Empire in the 16th century CE during the Krishnadevaraya period. He was one of the eminent luminaries in literature known as Astadiggajas in the court of Krishna deva Raya.  Ramakrishna took the theme for Panduranga Mahatyam from the Skanda Purana and enhanced it with many stories about the devotees of Panduranga. He is known for his exceptional narrative skills and fabulous sense of humor.  Panduranga Mahatyam is dedicated to Krishnadeva Raya’s grandson.

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On 13th Feb, the 3rd Indo-German Environment Forum was held in New Delhi with the theme “Cleaner Air, Greener Economy”. The one-day event focuses on challenges, solutions and necessary framework conditions of air pollution control, waste management and circular economy as well as implementation of NDCs and SDGs based on Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 of UN respectively. Around 250 representatives of ministries, business and science as well as non-governmental organizations participated in the forum, which is organized by the two environment ministries in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Forum provided a platform for the bilateral exchange of high-level policy-makers and other key players on international environmental and climate policy and cooperation between the two countries.

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The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) has been gifted by Japan to Manipur to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal, which was one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War. The museum was inaugurated at Maibam Lokpa Ching popularly known as Red Hill. Around 70,000 Japanese soldiers, alongside those of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA), died in battles with the British-led Allied forces in areas around Imphal and Kohima from March to June 1944. The last of these battles was fought at Red Hill, where the Japanese War Memorial was built in 1944 to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle. The museum symbolizes the reconciliation between Japan & Britain and Japan & India. It is to reinforce the message that history changes and makes us learn from the past.