International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The International Organization for Standardization is an international standard-setting body. It comprises of representatives from various national standards organizations. Its headquarters is located in Geneva.

Notes:
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on August 9 each year. The day is also known as World Tribal Day. The day is a time to celebrate indigenous communities and their knowledge. It also recognizes the contributions that indigenous people make to the world, such as environmental protection.
The day was chosen to commemorate the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.
The theme for 2023 was “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination”. The day will be observed online on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

Notes:
Mudrarakshasa is a Sanskrit-language play by Vishakhadatta that tells the story of the ascent of King Chandragupta Maurya. Its timeframe varies from the late 4th century to the 8th century CE. This literary work mainly portrayed the Mauryas and the Nandas, hence marking an important event in Indian historiography.

Notes:
Bioversity International, a non-profit research organization for development, was established in 1974. The motto of the organization is “Agricultural biodiversity nourishes and sustains the planet”. It is headquatered at Rome, Italy.

Notes:
Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) ended the Bosnian War, which was part of the Yugoslav Wars. The DPA was signed on December 1995 after months of negotiations. The war lasted three and a half years and was known for its violence and atrocities. The war resulted in about 100,000 deaths and displaced two million people. The DPA also outlined a constitutional framework for peace in Bosnia.  The DPA was reached by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia. The agreement was brokered by American diplomat Richard Holbrooke. The negotiations began in the Balkans and ended in Dayton, Ohio.

Notes:
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism or, the CCIT is an Indian document, which outlines the definition of terrorism and proposal of anti-terror law submitted to United Nations in the late 90s, which is under discussion for many years.In 2001, India in fact submitted its revised version and has been pitching for its implementation.

Notes:
Bioversity International, a non-profit research organization for development, was established in 1974. The motto of the organization is “Agricultural biodiversity nourishes and sustains the planet”. It is headquatered at Rome, Italy.

Notes:
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is a joint venture between India and Russia. The plant is located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest nuclear power station in India.
The plant was built as a result of an inter-governmental agreement signed in 1988 by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The agreement called for the construction of two reactors of 2 GW. The first concrete for unit 1 was poured in March 2002, and for unit 2 four months later.
The reactors are pressurised water reactors of Russian design. The thermal capacity is 3,000 MW, the gross electrical capacity is 1,000 MW, and the net capacity is 917 MW.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
The Tuluva dynasty ruler, Krishna Dev Raya (1509-1529 AD) composed a drama “Jambavati Kalyanam” (in Sanskrit) i.e based on the Jambavati, one of the eight principal queen-consorts of Lord Krishna. She was the only daughter of Jambavan, the bear king who assisted Lord Ram in the battle against Ravana.