Indian Culture MCQs

Notes:
Celebration of the biggest post-harvest festival of the Zeliangrong community, Chakan Gaan-Ngai, also popularly known as Gaan-Ngai was kick-started in Manipur recently with different organizations celebrating the festival in their own manner with traditional gaiety and religious fervour. The State Level celebration of the festival was organized by State Level Gaan Ngai-2013 Committee at Langol Tarung village with Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh as Chief Guest.

Notes:
To pay a befitting tribute to the man of letters, Nobel Laureate, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, on his 150th birth anniversary, the Government of India has set up a ‘Tagore Centre for the Study of Culture and Civilization’ (TCSCC) at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla. The objectives of the Centre include: to encourage the study of Tagore’s work; support translations of Tagore’s work into other Indian languages; promote comparative study of his work with poets, artists and writers in other parts of India and the world; study the elements of his Humanist philosophy and his cosmopolitanism; and explore his concerns regarding the relationship between science and society.

Notes:
The Dashavatara Temple or Vishnu Temple also called Gupta temple at Deogarh. It was built in the Gupta Period (320 to c. 600 AD ). Archaeologists have inferred that it is the earliest known Panchayatana temple in North India. A hindu temple is a Panchayatana one when the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines.

Notes:
Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage centre located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District, Perunad grama panchayat in Kerala.

Notes:
Mattur Village, located in Karnataka, is notable for its inhabitants who speak Sanskrit as their primary language. This unique linguistic tradition is a rare phenomenon in India, where most people speak regional languages. Karnataka has a rich cultural heritage, and Mattur is often referred to as a “Sanskrit village,” reflecting its commitment to preserving this ancient language. The village is also known for its educational institutions that promote Sanskrit learning.

Notes:
Vachaspati Puraskar, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1992, is given to honour a writer’s work in Sanskrit published during the last 10 years.

Notes:
Hymns composed by Jaydev have been incorporated in Guru Grantha sahib of Sikhs. The hymns are written in a mixture of Sanskrit and eastern Apabhramsha. There are records narrating how Jayadeva’s work had a profound influence on Guru Nanak during his visit to Puri.

Notes:
The Chapchar Kut is a festival of Mizoram, India. It is celebrated during March after completion of their most arduous task of jhum operation i.e., jungle-clearing (clearing of the remnants of burning). It is a spring festival celebrated with great favour and gaiety.

Notes:
A tala measures musical time in Indian music. A tala is a regular, repeating rhythmic phrase, particularly as rendered on a percussive instrument with an ebb and flow of various intonations represented as a theka, a sequence of drum-syllables or bol.

Notes:
• Sadiq Ali Khan was a renowned Veena player. He was born in Jaipur. He died in Rampur on July 17, 1964.
• Vishnu Govind Jog was better known as V. G. Jog. He was an Indian violinist. He was the foremost exponent of the violin in the Hindustani music tradition in the 20th century, and is credited for introducing this instrument into Hindustani music.
• Ali Akbar Khan was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana. He was known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, he also composed numerous classical ragas and film scores.
• Pannalal Ghosh was also known as AmalJyoti Ghosh. He was an Indian flute player and composer. He was a disciple of Allauddin Khan, and is credited with popularizing the flute as a concert instrument in Hindustani classical music and also the “Pioneer of Indian Classical Flute”.