Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 29-11-2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Raja Ravi Varma

1. He painted the picture of God and Goddess that helped Dalits, who were prohibited from entering temples to know about the Gods.
2. He used oil paint colours rather than watercolours.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only
   2. 2 only
   3. Both 1 and 2
   4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Often referred to as the father of modern Indian art, Raja Ravi Varma is widely known for his realistic portrayal of Indian gods and goddesses. One of his significant paintings, Draupadi Vastraharan by Raja Rai Varma is expected to fetch between Rs 15 and Rs 20 crore at an auction.

Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906)

• Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was one of the first Indian painters to successfully adopt Western painting techniques and adapt academic realism to the visual interpretation of Indian mythology.
• He was born into aristocracy at Kilimanoor in the erstwhile Travancore state of present-day Kerala.
• At the age of 14, Varma was patronised by Ayilyam Thirunal, the then ruler of Travancore.
• Later, Varma studied oil painting from British painter Theodore Jensen.
• Varma worked on both portrait and landscape paintings and is considered among the first Indian artists to use oil paints.

Work:

• Raja Ravi Varma, also known as 'The Father of Modern Indian Art' was an Indian painter of the 18th century who attained fame and recognition for portraying scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
• He painted the picture of God and Goddess that helped Dalits, who were prohibited from entering temples to know about the Gods.
• He used oil paint colours rather than watercolours.
• In his painting, he has shown the position of Indian men and women like how they were treated at that time.
• His works are the best examples for the fusion of European techniques with Indian sensibility.
• As a prolific artist, Raja Ravi Varma is believed to have made around 7,000 paintings before his death at the age of 58. His most famous works include Damayanti Talking to a Swan, Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, and Shantanu and Matsyagandha.

Q2. The Bamiyan Buddha statues are situated in

1. Afghanistan
2. Iran
3. Myanmar
4. Vietnam

Answer (a)

Explanation:

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan assured the world of its intention to protect and conserve the Buddhist heritage in Mes Aynak.

• The Bamiyan valley, in the Hindu Kush mountains, is situated along the river Bamiyan, and it was a key node of the early Silk Routes, emerging as a hub of both commercial and cultural exchange.
• The Bamiyan Buddha statues, hewn from sandstone cliffs, are said to have dated back to the 5th century AD and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world.
• These statues were examples of a perfect blend of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles. 
• Salsal and Shamana (two of the tallest Buddha statues in the region) as called by the locals were razed by the Taliban regime in 2001

• In 2003, UNESCO included the remains of the Bamiyan Buddhas in its list of world heritage sites.

Q3. Consider the following statements about the Lingaraj temple

1. Lingaraj temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar.
2. The temple is built in the Deula style.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (d)

Explanation:

• The Central government had told the Odisha government that its ordinance to bring the 11th century Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar and its associated temples under a special law is outside the legislative competence of the state legislature.
• Lingaraj temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar.
• Constructed by King Jajati Keshari in the 10th Century and completed by King Lalatendu Keshari in the 11th century.
• The temple is built in the Deula style.
• The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, marks the culmination of the temple architecture in Bhubaneswar which was the cradle of the Kalinga School of Temple Architecture.

Q4. Which of the following freedom fighters did write Gulamgiri (1873)?

1. Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar
2. Jyotiba Phule
3. Mangal Pandey
4. VD Savarkar

Answer (b)

Explanation:

Jyotiba Phule’s key contributions to society:

• Along with his wife Savitribai Phule, worked for the uplift of women and children in the marginalised communities.
• In 1848, he started his first school for girls at Bhide Wada in Pune.

Q4. Which of the following freedom fighters did write Gulamgiri (1873)?

1. Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar
2. Jyotiba Phule
3. Mangal Pandey
4. VD Savarkar

Answer (b) Explanation:

Jyotiba Phule’s key contributions to society:

• Along with his wife Savitribai Phule, worked for the uplift of women and children in the marginalised communities.
• In 1848, he started his first school for girls at Bhide Wada in Pune.

• In 1873, he formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) along with his followers to fight for basic rights for people belonging to the lower castes.
• They also fought to stop infanticide and promote widow remarriage.
• To end the stigma of social untouchability, he opened his house to people of the lower caste and allowed them to use his water-well.
• The couple set up ‘Balyata Pratibandak Gruha’, a childcare centre for the protection of pregnant widows and rape victims.
• In 1888, he was given the title of ‘Mahatma’ (‘great soul’) by another social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji
• His famous works: Tritiya Ratna (1855), Gulamgiri (1873), Shetkarayacha Aasud, or Cultivator’s Whipcord (1881), Satyashodhak Samajokt Mangalashtakasah Sarva Puja-vidhi (1887).

Q5. Consider the following statements the Fujiwhara Effect

1. The Fujiwhara effect can turn two cyclones into one mega cyclone
2. The Fujiwhara Effect is any interaction between tropical storms formed around the same time in the same ocean region with their centres or eyes at a distance of less than 1,400 km

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Perfect storm: What is the Fujiwhara Effect?

• The world is seeing a rise in cyclonic formations and in cases of cyclones merging to form megacyclones, courtesy warming oceans
• In September, 2022, super typhoon Hinnamnor, the strongest tropical cyclone of the year, was hurtling towards Taiwan from the western Pacific Another tropical storm called Gardo was moving towards Hinnamnor from its southeast.
• As the two approached each other, they started a dance around the central line between them, showcasing a textbook example of what is known as the Fujiwhara Effect.

• After the dance, which lasted over a day, Hinnamnor devoured Gardo and eventually made landfall in South Korea, drowning seven people on September 7.
• In this case, Hinnamnor’s intensity decreased and Gardo vanished. But in an increasingly warming world, a dance and merger between two large enough tropical cyclones over any of the global oceans could lead to the formation of a mega cyclone, causing devastation along coast-lines.

JOINING FORCES

,

• The Fujiwhara effect can turn two cyclones into one mega cyclone
• The Fujiwhara Effect is any interaction between tropical storms formed around the same time in the same ocean region with their centres or eyes at a distance of less than 1,400 km, with intensity that could vary between a depression (wind speed under 63 km per hour) and a super typhoon (wind speed over 209 km per hour).