Short News Article

Art and Culture

Kashmir’s pashmina shawls 

A French artist Maximilien Pellet turned the Pashmina fabric into a canvas for contemporary art forms at a Parisian exhibition.

About Pashmina Shawls:

• Kashmiri Pashmina shawls are known for their warmth and soft fabric.
• Its exquisite craftsmanship and reminiscent designs are beyond comparison.
• The wool used comes from a special breed of goat found in the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas.
• The Changthangi goat is a beautiful animal found in the cold, arid region surrounding Ladakh in Kashmir, India.
• This cashmere wool is known as Pashmina once woven.

Pashmina’s legacy in Europe:

• It was the 18th century French empress Josephine who gifted a Kashmiri Kani shawl by her husband, the Emperor Napoleon -- who helped revive a dying craft in Kashmir by becoming its style icon in Europe.
• It remains to be seen if the new French touch proves to be another Josephine moment for the Kashmiri shawl industry.

History

Tamil is the oldest language

Prime Minister in his address to students at the sixth edition of the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ event held in New Delhi urged to learn languages other than their mother tongue.

About:

• During the event, the Prime Minister has mentioned about the Tamil Language as an oldest language and every citizen should learn it and feel proud of.
• The roots of Tamil, like those of the other Dravidian languages, are unclear, but unlike the majority of India's other recognized literary languages, it is independent of Sanskrit.
• Tamil has the oldest literature among the Dravidian languages, however exactly dating the language and literature is challenging.
• In India and Sri Lanka, literary works were kept either in palm leaf manuscripts (implying repetitive copying and recopying) or by oral transmission, making direct dating impossible.
• External historical records and internal linguistic evidence, on the other hand, imply that the oldest existing writings were most likely written in the second century CE.
• Tamil is a member of the southern branch of the Dravidian languages, a group of about 26 languages indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.
• It is also classed as a member of the Tamil language family, which contains the languages of around 35 ethno-linguistic groups, including the Irula and Yerukula languages.
• Malayalam is Tamil's closest significant cousin; the two began splitting during the 9th century AD.

Science and Technology

Kalpana Chawla's death marks 20 years

Recently, the US President Joe Biden has appointed SpaceX Crew-3 commander Raja Chari as Brigadier General, and the week also observed the Death Anniversary of NASA’s Indian Astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

About:

• Kalpana Chawla was born on 17th March 1962; she was an Indian-born American Astronaut.
• She was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.
• She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
• On her first mission, Chawla traveled over 6.5 million miles in 252 orbits of the earth, logging more than 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space.
• Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; she is regarded as a national hero in India.

Science and Technology

National Child Science Congress

The 30th National Child Science Congress began at Science City in Ahmedabad.

About the event:

• It is a five-day congress which will conclude on 31st January 2023.
• The Secretary of Gujarat Science and Technology department Vijay Nahera inaugurated the Congress in the virtual presence of Education minister Kuber Dindor.
• Hosts: Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST), Gujarat Council of Science City, and SAL Education.
• Participants: More than 1400 delegates including child scientists, escort teachers, evaluators, and government officials will attend the congress.
• As many as 850 students from across the country will showcase their unique projects in Congress.