Culture & UNESCO
20th UNESCO ICH Session β Red Fort, Delhi
India hosting 20th UNESCO ICH Committee session at Red Fort, New Delhi. Key nominations: Deepawali and Chhath Puja for Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Chair: Vishal V. Sharma, India’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO.
International
Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
World’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation. Houses 50,000+ artefacts including 5,000 Tutankhamun items displayed together for first time. Features pyramid-inspired glass faΓ§ade and monumental architecture.
Important Days
International Students’ Day β 17 November
Commemorates Nazi repression of Czech students (1939) at Charles University, Prague. Student Jan Opletal killed; 9 students executed without trial; 1,200+ sent to concentration camps.
Health
National Epilepsy Day β 17 November
Aimed at spreading awareness and reducing stigma about epilepsy (chronic brain disorder with recurrent seizures). Epilepsy Foundation of India founded by Nirmal Surya, headquartered in Mumbai.
Important Days
International Day for Tolerance β 16 November
Based on UNESCO’s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Defines tolerance as “respect, acceptance, and appreciation of diversity of cultures and ways of being human”. Promotes dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Personalities
Prof. V. Rajaraman β Father of Indian CS Education
Set up India’s first CS programme at IIT Kanpur. Advocated MCA programme nationwide. Headed SERC (Supercomputer Education and Research Centre) at IISc Bengaluru. Prolific textbook author.
Obituary
Dick Cheney β US Defense Secretary & VP
US Defense Secretary under George H.W. Bush (Gulf War). Vice President under George W. Bushβkey proponent of Iraq War and post-9/11 policies on surveillance, detention, and interrogation.
Business
Narayana Health β UK Acquisition
Narayana Health acquired Practice Plus Group Hospitals (UK) for βΉ2,200 crore. Entry into UK market with 12 hospitals/surgical centres; 80,000 surgeries/year. Specialties: orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery.
Technology
xAI’s Grokipedia β AI Encyclopedia
Launched by Elon Musk’s xAI. Content generated by Grok AI model unlike Wikipedia which relies on human volunteers. Represents new approach to knowledge curation using generative AI.
GI Tags
Tungbuk & Pumtong Pulit β Sikkim GI
Traditional Lepcha musical instruments from Sikkim. Tungbuk: 3-stringed instrument for folk music/rituals. Pumtong Pulit: bamboo flute called “voice of the forest” in Lepcha spirituality.