165th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore
Syllabus: GS1/ History and Culture
Context
- PM Modi paid tributes to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on his Jayanti.
About
- Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 7, 1861, corresponding to 25th Boishakh, 1268 Bangabda (Bengali calendar), in Calcutta.
- His birth anniversary is celebrated as “Pochishe Boishakh” in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
- He was an Indian polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance.
- He founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921.
- Literary Contributions: Tagore reshaped Bengali literature and music by incorporating Contextual Modernism, blending tradition with contemporary themes.
- Gitanjali: A collection of devotional poems.
- Gora: A philosophical novel reflecting ideas of nationalism and identity.
- Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World): A critique of aggressive nationalism.
- Musical Legacy: His lyrical compositions became the national anthems of:
- India: “Jana Gana Mana”
- Bangladesh: “Amar Shonar Bangla”
- His song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol” has been adopted as the state anthem of West Bengal.
Legacy
- In 1913, Tagore became the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize in any category (for Gitanjali), and also the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- Tagore was known by the sobriquets Gurudeb, Kobiguru, and Biswokobi.
Source: TH
Birth Anniversary of Maharana Pratap
Syllabus: Person in News
Context
- PM Modi, paid tributes to the valiant warrior, Maharana Pratap on the occasion of his Jayanti.
About Maharana Pratap
- Maharana Pratap was born on May 9th 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.
- He was the son of Maharana Udai Singh of the Sisodiya clan of Rajputs, the rulers of Mewar.
- He is widely revered as a legendary hero for his unwavering resistance against the expansionist policies of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
- Battle of Haldighati (1576): Fought between Maharana Pratap and the Mughal forces led by Raja Man Singh I of Amber. The battle is famous for heroic Rajput resistance against heavy odds.
- It did not lead to a decisive victory, as Maharana Pratap continued his resistance by retreating into the hills of southern Mewar after the battle.
- His horse Chetak is also legendary for its loyalty and bravery.
- Battle of Dewair (1582): A significant turning point where Pratap’s forces decisively defeated a large Mughal army, leading to the recovery of most of his territory.
- Col. Tod, the famous British antiquarian, gave Pratap the title of ‘Leonidas of Rajasthan’.
Source: PIB
Project Freedom
Syllabus: GS2/IR
Context
- The US announced a pause to the just-launched US initiative Project Freedom.
About
- The Hormuz Strait has remained largely blocked since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February.
- Iran responded by blocking the crucial waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is meant to pass freely.
- The US launched the operation to guide thousands of merchant ships stranded by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- The operation utilizes guided-missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft, and roughly 15,000 personnel to provide 24/7 security.
Source: TH
RBI Revises Capital Adequacy Norms for Banks
Syllabus: GS3/Economy
In News
- The Reserve Bank of India has revised guidelines for including quarterly profits in banks’ Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital used to calculate the Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR).
Do you know?
- Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) is a key indicator used to measure a bank’s financial strength and ability to absorb potential losses, while CET1 represents the core capital held by banks.
RBI’s revised guidelines
- The Reserve Bank of India has relaxed norms allowing banks to include current-year quarterly profits in their capital adequacy calculations (CRAR) by removing an additional condition linked to non-performing assets (NPAs).
- Earlier, banks could include quarterly profits in Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital only if they met certain NPA-related conditions.
- The revised directions now remove this requirement, simplifying the process.
- Under the updated framework, banks can reckon quarterly profits for CRAR calculations subject to specified conditions and formulas, along with mandatory audit or limited review of quarterly financial statements.
- Banks must ensure that quarterly financial statements are either fully audited or undergo a limited review before profits can be counted for regulatory capital.
Source: DD
TARA Glide Weapon
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
In News
- The DRDO and Indian Air Force successfully tested the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon, designed to convert conventional unguided bombs (also known as dumb bombs, gravity bombs, or iron bombs) into precision-guided munitions (PGMs).
About
- It has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat, a Hyderabad-based DRDO laboratory, in collaboration with other DRDO facilities.
- The objective of TARA is to provide a low-cost solution to enhance the lethality and accuracy of existing unguided munitions.
- It is specifically designed to neutralize ground-based targets with high precision, reducing collateral damage and improving mission success rates.
Source: AIR
International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
Syllabus: GS3/Space
In News
- The Bureau of Indian Standards hosted the 35th Plenary and Working Group meetings of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Technical Committee 20/Subcommittee 14 on ‘Space Systems and Operations’ in New Delhi.
About International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
- The International Organization for Standardization is an independent, non-governmental international organization that develops and publishes voluntary, consensus-based international standards.
- It is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, with one member representing each country. In India, the member body is the Bureau of Indian Standards.
- ISO standards help machines, technologies, and systems from different countries function together smoothly like Communication protocols in electronics, industrial manufacturing compatibility & space systems integration.
- HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.
About ISO TC 20 / SC 14
- ISO Technical Committee 20/Subcommittee 14 is a specialized subcommittee under ISO responsible for framing international standards related to space systems and operations.
- TC 20: Aircraft and Space Vehicles
- SC 14: Space Systems and Operations.
Source: PIB
Hybrid rose ‘Tribhuvan’ Unveiled as Tribute to Late Tribhuvan Prasad Singh
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
Context
- A newly-developed hybrid rose named “Tribhuvan” was unveiled during founder’s day 2026 celebrations at The Tribhuvan School.
About
- It is a floral tribute to late Tribhuvan Prasad Singh, eminent civil servant and visionary educationist whose life symbolised excellence in public service and nation-building.
- He was India’s first full-time secretary of the Planning Commission and 1936-batch ICS officer.
- He later served as the country’s finance and agriculture secretary, and is often recalled as one of leading policymakers post Independence.
- He was honoured for his contribution to the formation of the country’s policies in its nascent years since Independence.
Source: IE
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