General Awareness

ART AND CULTURE - January 2020

Jan 2020

Oct 05, 2020

From Sasando to Waterphone

If you go to his home and workshop one is bound to be mesmerised. For you would have an opportunity to chance upon an exotic range of instruments, including berimbau (Brazil), crystal quartz galassophone (US), stringoyidaki (derivative of an electric string didgeridoo), sasando (Indonesian), samsaw, samswing chimes among others.
Samir Malhotra, a city-based doctor, is a music lover. But stands apart from rest – he crafts his own instruments, mainly to cushion the stress amid the pandemic. The 48-year-old owns 172 musical instruments and has handcrafted an array.
He has been building his own collection for over 15 years. It includes guitars (acoustic and electric), darbooka, djembe, tanpura, pan flutes, sarod, nagadas and drums among many more lesser-known instruments.
His assorted collection includes meditative-like quality producing sounds salvaged from across the world. A connoisseur of soulful tunes, he has a knack for collecting the rawest–particularly ancient instruments created by indigenous tribes, which have therapeutic effect, are his forte. Interestingly, all his time and money is invested only for the passion and not for commerce.
His first handcrafted instrument was a didgeridoo (an electrical stringed didgeridoo), a derivative of the Australian didgeridoo, an indigenous instrument originally developed by the Australian aboriginals around 1,500 years ago.

Dubai to Unveil World's Largest Fountain

In a bid to make a Guinness World Record, Dubai is all set to unveil the world's largest fountain on October 22.
The fountain will be located at the Pointe, a lifestyle and dining destination, and will be spread over 14,000 sq. ft. of sea water while its super shooter will be 105-metre tall and have over 3,000 LED lights.
According to Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the Palm Fountain is yet another incredible addition to Dubai's list of world-famous landmarks and is sure to be a big draw among residents and visitors alike.
The Palm Fountain will have 20 bespoke shows with five different shows running daily between sunset and midnight (7 pm to 12 am) while swaying to an array of popular songs including Khaleeji, pop, classic, international and more.
Each show will last three minutes and will be performed every 30 minutes.

Oct 04, 2020

Looted Paintings by Nazis to be Handed over to Owner's Heir

The French government agreed to hand back three looted paintings to the heirs of a Jewish collector who died in a German concentration camp.
The canvases by Fauvist Andre Derain were once owned by the renowned Parisian gallery owner Rene Gimpel, who was denounced by a rival dealer after joining the Resistance to fight against Nazi occupation and France's collaborationist Vichy government.
The decision comes after an appeals court in Paris overturned a lower court's decision not to hand back the works.
They are housed at the Modern Art Museum in Troyes and the Cantini Museum in Marseille.
The works, painted between 1907 and 1910, were taken as spoils when Gimpel was arrested.

Oct 03, 2020

Ancient Aboriginal Art 'Unlike Anything Seen Before'

A new style of ancient Aboriginal rock art in Australia has been documented for the first time.
The 572 paintings known as the Maliwawa Figures offer a glimpse into life more than 6,000 years ago.
The findings include the earliest depiction of a dugong and some rare bibly-like figures.
From history there is no evidence that bibly ever lived in Arnhem Land.
The whole manner of depiction for Maliwawa Figures is different from anything.

Sep 28, 2020

Fossilised Leaves from Jurassic Period Found in Jharkhand

Geologists have found fossilised leaves, estimated to be around 150-200 million years old, in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district.
A couple of 20 cm by 5 cm fossilised leaves of genus Ptilophyllum have been found in Dudhkol mountain in Taljhari area and further excavation is underway.
The excavation is being conducted in association with National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow under a project of the Department of Science and Technology of the Union government.
Such leaves were consumed by herbivorous dinosaurs. Smaller fossils from Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous period were earlier found in the region.
Several fossils were earlier found in Maharajpur, Tarpahad, Garmi Pahad and Barharwa areas in Sahibganj and Sonajhari in neighbouring Pakur district.

Sep 26, 2020

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Seeks Classical Status for Odissi Music

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre to accord classical status to Odissi music as it has at least 2,000-years old tradition and is based on 'Shastra' having its own 'Raga'.
Patnaik in a letter to Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel. It (Odissi music) has a distinctive rendition style based on codified grammar, the characteristic giti system of classical texts and having its own tala, different from Hindustani and Carnatic music.

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