Art, Culture, Literature and Architecture

Harappan art 2500 1800 BC

  • Also known as the bronze age
  • Architecture refers to designing of and construction of buildings where are the sculpture is a three-dimensional work of art
  • In architecture ,various types of materials are used that is a stone , wood, glass, metal  etc .where as sculpture is made of single piece of material.
  • Architecture involves study of engineering And Engineering Mathematics and depends upon measurements, where as sculpture involves creativity and imagination , may not depend on measurements.

Read moreArt, Culture, Literature and Architecture

INDIAN THEATRE

Origins

  • Origins of Indian theatre not very well known
  • Drawings on caves show that dance, music and drama were an intrinsic part of the life of the people
  • Sitabengona and Jogimara (Ramgarh, MP) have structures that are possibly the oldest theatres of the world
  • IVC: a seal shows a person beating drum while other disguised as a tiger
  • A few hymns of the Rig Veda are in the monologue and dialogue form
  • Natyashastra evolved some guidelines for drama

Read moreINDIAN THEATRE

Salient features of Architecture – Forts and Monuments

The architecture of Rajasthan is mainly based on the Rajput school of architecture which was a blend of the Hindu and Mughal structural design. The stupendous forts, the intricately carved temples and the grand havelis of the state are integral parts of the architectural heritage of the state. The Rajputs were prolific builders. Some of the most imposing and magnificent forts and palaces in the world dot the arid Aravali landscape and tell the tales of their glorious legacy.

M?ru-Gurjara Architecture show the deep understanding of structures and refined skills of Rajasthani craftmen of bygone era. M?ru-Gurjara Architecture has two prominent styles Maha-Maru and Maru-Gurjara.

Islamic influence in the architecture of Rajasthan is most prominent in the city of Ajmer. The important monuments of this city are the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti which consists of a number of white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a huge gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad, a mosque given by Shah Jahan and the Akbari mosque. Hindu architecture can be witnessed in Pushkar where there are several Ghats and temples. The outstanding temples standing in an array, with their touches of the Islamic architectural style, are richly different in style.

Important Features of Rajasthani Architecture are:-


Haveli:
Between 1830 and 1930, the affluent Marwaris constructed huge mansions in the Shekhawati and Marwar region. These buildings were called Havelis. They were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture in their construction. There were two courtyards in a typical Shekhawati haveli. The outer courtyard was mainly inhabited by men and the inner one was the domain of women. The havelis also sported beautiful and appealing frescoes and were closed from all sides with one large main gate. This provided security and comfort in seclusion from the outside world.

Chhatri: Originating in Rajasthan, chhatris are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions and are visible elements of the Rajasthani architecture, where they are the symbols of pride and honour. In the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, chhatris are built on the cremation sites of wealthy or distinguished people. Chhatris in Shekhawati are usually of a simple structure of one dome raised by four pillars in a building containing many domes and a basement with several rooms. Many prominent chhatris exist in cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Haldighati, Bikaner, etc.

Jharokha: It’s a type of overhanging enclosed balcony which is commonly found in palaces, havelis and temples in Rajasthan. This balcony is normally a stone window. Jharokhas jut forward from the wall plane and can be used for either adding to the architectural beauty of the building itself or for a specific purpose. In the ancient times, the women in purdah could see the events outside without being spotted themselves. The projected balcony, which is an essential element of the Rajasthani Architecture, served as a decoration piece and as a viewing platform. Many jharokhas also have chhajjas attached to them.

Stepwell: A stepwell (or a bawdi) is a well or pond in which the water can be reached by climbing down a set of steps. These bawdis are common in the Western India, especially in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Stepwells have been in existence for hundreds of years. In the ancient times, builders dug deep trenches into the earth for dependable, year-round groundwater. The walls of these trenches were lined with stoneblocks but without mortar. Stairs were created leading down to the water. The majority of surviving stepwells originally also served as leisure points, as well as provided water. The city of Bundi (near Kota) has as many as 60 stepwells.

Administrative Setup and Administrative Culture in Rajasthan.

Within a state there is generally a four-tier structure of ad- ministration – division, district, taluka/tehsil/block, and village. The district has been so far the most important unit of administration. Some of the states have introduced the system of Panchayati Raj, generally a three-tier structure of local self- government in rural areas at the vil- lage, block and district levels. Two recent constitutional amendments have bestowed on the local bodies in rural and urban areas constitutional status and specific functions including education, covering education upto secondary level, technical training and vocational education, adult and non-formal education. These amendments will strengthen decentralised management of educa- tion at the grass-root level.

 

 

For the administrative ease rajasthan has been devided into following seven devisions:-

 

1          Ajmer Division

2          Bharatpur Division

3          Bikaner Division

4          Jaipur Division

5          Jodhpur Division

6          Kota Division

7          Udaipur Division

 

 

 

Districts of Rajasthan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citizen’s Charter is a document which represents a systematic effort to focus on the commitment of the Organisation towards its Citizens in respects of Standard of Services, Information, Choice and Consultation, Non-discrimination and Accessibility, Grievance Redress, Courtesy and Value for Money.

The main objective of the exercise to issue the Citizen’s Charter of an organisation is to improve the quality of public services. This is done by letting people know the mandate of the concerned Ministry/ Department/ Organisation, how one can get in touch with its officials, what to expect by way of services and how to seek a remedy if something goes wrong. The Citizen’s Charter does not by itself create new legal rights, but it surely helps in enforcing existing rights. This website provides the details of Citizen’s Charter of various Ministries/ Departments/ Organistions of the Government of India.

The basic objective of the Citizen’s Charter is to empower the citizen in relation to public service delivery. The six principles of the Citizen’s Charter movement as originally framed were:

 

(i) Quality: Improving the quality of services;

 

(ii) Choice: Wherever possible;

 

(iii) Standards: Specifying what to expect and how to act if standards are not met;

 

(iv) Value : For the taxpayers’ money;

 

(v) Accountability: Individuals and Organisations; and

 

(vi) Transparency: Rules/Procedures/Schemes/Grievances.

 

These were later elaborated by the Labour Government as the nine principles of Service Delivery (1998), which are as follows:-

 

  1. Set standards of service

 

  1. Be Open and provide full information

 

  1. Consult and involve

 

  1. Encourage access and the promotion of choice

 

  1. Treat all fairly

 

  1. Put things right when they go wrong

 

  1. Use resources effectively

 

  1. Innovate and improve

 

  1. Work with other providers

Government of Rajasthan(Administrative Reforms and Coordination Department, Jaipur, Rajasthan) manages the citizen charters in the state Following departments have issued there separate charters, which could be accessed from their websites.

 

  1. Registration and Stamps Department, Rajasthan, Ajmer

 

  1. Food and Civil Supplies Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Revenue Department

 

  1. Local Bodies

 

  1. Transport Department

 

  1. Medical & Health & Associate Hospitals

 

  1. SMS Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer

 

  1. Psychiatry Centre & Mental Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Sir Padampat Mother & Child Health Institute , Jaipur

 

  1. Chest & T.B. Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Mahila Chikitsalaya, Jaipur

 

  1. Zenana, Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Medical & Health Services (E.S.I) Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Police Department

 

  1. Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, Jaipur

 

  1. Labour Deprtment

 

  1. Factories & Boilers Department

 

  1. Land & Buildings Taxes Department

 

  1. Commercial Taxes Department

 

  1. Bureau of Anticorruption, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Command Area Development & Water Utilization Department

 

  1. Mines & Geology Department

 

  1. Literacy & Adult Education Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Irrigation Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Animal Husbandry Department

 

  1. Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd, Jaipur (Jaipur DISCOM)

 

  1. State Insurance & General Provident Fund Department

 

  1. Home Guard & Civil Aviation Department

 

  1. Colonization Department

 

  1. Jaipur Development Authority

 

  1. Women & Child Development Department

 

  1. Secondary Education Department

 

  1. Citizen’s Charter for Divisional Commissioners’ Office

 

  1. Higher Education, Jaipur

 

  1. Panchayati Raj Department

 

  1. Technical Education Department

 

  1. Public Works Department

 

  1. Agriculture Marketing Department

 

  1. Settlement Department

 

  1. Rural Development Department

 

  1. Directorate of Water Shed Development & Soil Conservation Department

 

  1. Fisheries Department

 

  1. Cooperative Department

 

  1. Employment Department

 

  1. Agriculture Marketing Board

 

  1. Public Health Engineering Department

 

  1. Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Ltd., Jaipur

 

  1. Industries Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Rajasthan Finance Corporation (RFC)

 

  1. Small Savings Department

 

  1. Vidut Nirikshanalaya Rajasthan, Jaipur (Electrical Inspector, Rajasthan, Jaipur)

 

  1. Agriculture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Forest Department

 

  1. Director, Elementary Education, Rajasthan, Bikaner

 

  1. Director, Prosecution, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Jail Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Tourism, Art and Culture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Devasthan Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur

 

  1. Excise Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur

 

  1. Director, Horticulture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Town Planning Department, Jaipur (JLN Marg).

 

 

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act, 2011

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act, 2011 guarantees the delivery of 108 services in 53 areas concerning 15 departments. The time period kept for the delivery of services ranges from one day in the case of removal of animal carcasses from public places to two days for driving licences, 75 days for land use conversion and a maximum of 90 days for sanction of old age pension. Issue of birth/death certificates has been promised in 7-15 days and new ration card in seven days.

 

Right To Information

RTI stands for Right To Information and has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1) under which every citizen has freedom of speech and expression and have the right to know how the government works, what role does it play, what are its functions and so on.

Right to Information Act empowers every citizen to seek any information, take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records, take certified samples of material.

Indian culture

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
for the said topic we can use ignou material …which i am uploading
Hindi mediumhttps://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_FR6Jkv0z2cbDdqYTE4b1E3UDQ&usp=sharing
English mediumhttps://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_FR6Jkv0z2ccUIxV1VTVEdiZlU&usp=sharing
its very lengthy material of 400 pages but you would know its importance only after reading it as it covers complete ancient,medieval , modern history along with social issues such as sc tech, education and women.
in due course   of time i would try to upload the gist of its each chapter

secondly i am uploading notes of mr neeraj upsc topper of art and arcitecture
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9Q_935DDKuyneFL8cMrDqL_fPlQKgcXqe5w9MchFDg/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1itnmyxV3gIrP9w8VULGNKY_KL2Sm9uV3cHspJTC6-DM/edit?usp=sharing

 I have compiled the hindu article on art and culture the link are as follows
 https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_FR6Jkv0z2cX2VMS3ZramJ5YnM&usp=sharing

well there are certain pdf from government website … i am posting the link
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_FR6Jkv0z2cZVYxdmZCX3J3TFk&usp=sharing

04-05.02.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

  • Arunachal Pradesh nods to much awaited Advertisement Policy 2018

 

  • Arunachal Pradeshgave a nod to much awaited “Arunachal Pradesh Advertisement Policy 2018.” State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu approved Arunachal Pradesh Advertisement Policy 2018 which will enable the government to make payment of government advertisement bills to media houses on a timely basis.
  • In another decision, the Cabinet approved the release of gratuitous relief of Rs 2,000 for all contingency and casual workers serving under Arunachal Government.
  • Apart from approving the creation of 25 posts of Assistant Professors for government colleges of the state under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the Cabinet also approved enhancement of salary of teachers working under SSA and RMSA on contractual basis up to 22% with effect from April 1, 2018.
  • The Cabinet directed the education department to ensure that salaries are disbursed by the first week of the subsequent month through the Aadhaar-based DBT through PFMS method. 

    INTERNATIONAL

     

    • World Cancer Day: 4 February

     

    • World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.

     

    • World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008.

     

    • The primary goal of the World Cancer Day is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer by 2020.

     

    • The theme for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 is ‘We can. I can.’

     

    • Nepal gets a high Rs. 650 crore outlay

     

    • India’s annual financial allocation to Nepal for 2018-19 has nearly doubled under the Union Budget presented on February 1.

     

    • The External Affairs Ministry has been allocated a total Rs. 15,011 crore, which indicates a marginal increase of Rs. 1,321 crore over the previous year’s grant.

     

    • For India’s development and diplomatic engagement under the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the Budget has allocated Rs. 5545 crore.

     

    • Bhutan is traditionally the largest recipient of Ministry’s allocation.

     

     

    NATIONAL

     

    • Venkaiah Naidu to Inaugurate First International Kala Mela

     

    • The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the First International Kala Mela in New Delhi on February 4.
    • The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma will also grace the occasion.

     

    • Lalit Kala Akademi, the premier institution for the promotion of Art and Culture is organizing it at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi (IGNCA).

     

    • Environment Ministry launches ‘Green Good Deeds’ campaign

     

    • Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has appealed to the teaching community to join the “Green Good Deeds” campaign, launched by his Ministry to sensitise the people about climate change and global warming.

     

    • The Minister reminded the teachers of their “Green Social Responsibility similar to corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

     

    • CRISIL, SIDBI Launch India’s First MSE Sentiment Index

     

    • The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley launched CriSidEx , India’s first sentiment index for micro and small enterprises ( MSEs) developed jointly by CRISIL & SIDBI.

     

    • CriSidEx is a composite index based on a diffusion index of 8 parameters and measures MSE business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative ) to 200 ( extremely positive) .

     

    • The parametric feedback was captured through a survey of 1100 MSEs in November –December.

     

    • CriSidEx will have 2 indices , one for the ‘survey quarter’ and another for the ‘next quarter’ once a trend emerges after few rounds of the survey , providing independent time series data.

     

    • The crucial benefit of CriSidEx is that its readings will flag potential headwinds and changes in production cycles and thus help improve market efficiencies and by capturing the sentiment of exporters and importers , it will also offer actionable indicators on foreign trade.

     

    • India’s biggest floating island released in Neknampur lake

     

    • On the occasion of World Wetland Day, city-based NGO Dhruvansh has introduced biggest floating island of India at Neknampur Lake, Hyderabad.
    • The duo of Dhruvansh NGO, Madhulika and Neeraj Singh started Neknampur restoration programme in June 2016 adopting various cost effective methodologies to clean the lake.
    • After successful introduction of 10×10 feet floating islands last year, the NGO introduced 2,500 square feet floating island with 3,500 wetland plants floating on this platform.

     

    • “A Century is Not Enough”: Autobiography of Sourav Ganguly

     

    • Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly’s autobiography is soon-to-be-published and it is named “A Century is Not Enough”.

    • The book is co-authored by Gautam Bhattacharya and published by Juggernaut Books.

     

    • The book covers the ups and downs in more than a decade long career of the former Indian captain fondly called ‘Dada’.

     

    ·        Railways Ministry may introduce dynamic pricing system

     

    • The Railways Ministrythe current flex-fare system and is considering introducing a dynamic pricing system for train tickets, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said. Under dynamic pricing system, fares will be decided as per the season and demand.

     

    • The Fares will be automatically adjusted via artificial intelligence, algorithms or technology, to help trains have more occupancy.

    ·        India Lifts U-19 World Cup 2018

     

    • India defeated Australia to lift the Under 19 World cup for the fourth time.
    • The Men in Blue defeated the three-time champions Australia at Bay Oval, New Zealand.

     

    • Manjot Kalra scored a sensational unbeaten century and was named Man of the Match.

     

    • Shubman Gill was declared man of the series.