Current Affairs – October November 2023

Current Affairs – October November 2023
Compiled by Sarasij Majumder, 1971 Civil Engineering

Proud moment for India.
Kozhikode has been designated as the UNESCO ‘City of Literature’ and Gwalior as the ‘City of Music’ in the latest @UNESCO List of Creative Cities Network. The cities get acknowledged & recognition for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity. Kozhikode is now India’s first City of Literature. Apart from Kozhikode and Gwalior, Varanasi (music), Srinagar (crafts and folk arts) and Chennai (music) are part of the network.

In 2004 UNESCO launched the Creative Cities Network aimed at leveraging the creative, social, and economic potential of cultural industries. It was launched to promote UNESCO’s goals of cultural diversity. It encourages a culture of creativity in urban planning and solutions to urban problems. It envisages to develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector. These cities have to achieve the UN agenda of sustainable development.

UNESCO has added the city of Gwalior to its Creative Cities Network under music category.
Gwalior gharana, the oldest musical gharana and a significant chapter of Hindustani classical music’s history flourished under the aegis of Raja Man Singh Tomar during the 15th century. Man Singh’s great grandfather Dungarendra Singh Tomar, a musician himself, attempted a revival of Indian classical music through academic interest and patronage. He is known to have gifted two music treatises in Sanskrit – Sangeet Shiromani and Sangeet Choodamani – to his friend and Sultan of Kashmir Zain-ul-Abdin. The treatises comprised detailed discussions on music and musical instruments. Before Hindustani classical music was divided into various gharanas – musical ideologies and systems where the musicians identify with a style either by lineage or by learning and following this style – Gwalior emerged as the first proper gharana of music and evolved under the Mughal rule. The initial ustads of the gharana included Naththan Khan, Naththan Pir Baksh and his grandsons Haddu, Hassu, and Natthu Khan.

Mian Tansen born as Ramatanu to a poet and musician was one of Gwalior’s early proteges. At the beginning of the 16th century, he trained under Swami Haridas, who practised dhrupad but the poetry was dedicated to Krishna instead of Vishnu. The famed Sufi saint Mohommad Ghous also had a huge impact on Tansen. While learning from Ghous, Tansen understood and honed the Gwalior gharana style and was the court musician for King Ram Chandra Singh of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, for many years.

Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, son of sarod player Nanneh Khan, and one of the most significant and sought-after musicians who lived in Gwalior for many years, learned music under Ustad Wazir Khan of Rampur, who is considered a descendent of Mian Tansen.

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On October 31, Dr. Gautam Biswas, our alumnus of 1979 Batch, and presently the Professor of IIT Kanpur, received the prestigious ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, one of highest awards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at New Orleans, USA.

The Heat Transfer Memorial Award is bestowed on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of heat transfer through teaching, research, practice, design, service, leadership, inventions, or a combination of such activities. Dr. Gautam Biswas was recognised for his sustained and outstanding scholarly contributions to thermal science and engineering, including heat transfer enhancement, phase change heat transfer with and without electrohydrodynamic forces, and dynamics of liquid jet and droplet impingements.

One award is given annually in each of the three following categories: the science of heat transfer, the art of heat transfer, and the general subject of heat transfer. Each of the three categories of science, art and general is based on achievements through publications, patents and/or inventions, advancement of educational content and/or pedagogy, or exemplary community service with a focus on heat transfer.

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Gautam Ray, our alumnus of 1981 Electrical Engineering, and presently the Director of CESC, has been elected President of Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the venerable institution dating back to 1833.

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Center for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata had earlier prepared a dossier on the subject which was sent from The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and then UNESCO’s 16th session (2021) of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for recognising “Bengal’s Durga Puja” as the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.

The Intergovernmental committee which consisted of elected members from 24 countries from around the world, held the session from 13th to 18th December 2021where the decision was taken to give the prestigious tag to the Durga Puja of Bengal.

Then The Babubagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee thought of creating more awareness among the general public regarding this honour of Bengal’s Durga Puja as well on various coins released by the Government of India. Thus on the Durga Puja 2022, a theme of “Indian Coin Park”, under the aegis of Prof. Ms. S. Gupta, was created to spread this awareness. At the pandal the replicas of commemorative coins from 1947 to till date were installed which were circulated in our country so that people know our important events and legends that shaped our country and also to know the importance of commemorative coins. The idol of Ma Durga, was symbolically made on a relief in an imaginative coin on which was written “UNESCO’s recognition of Bengal’s Durgapuja as Intangible Cultural Heritage 2022”.

To make this more relevant and everlasting, Babubagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee requested India Government Mint, under the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India to make a Souvenir coin to honour this great recognition from UNESCO. Based on the request India Government Mint, Kolkata produced this coin to create an everlasting memory of this very special occasion and also to create awareness among one and all.

The design of the coin has been based on the design provided by Babubagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee. The manufacturing of this coin involved a very complex process right from developing the mould to stamping the final impression on the coin. The coin has been produced utilising the artistic skill of highest quality (of artisan) and state of art technology machineries to ensure output of best possible quality.

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On 12 November 2023, at 0.30 IST, a portion of the Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel, under construction, collapsed in the Uttarkashi district of the state of Uttarakhand. The collapse trapped 41 workers inside. Rescue operations were immediately launched, and they were led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the police.

Finally, on the 17th day, “rat-hole mining specialists” engaged in rescuing initiated manual drilling through the debris and all the 41 workers were rescued after a grueling 17-day operation. They are now kept under medical observation at a hospital in Chinyalisaur after their evacuation. Everyone is all praises for the Australian tunneling expert Arnold Dix for providing all the technical support on the ground. Social media special commendation to Australia’s Professor Arnold Dix is also lauded the spiritual side of the professor who was seen joining a priest earlier at the rescue site and praying for the safe evacuation of the workers. “Thank you so much respected @Arnolddix sir for your stunning job in rescuing all the labourers safely. Kudos to your outstanding and priceless fruitful efforts,”

The tunnel was being constructed by Navayuga Engineering Construction Limited (NECL) as part of the Char Dham all-weather road project on on the Yamunotri and of National Highway 134, connecting four religious sites. The tunnel will shorten the route by about 20 Kilometers.

The Tunnel was being constructed by BLAST, and DRILL method. During rescue operation 2 tunnel boring machines was deployed. Drilling through the debris was stopped on 17 November after cracking sounds were heard. Alternative access tunnels started parallel and adjacent to the existing main tunnel. 3 pipes were drilled during the operation, one providing oxygen, one providing passage for dry food, and a 6” (15 cm)-wide pipe that was used to supply hot meals and allow the insertion of an endoscopic camera.

On 21 November, communication with (and supply to) the trapped workers using a wider pipe was established. The pipes was providing dried fruits and other foods (including hot meals like rice and lentils), oxygen, and other essentials to the men along with a small flexible camera to film and communicate with them. Problems with the consistency of the rubble and metal rods and a pipe caught in it caused delays to the drilling on 22 and 23 November, with significant repairs required to the drilling machine and its mounting platform on 23 November; at this stage it was believed that the operations had reached 75% of the way through the obstructing debris.

On 25th November, the rescue operation faced another setback as the auger machine broke and got stuck inside the tunnel, hampering the drilling progress. The rescue team decided to use manual tools such as hammers and chisels to break the debris and reach the trapped workers. It was believed that the drilling had reached a point approximately 9m short of breaking through.

The rescue team had also contacted the team that freed the students from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand in 2018.

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Indian women’s hockey team beat Japan 2-1 in the Asian Games 2023 to win a bronze medal.

India beat Japan 2-1 in the Asian Games 2023 women’s hockey in third-place playoff match at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou on Saturday to win a bronze medal. Deepika (5’) and Sushila Chanu (50’) scored for India while Japanese captain Nagai Yuri (30’) netted for her team.
Earlier, the Indian women’s hockey team, seventh in the FIH rankings, topped Pool A with three wins and one draw to make the semi-finals. Savita Punia and Co, however, lost 4-0 to hosts China in the top-four encounter to enter the bronze medal match.

This was India’s fourth women’s hockey bronze medal at the Asian Games after Seoul 1986, Doha 2006 and Incheon 2014. The Indian women, whose only gold medal at the continental showpiece came at New Delhi 1982, had clinched a silver at the last edition at Jakarta 2018.

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November 24, 2023
Qatar court has accepted the appeal filed by the Indian government against the death sentence of eight former Indian navy personnel, arrested on alleged charges of spying, and agreed to hear their plea soon without giving a specific timeline, a media report said. The charges were filed against the eight Indian Navy veterans on March 25 and they were tried under Qatari law but the situation turned worse on October 26 after the local court pronounced the death sentences.

India’s MEA chief spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said earlier, “Qatar’s court passed a judgement on October 26 in the case involving 8 employees of Al Dahra company.” He added that the retired naval personnel were sentenced to death by a Qatar court on charges that have not yet been made public officially. “They (the legal team) are now pursuing further legal steps and an appeal has already been filed,” he said. “The judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team. They are now pursuing further legal steps and an appeal has already been filed. We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities in this matter,” the MEA spokesperson said at a weekly media briefing earlier.

The MEA has been actively coordinating with the Qatari authorities and secured consular access on November 7. Further, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also met with the family members of the former naval personnel, who have been sentenced. “On November 7, the Indian Embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detainees,” Mr. Bagchi informed during the media briefing, adding, “We are in touch with their family members too. External Affairs Minister met the family members earlier this month in New Delhi.”

Following intervention by India diplomatically, now Qatar government has accepted appeal in their judiciary process.

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Hamas Israel Conflict.
Exchange of hostages started, after a temporary ceasefire at GAZA.
Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza and launched a ground offensive.
Fight will continue till GAZA is sanitized completely.

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Bijoya Sanmilani Celebration of BEC 1971 batchmates on XXX evening at Flury Park Street.

50th Meet of B E College Alumni Association on 25th November ’23 at B E College Ex- students Club, Salt Lake, Kolkata.