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- This year, the annual National Youth Festival (NYF), held from January 10-12 at Bharat Mandapam, will undergo a significant transformation and will be reimagined as the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue.
- About National Youth Festival (NYF):
- As part of the 'Promotion of National Integration' initiative under the National Programme for Youth and Adolescent Development (NPYAD), the NYF is organized annually in January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (January 12), which is celebrated as National Youth Day. Since 1985, the Government of India has observed January 12 as National Youth Day, and the week following it is observed as National Youth Week.
- The NYF typically runs from January 12 to January 16 each year and is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in collaboration with a hosting State/Union Territory (UT). The cost of the festival is shared between the central government and the host state.
- During the festival, a variety of cultural programs (both competitive and non-competitive), youth conventions, exhibitions, adventure programs, and thematic displays are organized. Approximately 7,500 youth delegates from various states and UTs participate in these events.
- NYF 2025:
- The theme for NYF 2025 will be Innovation in Science and Technology. The main event will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
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- Sabarimala is fully geared up for the Makaravilakku festival, with 5,000 police personnel deployed and reinforced security measures in place.
- About Makaravilakku:
- Makaravilakku is an important annual festival held at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
- It is observed on the day of Makara Sankranti.
- The festival marks the end of the annual pilgrimage season to the temple.
- On Makaravilakku day, the sacred Thiruvabharanam, the royal ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, are transported to the temple from the Pandalam Palace.
- A key feature of the festival is the appearance of a celestial light, known as the "Makarajyothi" or "Makaravilakku."
- This light is believed by many to be a divine manifestation of Lord Ayyappa.
- It is seen on the horizon of Ponnambalamedu hill, located near the Sabarimala Temple.
- However, there is no supernatural element to the Makaravilakku.
- Historically, the Malayaraya tribe performed a ritual at the temple in Ponnambalamedu.
- Today, the Travancore Devaswom Board oversees the proceedings, and traditional religious rituals continue to be followed.
- At Ponnambalamedu, a ritual Aarti is held, and the Makaravilakku light is seen as a result of camphor burning during the Aarti, visible three times from Sabarimala.
- The Makaravilakku festival lasts longer than the day of Makara Sankranti itself.
- It extends for seven days and concludes with a ritual called 'Guruthi,' a ceremony to honor the deities of the wilderness.
- Once the Guruthi is performed, no one remains at the temple.
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- The Nagoba Jatara, an eight-day sacred pilgrimage event for the Mesram clan of the Adivasi Gonds, is set to begin at Keslapur village in the tribal heartland of Indervelli Mandal, Adilabad district, in north Telangana.
- About Nagoba Jatara:
- Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival celebrated annually in January or February at Keslapur village in Adilabad district, Telangana.
- It is the second largest tribal festival in India, following the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, also held in Telangana.
- The festival is celebrated over 10 days by the Mesram clan of the Gond tribes.
- Tribal people from various regions, including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, all belonging to the Mesram clan, gather to offer prayers during the festival.
- The central deity worshipped at the festival is ‘Nagoba,’ a representation of the Cobra (Sri Shek).
- Rituals:
- Prior to the Jatara, a few elder members of the Mesram clan make a barefoot pilgrimage to the Godavari River to collect holy water, which is then placed near the Banyan Tree in front of the Nagoba Temple.
- The Jatara includes the significant ‘Bheting’ ceremony, where new brides are formally introduced into the clan. The brides, dressed in white saris, are led by elder women to the Nagoba Temple to offer prayers, after which they are officially accepted as full members of the clan.
- One of the main attractions of the event is the Gusadi Dance, performed by the Gond tribe dancers, adding a vibrant cultural element to the festival.
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- Auroville recently marked its 57th anniversary with a bonfire meditation at the Amphitheatre, near the Matrimandir.
- About Auroville:
- Auroville is a unique international township located in South India, near Pondicherry, in the state of Tamil Nadu. It serves as an experimental community where residents from over 60 countries are dedicated to exploring alternative approaches to living, working, and coexisting peacefully.
- Founded on February 28, 1968, by Mirra Alfassa, known as the Mother, who was the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo, Auroville was conceived as an international cultural township.
- The township was designed by renowned architect Roger Anger.
- Auroville is the world’s largest and oldest surviving international intentional community.
- It has transformed from a barren desert into a thriving 3,000-acre township and bioregion, where over 3 million trees have been planted, creating a rich biodiversity. It is also home to 9 schools and various social enterprises.
- Today, Auroville houses a community of 2,700 people from 50 nations, and its guiding vision is that it belongs not to any specific individual but to humanity as a whole.
- The residents of Auroville, called Aurovilleans, live by principles of peace, harmony, sustainable living, and ‘divine consciousness’, a philosophy promoted by the Mother.
- UNESCO recognized Auroville’s unique vision, endorsing the project through four resolutions in 1966, 1968, 1970, and 1983.
- Since 1980, Auroville has been administered under the control of the Ministry of Education and operates according to the Auroville Foundation Act of 1988, passed by the Indian Parliament.
- The Government of India provides partial financial support through grants to help cover the costs associated with Auroville's establishment, maintenance, and development.
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