DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

16 MAY 2022

. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	About the Indian PM visits Lumbini in Nepal	Prelims & Mains
2.	About Devashayam Pillai	Prelims & Mains
3.	Details of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus	Prelims & Mains
4.	About the Food Inflation	Prelims Specific Topic
5.	About the Thomas Cup	Prelims Specific Topic

 

1 – About the Indian PM visits Lumbini in Nepal: 

GS I

Indian Culture

• Context:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was received by Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as he arrived in Lumbini, Nepal. Soon after arriving, the PM tweeted, “Happy to be among the lovely people of Nepal on the holy day of Buddha Purnima.” I’m excited for the Lumbini programmes. ” He went to worship at the Maya Devi shrine. He will next participate in a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage on Buddha Purnima.
• Details of Gautam Buddha and Lumbini:
• Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family at Lumbini, near the Indo-Nepal border, in the year 563 BCE.
• His forefathers were members of the Sakya tribe, who ruled from Lumbini’s Kapilvastu.
• Gautama left home at the age of 29, opting for asceticism, or extreme self-discipline, over a life of prosperity.
• After 49 days of meditation, Gautam attained Bodhi (enlightenment) under a pipal tree in Bodhgaya, Bihar.
• In Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, near Varanasi, Buddha delivered his first sermon. This phenomenon is known as Dharma Chakra Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
• He died at the age of 80 in Kushinagara, Uttar Pradesh, in 483 BCE. The occurrence is known as Mahaparinibban or Mahaparinirvana.
• He is supposed to be Lord Vishnu’s eighth incarnation out of ten (Dashavatar).
• Source – The Hindu

2 – About Devashayam Pillai:

GS I

Indian Culture

• Context:
• According to PTI, Pope Francis canonised Blessed Devasahayam during a Canonization Mass in St Peter’s Basilica attended by nearly 50,000 people from all around the world, as well as government delegations honouring him and nine other new saints.
• Devashayam Pillai’s bio:
• He was born in the village of Nattalam in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu on April 23, 1712.
• Before converting to Christianity, he was born into an upper caste family of temple priests and was known as Nilakanda Pillai.
• He went on to serve Maharaja Marthanda Varma of Travancore in his court. Here he met a Dutch naval commander who taught him about the Catholic faith.
• He converted to Catholicism in 1745. Pillai was given the Christian name Lazarus, but later became known as Devasahayam (God’s helper).
• He then had to confront with opposition to his conversion from the Travancore state.
• On January 14, 1752, Devasahayam was slain in the Aralvaimozhy forest, only seven years after becoming a Catholic.
• Since then, he has been revered as a martyr by the Catholic population in South India.
• His remains are interred in the Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral of the Diocese of Kottar (Tamil Nadu).
• According to the Church, his preaching of equality for all people regardless of caste led to his crucifixion.
• Following his conversion to Christianity, he was initially accorded sainthood in February 2020 for “enduring greater tribulations.”
• Classification of religion:
• About: The world’s major religions are split into two groups: Abrahamic religions, which include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• Other Indian religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
• With over two billion followers, Christianity is the most prevalent religion.
• Christianity is 2,000 years old and is based on Jesus Christ’s life and teachings.
• The three main groups are the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox churches, and Protestant churches, with the Bible as their sacred scripture.
• Over the years, as Christianity spread around the world, often through missionaries and colonisers, it grew in popularity.
• Source – The Indian Express

3 – Details of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus:

GS II

Health related issues

• Context:
• Researchers produced a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate using proteins from the viruses’ outer shells, according to a news release from the US National Institutes of Health.
• About:
• A mosquito bite transmits the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus to humans. Only a few cases are reported in the United States each year. The majority of cases occur in states along the east or Gulf coast. Despite its uncommon, EEE is a serious illness. About 30% of EEE patients die, and many survivors suffer from long-term neurologic problems.
• There are no vaccines or medications that can prevent or cure EEE. To reduce your risk of EEE virus infection, use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and take steps to avoid mosquitoes indoors and outside.
• Source – The Hindu

4 – About the Food Inflation:

Prelims Specific Topic

• Context:
• The effects of increased food costs have yet to be felt in India. Increased output can assist a country in avoiding a global trend.
• For the time being, the fact that beans, sugar, onion, potato, and other summer vegetables have witnessed little to no inflation is a comfort. Food inflation in India has not yet reached that level.
• In relation to Food Price Inflation:
• Food and fuel inflation are two components of India’s headline inflation.
• Headline inflation, as the name implies, is the total inflation rate for a given period based on a basket of items.
• The commodity basket used to track Inflationary headlines exclude volatile products. The most volatile commodities are food and beverages (including vegetables), as well as fuel and light (crude oil).
• Core inflation = headline inflation minus (Food and Fuel) inflation.
• Source – The Indian Express

5 – About the Thomas Cup:

Prelims Specific Topic

• Context:
• India’s men’s badminton team won the Thomas Cup for the first time ever with a shock 3-0 victory over superpower Indonesia in the final. India won the Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, with a 3-0 victory over 14-time champion Indonesia. India put on a spectacle to remember, with medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and the world number 8 doubles team of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy putting on outstanding performances.
• Significant Facts about the match:
• Lakshya Sen defeated Anthony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 in a thrilling tie to give India a perfect start.
• India’s Satwik and Chirag defeated Indonesia’s Ahsan-Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19, giving India a 2-0 lead.
• To make it 3-0, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 in the third game. They did it in the final without dropping a single game.
• Source – The Hindu