1.GALO

Why in News?

• Members of the Galo community in Arunachal Pradesh can recall the name of their ancestor from 20 generations ago i.e. right up to the founder of their clan.
• This is made possible by their system of naming. Now they have developed a Genealogical website for record-keeping, with some names hyperlinked.

About:

• The Galos are one of the 26 major communities of Arunachal Pradesh, and dominate West Siang, Lepa Rada and Lower Siang districts.
• The Galos belong to the Tani group inhabiting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, besides Tibet.
• They trace their common origin to a primeval ancestor, Abotani.
• But unlike the Mising (Assam), Adi, Apatani, Nyishi and Tagin, the other communities, only the Galos maintain genealogy through given names.
• They have a system of prefixing the second syllable of a father’s name to that of a son, who passes on the suffix in his name to his son.
• They can trace the names of ancestors from the first syllable or prefix of their names.

2.Portamento

Why in News?

• An MIT student has invented a novel algorithm that produces a portamento effect between any two audio signals in real-time.

About:

• In music, “portamento” is a term that’s been used for hundreds of years, referring to the effect of gliding seamlessly from one pitch or tone to another, with a smooth progression..
• Nearly all musicians know this as “portamento”, a term that has been used for hundreds of years. Not everyone or everything can achieve it, however; this continuous varying of pitch is possible only for the trained human voice, besides string and some other instruments.

3.World Heart Day

Context:

• September 29 is observed as World Heart Day

About:

• It is an initiative by the World Heart Federation to spread awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart disease and stroke.
• World Heart Day informs people around the globe that CVD, including heart disease and stroke, is the world’s leading cause of death claiming 17.9 million lives each year, and highlights the actions that individuals can take to prevent and control CVD.
• It aims to drive action to educate people that by controlling risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, at least 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided.

4.INS Khanderi

Why in News?

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh commissioned indigenously built submarine INS Khanderi in Mumbai.

About:

• The name Khanderi is inspired by the dreaded ‘Sword Tooth Fish’ a deadly fish known to hunt whilst swimming close to the bottom of the ocean. Khanderi is also the name of an island fort built by great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• INS Khanderi is the second of Kalvari Class diesel-electric attack submarines of the Indian Navy. It has been built in India to the French Scorpene design and is the second submarine of the Project-75.
• Built indigenously by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, INS Khanderi is a lethal addition to Navy’s conventional submarine arsenal and is designed for silent and stealthy sub-surface operations.
• INS Khanderi is the follow-on to INS Kalvari, which was the first of the French origin Scorpene-class submarines being indigenously constructed in India and commissioned by the Prime Minister in 2017.

5.National Nutrition Survey

Why in News:

• Obesity and undernutrition coexist, finds study

About National Nutrition Survey:

• The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF between February 2016 and October 2018 is the first study undertaken to measure malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies through biochemical measures such as blood and urine samples, anthropometric data as well as details of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and kidney function in children and adolescents.

Difference from National Family Health Survey (NFHS):

• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), however, collects anthropometric data (weight for age, height for age, weight for height, mid-upper arm circumference) to measure prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight and household dietary intake to measure deficiencies.

6.Global Disinformation Order

Why in News:

• China branded a ‘global disinformation superpower’ by new research

About the Report:

• According to the Oxford Internet Institute, organised social media manipulation has more than doubled since 2017, with 70 countries using computational propaganda to manipulate public opinion.

Findings in the Report:

• In Vietnam, citizens were enlisted to post pro-government messages on their personal Facebook pages. The Guatemalan government used hacked and stolen social media accounts to silence dissenting opinions. Ethiopia’s ruling party hired people to influence social media conversations in its favour.

7.Theatre forms of India

Context:

• The Vice President of India has said that the epics like Ramayana reminds about ones pious duty to perform in the larger interest of the society and the country . In his speech he spoke about various theatre forms of India

Various Theatre forms of India:

• Bhand Pather, the traditional theatre form of Kashmir, is a unique combination of dance, music and acting. Satire, wit and parody are preferred for inducing laughter.
• Nautanki is usually associated with Uttar Pradesh. The most popular centres of this traditional theatre form are Kanpur, Lucknow and Haathras
• Raasleela is based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends;
• Bhavai is the traditional theatre form of Gujarat. The centers of this form are Kutch and Kathiawar.
• Maach is the traditional theatre form of Madhya Pradesh.
• Bhaona is a presentation of the Ankia Naat of Assam.
• Tamaasha is a traditional folk theatre form of Maharashtra.
• Dashavatar is the most developed theatre form of the Konkan and Goa regions.
• Krishnattam, folk theatre of Kerala, came into existence in the middle of 17th century A.D. under the patronage of King Manavada of Calicut. Krishnattam is a cycle of eight plays performed for eight consecutive days.
• Mudiyettu, traditional folk theatre form of Kerala is celebrated in the month of Vrischikam (November-December)
• Koodiyaattam, one of the oldest traditional theatre forms of Kerala, is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions.
• Yakshagaana, traditional theatre form of Karnataka, is based on mythological stories and Puranas
• Therukoothu, the most popular form of folk drama of Tamil Nadu, literally means “street play”.

8.Industry 4.0

Why in News:

• A Pilot Project for ushering in ‘Industry 4.0’ in the country, is launched for implementation at the Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli.

About Industry 4.0:

• ‘Industry 4.0’ commonly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, is a name given to the current trend of automation, interconnectivity and data exchange in manufacturing technologies to increase productivity. Industry 4.0 is a complex Cyber-Physical Systems which synergizes production with digital technologies, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data & Analytics, Machine Learning and Cloud Computing.