Indian History

Prehistoric India

Homo erectus appeared in India about 5,00,000 years ago.

Homo sapiens appeared in India about 75,000 years ago.

Buddhism

1. Gautama/Siddhartha was a kshatriya prince of Sakya gana.

1. Gautama was born in Lumbini, Nepal.

1. Buddhism believes in Karma, Middle path, Nirvana and Rebirth.

1. Four noble truths - truth of dukkha, truth of origin of dukkha, truth of cessation of dukkha and truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha.

1. Noble eightfold path - right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

1. Gautama meditated under a peepal tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar and got enlightened.

1. Buddha - the wise one.

1. Buddha's first teaching was at Sarnath.

1. Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana at Kusinara/Kushinagar, UP.

1. Chaitya/Chaitya Griha - Buddhist shrine with stupa.

1. Stupa - Mound containing Buddhist Relics.

1. Vihara - Buddhist Monastery.

1. Major branches - Theravada and Mahayana.

1. Buddha declared 4 holy places in Mahaparinibbana Sutta - Kapilavastu, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kusinara.

1. Buddha's teachings were in Prakrit.

Jainism

24th tirdankara - Vardhamana Mahavira.

Mahavira was a kshatriya prince of Lichhavis, part of the Vajji sangha.

At the age of 30 he left home and after 12 years he got enlightment.

Mahavira teachings were in Prakrit.

Upanishads

1. Upanishad - approaching and sitting near.

1. atman (individual soul) and brahman (universal soul) are permanent in the universe.

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Zoroastrianism

Fall of Mughal Empire

Mughal Empire ruled for almost 200 years.
It started to shrink in the first half of 18th century (1700-1750).
In 1803, Delhi was captured by the British and the emperor was made a pensioner.
Decline started under Aurangazeb's reign.
In 1707, Aurangazeb died and his 3 sons fought for throne and Bahadur Shah became the emperor.
Bahadur Shah is educated and followed compromise and conciliation policy.
He reveresed some of the bad policies of his father.
He was tolerant towards Hinduism.

Rise of British in India

Freedom Fighters

Bhagat Singh: 

1. Member of HRA (Hindustan Republican Association).
2. Changed the name of HRA to HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association) (1928)
3. Member of Young Revolutionary Movement.
4. Founded Naujawan Bharat Sabha (1926)
5. Wrote for Veer Arjun news paper and Kirti, journal of Kirti Kisan Party.
6. Along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs and leaflets in the Central Legislative Assembly.
7. Undertook 116-day fast for equal treatment of British and Indian political prisoners.
8. Hanged on 23rd March 1931.

June 2014

The President addresses both houses of the Parliament in a joint session in the first session of Parliament after general elections and it is followed by a Motion of Thanks.

Highlights of the President's Speech

1. By 2022, the 75th year of Independence,  every person is to have a house with water, electricity and toilet.
2. Tricolour revolution
1. Saffron - Solar Energy
2. White - Cattle and Livestock welfare
3. Green - Second Green Revolution (Protein-rich pulses and agrarian growth)
4. Blue - Cleaning of water bodies, conserving water and fishermen's welfare
3. 100 Smart Cities: Cities along rivers and highways to be built around optic fibre "i-ways".
4. Diamond Quadrilateral project of high speed  trains connecting four metros.
5. Agri-rail networks for quick movement of perishable agricultural commodities.
6. Expansion of rail networks in the northeast.
7. Brand India based on 5T's : Tradition, Talent, Tourism, Trade and Technology.
8. Promotion of ties with China, Russia, USA, EU, Japan and SAARC countries.
9. Veterans Commission to address the grievances of retired soldiers.
10. To setup National War Memorial.
11. To setup National Maritime Authority.

Pranahita Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme - Mega lift irrigation project on River Godavari in Telangana.

Kakodkar Committee on safety and funding to Railways.


2015 is the centenary year of Gandhi's return to India (1915).


Kashmiri Pandits left J&K in 1990 due to ethnic cleansing during militancy. The government assured return and rehabilitation of them to J&K.

Vishal Sikka is the new CEO and MD of Infosys. Infosys is the second largest IT exporter of India.

Mukul Rohatgi is the new Attorney General of India.

LAC seperates India and China, it is 4,056 km-long and passes through J&K, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Japan and China have territorial dispute over Senkaku (Japan)/ Diaoyu (China) islands in the East China Sea. At present, these islands are controlled by Japan.


Japanese eel is a popular dish in Japan. It has become very costly due to scarce availability. Japanese eel has been placed on the IUCN redlist of endangered species. The decline of Japanese eel population is due to overfishing, habitat destruction, prevention of migration due to barriers along waterways, pollution and other changes in ocean conditions. Japan mulls to produce the species through industrial farming.

Sanjaya Rajaram has been chosen for World Food Prize, 2014 for his research in wheat. Dr. Swaminathan is the first recipient of the Prize in 1987. 2014 is the centenary year of Dr. Norman Borlaugh and is the international year of family farming. The Prize would be presented on U.N. World Food Day (October 16).

In the WTO, India is categorised as 'developing economy'. The U.S. wants India  to be categorised as an 'emerging economy'. The change in categorisation results in lowering of the agricultural subsidy caps on India from 10% to 5%. Moreover, India needs to grant market access to the U.S.

Gro Harlem Bruntland has been chosen for the Tang Prize (known as Asian Nobel Prize) for her work on sustainable development. 

Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a World Heritage Site of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Australia proposed to dump 3 million cubic metres of dredged material into the GBR to expand the Abbot Point Coal Port.

The islands, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan are claimed by both the countries. The islands are under the control of South Korea.

Mumbai Samachar founded by Fardoonji Murzaban in 1822, completed 192 years. It is the oldest serving newspaper in Asia.