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Sundal

This is a savoury dish which can be made out of chickpea, kidney beans or moong dal. This spicy and healthy dish is usually prepared by Indian households during the festival of Dussera or Navratri. However, since it is a healthy snack, one can make it at any time.

Payasam/Kheer

This is a standard and easy-to-make sweet you can find at almost every household on special occasions. This sweet is made with milk rice, semolina, lotus seeds or lentils.

Almost every full meal in south India begins and ends with a payasam.

Biryani

This dish needs no introduction. A mix of flavours and masala mixed with rice and vegetables or meat, biryani activates your taste buds and leaves you wanting for more. Biryani is famous all over India, especially during Ramazan. People crave for ‘iftar biryani’ made with meat of different kinds, often thronging their friend’s place to devour it. Today, there are even vegetarian versions of the same.

Ladoo

This sweet needs no introduction. Ladoo is a favourite with children and adults alike. This can be made with besan/gramflour or semolina. Almost every sweet shop in India has ladoos. It is also made in several households, especially during festivals such as Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi.

Gulab Jamun

Like ladoo, this sweet also needs no introduction. Thanks to the availability of several instant mixes, gulab jamuns can be made by anyone. However, there are many households that make this sweet from scratch using khoya. This deep-fried sweet dunked in sugar syrup is an irresistible delight.

Plum Cake

There is no Christmas without plum cake. Every year many of us wait eagerly for Christmas to indulge in this sweet delight. They are available at almost all bakeries, but there’s nothing like home-made plum cake to ring in the festivities.

Haleem

Haleem is available almost always, but is most popular during the holy month of Ramzan. Several stores across cities offer haleem, a stew made out of wheat or bareley and meat.

People also make vegetarian versions of Haleem.

Sadhya

Sadhya means ‘banquet’ in Malayalam. Originating in Kerala, sadhya is popular all over India. It is prepared mainly during Onam and other important festivals. Typically vegetarian, a sadhya is served on a banana leaf and contains nearly 24 to 28 dishes.

Gujia/Karanji

Sometimes called chandrakala because of its crescent moon shape, this sweet is made during Holi in the northern parts of India. It is made with maida (refined flour) or suji (semolina), stuffed with khoya, and then deep fried.

Kozhukattai/Steamed Dumpling

Known in the south as Kozhukattai and in the north as Modak, this is a steamed sweet made of rice flour, grated coconut and jaggery. Modaks are sometimes deep-fried as well. This sweet is considered the favourite of Ganesha and is hence made specially during Ganesh Chaturthi.

 

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The Royal Navy

Before serving the Indian Navy, Viraat served Britain's Royal Navy as HMS (Her Majesty's ship) Hermes. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy in November 1959. During her service with the British, Viraat operated three fixed-wing planes and a chopper.

She belonged to the Centaur class of light fleet carriers of the Royal Navy which were in use since the Second World War. She played a major role in the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Three years after that war, she was decommissioned by the Royal Navy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy was looking for a second aircraft carrier for its fleet along with the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 1961. After much research and deliberation, the Indian Navy zeroed in on the HMS Hermes and announced its purchase in 1986. Hermes underwent a major refit and modernisation at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, England before finally being commissioned into the Indian Navy in May 1987.

Service with the Indian Navy

Viraat played a major role in India's naval defence. She operated one British-made Sea Harrier, a fixed- wing aircraft, and three helicopters. She played a pivotal role in the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation in 1989 dubbed Operation Jupiter, and was affiliated with the Indian Army in 1990. Viraat was also deployed during Operation Parakram in 2001 02. Following the terror attack on the Indian parliament. She played a major role in calibrating the flying activities from the carrier, which proved helpful during the induction of INS Vikramaditya, currently the sole aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Decommissioning by the Indian Navy

As years passed, the cost of operating and maintaining INS Viraat became too high for the Indian Navy, which announced its decision to decommission the Grand Old Lady in 2015.

After all the prerequisite processes for decommissioning at the Kochi shipyard were completed, the Grand Old Lady was decommissioned finally on March 6, 2017, at a ceremony in Mumbai,

At the time of her decommissioning, Viraat had spent nearly 2252 days at sea sailing nearly 11 lakh km. The aircraft she carried clocked more than 22,600 flying hours. Since 1987, Viraat has been the Flagship of the Indian Navy. And in her 30 years of service. 22 captains have commanded the ship.

What the future holds

Due to her rich history, many Indian states and conservationists wished to preserve Viraat as a museum. Many crowdfunding initiatives were undertaken in a bid to preserve Viraat. However, none of the efforts proved successful An expert panel was called to study Viraat condition and determine the feasibility of converting the ship into a museum. The panel stated that the cost of converting the ship into a museum would be too high to manage, and that the ship would last only ten years, given the age of its ferrous metal. Post this, even the Centre abandoned plans to convert the ship into a museum and decided to auction it to be dismantled and recycled at Alang, the world's largest ship-breaking yard. The ship was bought by the Shree Ram Group for a sum of Rs. 38.54 crore at an auction in July 2020. On September 19, Viraat made her final journey from Mumbai to Alang. She reached Alang on September 22. As a last-ditch effort to preserve the iconic warship, Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd, A Mumbai based shipping company, decided to buy the ship from the Shree Ram Group to convert it into a museum. To do so, the company would first need a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Defence. The company has stated that the Goa government is ready to help in its endeavour and allow the ship to be beaches in its waters.

As of October 9, 2020, Envitech is yet to obtain a NOC from the defence ministry.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Built in the sixth century in Constantinople (present day Istanbul, Turkey) by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sophia was once the largest cathedral in the world. The cathedral was converted into a mosque in 1453, when the Orroman took over Constantinople. It remained a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum and opened its doors to the public, regardless of faiths.

However, in July 2020, Turkey’s top court annulled Hagia Sophia’s museum status leading the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Eradogan to turn it into a mosque once again.

An epitome of Byzantine architecture being converted into a mosque sparked criticism among people across the world. However, unfazed, the President ordered for prayers on July 24 and Quranic verses were being chanted inside the mosque. The paintings of Jesus and Mary that adorned the walls were covered up with sheets.

Turkey however did not stop with the Hagia Sophia. Recently, it announced the conversion of the Chora Museum, a former Byzantine church, into a mosque. The Chora museum shares a similar history with the Hagia Sophia – being built as a church by the Byzantines, converted into a mosque by the Ottoman, and a museum in 1945.

Byzantine Art

When the Roman empire split, the Eastern part of the empire came to be known as the Byzantine empire with Constantinople as its capital. The Byzantine empire was famous for its art, and architecture, particularly the use of mosaic art, where intricate pictures are made using pieces of stones. One can find many mosaic art pieces inside Hagia Sophia as well as the Chora museum and other Byzantine structures around Istanbul.

 

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The United Nations marked its 75th anniversary on September 21, 2020 with a high-level global meeting. The world leaders came together virtually amidst growing tensions of several nations with China and the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The theme for this year’s discussion was “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism”. During the event, the UN General Assembly adopted a forward-looking declaration that called for strengthening the mechanism to combat terrorism, reformed multilateralism, inclusive development and better preparedness to deal with challenge like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for comprehensive reforms in the United Nations. In this video address, the Indian Prime Minister started “We cannot fight today’s challenges with outdated structures. Without comprehensive reforms, the UN faces a crisis of confidence.” Modi vouched for reformed multilateralism, giving a voice to all stakeholders. He also called for changes that would address contemporary challenges and focus on human welfare.

Modi’s call comes at a time when India is ready to take up an elected non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council India’s two-year term will commerce on January 1, 2021.

Did you know?

The United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 every year as on this day in 1945, the UN Charter came into force after being ratified by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – China, Russia, the U.S., the U.K., and France – and a majority of other signatories.

The UN Charter is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, drafted with the aim of maintaining world peace and upholding human rights.

 

Picture Credit : Google