History, Art & Culture: April 2022 Current Affairs - UPSC PDF Download

1. Malabar Rebellion

Why in News?
Recently, the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) has deferred its decision on a recommendation to remove the 1921 Malabar Rebellion (Moplah riots) martyrs from the list of India’s freedom fighters.

• The recommendation also included the names Variamkunnaathu Kunhahamad Haji and Ali Musliyar. 

What is the Indian Council of Historical Research?

• About: It is an autonomous organization, established under Societies Registration Act,1860 in 1972. € It is under the Ministry of Education.
• Objectives:€ To bring historians together for exchange of views. € To give a national direction to an objective and scientific writing of history.
  To promote, accelerate and coordinate research in history and ensure its dissemination. € The council also provides grants, assistance and fellowships for historical research.

What is the Background?

• In the sixteenth century when Portuguese traders arrived on the Malabar coast, they noted the Mappilas to be a mercantile community concentrated in urban centres and fairly segregated from the local Hindu population.
• However, with the rise in Portuguese commercial power, the Mappilas found themselves a competitor and increasingly started moving inland in search of new economic opportunities.
• The shifting of the Mappilas led to a clash of religious identities both with the local Hindu population and the Portuguese.

Who was Moplahs/Mappilas?

• The name Mappilla (lit. son-in-law; anglicized form Moplah) is given to Malayali-speaking Muslims who reside along the entire length of the Malabar Coast of northern Kerala.
• By 1921, the Moplahs formed the largest and fastest growing community in Malabar. With a population of one million, 32% of that of Malabar as a whole, the Moplahs were concentrated in South Malabar.

What was Mapillah Revolt?

• About: Fuelled by the fiery speeches by Muslim religious leaders and anti-british sentiments, the Mopillahs launched a violent rebellion. Numerous acts of violence were reported and a series of persecutions were committed both against the British and the Hindu landlords.
  While there are some who call it a case of religious fanaticism, there are others who look at it as an instance of struggle against British authority, and then there are others who perceive the Malabar rebellion to be a peasant revolt against unfair practices of the landlords.
  While historians continue to debate on the matter, the broad consensus on the episode notes it to have started off as a struggle against political power, which later took on a communal colour.  Most of the landlords were Namboodiri Brahmins while most of the tenants were Mapillah Muslims.
  The riots led to the mass killings of over 10,000 Hindus, raping of women, forced religious conversions, destruction or damage of nearly 300 temples, loot and arson of properties worth crores of rupees and burning of houses belonging to the Hindus.
• Support: In the initial stages, the movement had the support of Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian nationalist leaders, but as it turned violent they distanced themselves from it.
• Collapse: By the end of 1921, the rebellion was crushed by the British who had raised a special battalion, the Malabar Special Force for the riot.
• Wagon Tragedy: In November 1921, 67 Moplah prisoners were killed when they were being transported in a closed freight wagon from Tirur to the Central Prison in Podanur. They died of suffocation. This event is called the Wagon Tragedy.

What were the Reasons behind the Mapillah Revolt?

• Non-Cooperation & Khilafat Movement: The trigger of the uprising came from the NonCooperation Movementlaunched by the Congress in 1920 along with the Khilafat agitation.€ The anti-British sentiment fuelled by these agitations affected the Muslim Mapillahs.
• New Tenancy Laws: After the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Malabar had come under British authority as part of the Madras Presidency.
  The British had introduced new tenancy laws that tremendously favoured the landlords known as Janmis and instituted a far more exploitative system for peasants than before. The new laws deprived the peasants of all guaranteed rights to the land, share in the produce they earlier got and in effect rendered them landless.

• Read more on “Resentment before 1857”
• Read more on “Peasant Movements and Trade Unions Movements”

2. Shaheed Diwas

Why in News?
Every year, Shaheed Diwas, also known as Martyrs’ Day or Sarvodaya Day, is observed on 23rd March.

• This Day should not be confused with the Martyrs’ Day observed on 30th January, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.

What is the History behind Shaheed Diwas?

• It was on this day that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed by the British government in 1931. They were hanged to death for assassinating John Saunders, a British police officer in 1928. They had mistaken him for British police superintendent James Scott.
  It was Scott who had ordered lathi charge, which eventually led to the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.€ While Bhagat Singh, who had publicly announced avenging Lala Lajpat Rai’s death, went into hiding for many months after this shootout, he resurfaced along with an associate Batukeshwar Dutt, and the two, in April 1929, set off two explosive devices inside the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi.
  Allowed themselves to be arrested, while shouting the famous slogan: “Inquilab Zindabad“, or “Long live the revolution”.
• Their lives inspired countless youth and in their death, they set an example. They carved out their own path for independence, where individual heroism and their aggressive need to do something for the nation stood out, departing from the path followed by the Congress leaders then.

Who was Bhagat Singh?

• Early Life: € Born as Bhaganwala on the 26th September, 1907, Bhagat Singh grew up in a petty-bourgeois family of Sandhu Jats settled in the Jullundur Doab district of the Punjab.
  He belonged to a generation that was to intervene between two decisive phases of the Indian national movement - the phase of the ‘Extremism’ of Lal-Bal-Pal and the Gandhian phase of nonviolent mass action.
• Role in Freedom Struggle: In 1923, Bhagat Singh joined the National College, Lahore which was founded and managed by Lala Lajpat Rai and Bhai Parmanand. The College was set up as an alternative to the institutions run by the Government, bringing to the field of education the idea of Swadeshi.
  In 1924 in Kanpur, he became a member of the Hindustan Republican Association, started by Sachindranath Sanyal a year earlier. The main organiser of the Association was Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh became very close to him. It was as a member of the HRA that Bhagat Singh began to take seriously the philosophy of the Bomb.
  Revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Vohra wrote the famous article philosophy of the Bomb. Including the philosophy of bomb he authored three important political documents; the other two were Manifesto of Naujawan Sabha and Manifesto of HSRA.
  Armed revolution was understood to be the only weapon with which to fight British imperialism. € In 1925, Bhagat Singh returned to Lahore and within the next year he and his colleagues started a militant youth organisation called the Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
  In April 1926, Bhagat Singh established contact with Sohan Singh Josh and through him the ‘Workers and Peasants Party’ which brought out the monthly magazine Kirti in Punjabi.
  For the next year Bhagat Singh worked with Josh and joined the editorial board of Kirti. € In 1927, he was first arrested on charges of association with the Kakori Case, accused for an article written under the pseudonym Vidrohi (Rebel). He was also accused of being responsible for a bomb explosion at Lahore during the Dussehra fair.
   In 1928, Bhagat Singh changed the name of Hindustan Republican Association to Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). In 1930, when Azad was shot, the HSRA collapsed.  Naujawan Bharat Sabha replaced HSRA in Punjab.
  His time in the prison was spent protesting, seeking better living conditions for inmates. During this time, he gained the sympathy of the public, especially when he joined fellow defendant Jatin Das in a hunger strike.  The strike ended with Das’ death from starvation in September 1929. Two years later, Singh was convicted and hanged at the age of 23.

3. Bamiyan Buddhas

Why in News?
Recently, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has said it would protect the ancient Buddha statues in Mes Aynak.

• Mes Aynak is also the site of a copper mine where the Taliban are hoping for Chinese investment.
• The Taliban’s position is in marked contrast to the time they ruled Afghanistan earlier, when, in the face of global outrage, they brought down the centuries-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan using artillery, explosives, and rockets.
  

What is Background of Taliban’s Destruction of Bamiyan?

• The hardline Taliban movement, which emerged in the early 1990s, was in control of almost 90% of Afghanistan by the end of the decade.
• While their governance supposedly curbed lawlessness, they also introduced so-called “Islamic punishments’’ and a regressive idea of Islamic practices, which included banning television, public executions, and lack of schooling for girls aged 10 and above. The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas was part of this extremist culture.
• On 27th February 2001, the Taliban declared its intention to destroy the statues.

What is the Status After Destruction?

• In 2003, UNESCO included the remains of the Bamiyan Buddhas in its list of world heritage sites.
• On 9th March 2021, the statue of Salsal was “recreated” — a 3D projection was beamed at the corner where it had stood.

What are Bamiyan Buddhas?

• Legacy of the Bamiyan Buddhas: The Bamiyan Buddha statues, cut from sandstone
  cliffs, are said to have dated back to the 5th century AD, and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world.
  In their Roman draperies and with two different mudras, the statues were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles.
  Called Salsal and Shamama by the locals, they rose to heights of 55 and 38 metres respectively.  Salsal means “light shines through the universe”, while Shamama is “Queen Mother”.
• Significance: Bamiyan is situated in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush in the central highlands of Afghanistan. The valley, which is set along the line of the Bamiyan River, was once integral to the early days of the Silk Roads, providing passage for not just merchants, but also culture, religion and language.
  When the Buddhist Kushan Empire spread, acting as a crucible of sorts, Bamiyan became a major trade, cultural and religious centre. As China, India and Rome sought passage through Bamiyan, the Kushans were able to develop a syncretic culture. € In the rapid spread of Buddhism between the 1st to 5th centuries AD, Bamiyan’s landscape reflected the faith, especially its monastic qualities.
  The two colossal Buddhas were only a part of several other structures, such as stupas, smaller seated and standing Buddhas, and wall paintings in caves, spread in and around surrounding valleys.

Read more on “ India Architecture, Sculpture and Pottery” 

4. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Why in News?
Recently, the Prime Minister paid tributes to people killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

• He asserted that their unparalleled courage and sacrifice will keep motivating the coming generations. 13th April, 2022 marks the 103 years of the incident.
• Earlier, the Gujarat government marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav killings, calling it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”.

What is the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?

• About: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the Amritsar massacre of 13th April 1919 accounts for the gruesome execution of hundreds of innocent people by the Gurkha British Indian army on the orders of the then Anglo-Indian Brigadier R.E.H. Dyer.
  These people were protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act 1919.

What was the Rowlatt Act 1919?

• During World War I (1914–18) the British government of India enacted a series of repressive emergency powers that were intended to combat subversive activities.
  In this context, this act was passed on the recommendations of the Sedition Committee chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt. It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
• Background: Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws, which would start with a hartal on 6th April 1919. In Punjab, on 9th April 1919, two nationalist leaders, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal, were arrested by the British officials without any provocation except that they had addressed protest meetings and taken to some unknown destination.
  This caused resentment among the Indian protestors who came out in thousands on 10th April to show their solidarity with their leaders. To curb any future protest, the government put martial law in place and law and order in Punjab was handed over to Brigadier-General Dyer.
• Day of the Incident: On 13th April, Baisakhi day, a large crowd of people mostly from neighbouring villages, unaware of the prohibitory orders in Amritsar gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh.
  Brigadier- General Dyer arrived on the scene with his men.
  The troops surrounded the gathering under orders from General Dyer and blocked the only exit point and opened fire on the unarmed crowd killing more than 1000 unarmed men, women, and children.
• Aftermath/Significance of the Incident Jallianwala Bagh became a key point in the history of India’s struggle for independence and it is now an important monument in the country.€ The Jallianwala Bagh tragedy was one of the causes that led Mahatma Gandhi to begin organising his first large-scale and sustained nonviolent protest (satyagraha) campaign, the Non Cooperation Movement (1920–22).
  The Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced the knighthood that he had received in 1915.€ The then government of India ordered an investigation of the incident (the Hunter Commission), which in 1920 censured Dyer for his actions and ordered him to resign from the military.

5. Jyotirao Phule

Why in News?

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the great social reformer, philosopher and writer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule on his birth anniversary (11th April). He is also known as Jyotiba Phule.

Who was Jyotirao Phule?

• Brief Profile:€ Birth: Phule was born on 11th April, 1827 in presentday Maharashtra and belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners and vegetable farmers.
• Education: In 1841, Phule was enrolled at the Scottish Missionary High School (Pune), where he completed education.
• Ideology: His Ideology was based on: Liberty; Egalitarianism; Socialism.
• Phule was influenced by Thomas Paine’s book titled The Rights of Man and believed that the only solution to combat the social evils was the enlightenment of women and members of the lower castes.
• Major Publications: Tritiya Ratna (1855); Powada: Chatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosle Yancha (1869);
• Gulamgiri (1873), Shetkarayacha Aasud (1881). Related Association: Phule along with his followers formed Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 which meant ‘Seekers of Truth’ in order to attain equal social and economic benefits for the lower castes in Maharashtra.
• Municipal Council Member: He was appointed commissioner to the Poona municipality and served in the position until 1883. Title of Mahatma: He was bestowed with the title of Mahatma on 11th May, 1888 by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.

Social Reformer

In 1848, he taught his wife (Savitribai) how to read and write, after which the couple opened the first indigenously run school for girls in Pune where they both taught.

He was a believer in gender equality and he exemplified his beliefs by involving his wife in all his social reform activities.

By 1852, the Phules had established three schools but all of them had shut by 1858 due to the shortage of funds after the Revolt of 1857.

Jyotiba realised the pathetic conditions of widows and established an ashram for young widows and eventually became an advocate of the idea of Widow Remarriage.

Jyotirao attacked the orthodox Brahmins and other upper castes and termed them as “hypocrites”. In 1868, Jyotirao constructed a common bathing tank outside his house to exhibit his embracing attitude towards all human beings and wished to dine with everyone, regardless

of their caste. He started awareness campaigns that ultimately inspired the likes of Dr. B.R.

Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, stalwarts who undertook major initiatives against caste

discrimination later.

It is believed by many that it was Phule who first used the term ‘Dalit’ for the depiction of oppressed masses often placed outside the ‘varna system’. He worked for abolishment of untouchability and caste system in Maharashtra.

Death: 28th November, 1890. His memorial is built in Phule Wada, Pune, Maharashtra

6. Mahavir Jayanti

Why in News?

What is Mahavir Jayanti?

• About: Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most auspicious festivals in the Jain community. This day marks the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, who was the 24th and the last Tirthankara who succeeded the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanatha. € According to Jain texts, Lord Mahavira was born on the 13th day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra.
  As per the Gregorian calendar, Mahavir Jayanti is usually celebrated during the month of March or April. A procession is called with the idol of Lord Mahavira called the Rath Yatra. Reciting stavans or Jain prayers, statues of the lord are given a ceremonial bath called abhisheka.
• Lord Mahavira: Mahavir was born to King Siddhartha of Kundagrama and Queen Trishala, a Lichchhavi princess in the year 540 BC in the Vajji kingdom, identical with modern day Vaishali in Bihar.€ Mahavira belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty. There are several historians who believe that he was born in a place called Ahalya bhumi and the land has not been plowed for hundreds of years by the family that owns it. Lord Mahavir was named Vardhamana, which means “one who grows”.
  He abandoned worldly life at the age of 30 and attained ‘kaivalya’ or omniscience at the age of 42. Mahavira taught ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity) and aparigraha (non-attachment) to his disciples and his teachings were called Jain Agamas.
  Ordinary people were able to understand the teachings of Mahavira and his followers because they used Prakrit.€ It is believed that the Mahavira passed away and attained moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) at the age of 72 in 468 BC at a place called Pavapuri near modern Rajgir in Bihar.

What is Jainism?

• The word Jaina comes from the term Jina, meaning conqueror.
• Tirthankara is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Ford maker’, i.e., one who is able to ford the river, to cross beyond the perpetual flow of earthly life.
• Jainism attaches utmost importance to ahimsa or non-violence.
• It preaches 5 mahavratas (the 5 great vows):
  (i) Ahimsa (Non-violence)
  (ii) Satya (Truth)
  (iii) Asteya or Acharya (Non-stealing)
  (iv) Aparigraha (Non-attachment/Non-possession)
  (v) Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity)
• Among these 5 teachings, the Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity) was added by Mahavira.
• The three jewels or Triratna of Jainism include:
  (i) Samyak Darshana (right faith).
  (ii)€ Samyak Gyana (right knowledge).
  (iii) Samyak Charitra (right conduct).
• Jainism is a religion of self-help. There are no gods or spiritual beings that will help human beings.€ It does not condemn the varna system.
• In later times, it got divided into two sects:€ Shvetambaras (white-clad) under Sthalabahu. Digambaras (sky-clad) under the leadership of Bhadrabahu.
• The important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated: even stones, rocks, and water have life.
• Non-injury to living beings, especially to humans, animals, plants, and insects, is central to Jaina philosophy.
• According to Jain teachings, the cycle of birth and rebirth is shaped through karma
• Asceticism and penance are required to free oneself from the cycle of karma and achieve the liberation of the soul.
• The practice of Santhara is also a part of Jainism. € It is the ritual of fasting unto death. Swetambara Jains call it Santhara whereas Digambars call it Sallekhana.

7. Birth Anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar

Why in News?
The nation celebrated the 131st birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar on 14th April 2022.

• Dr. Ambedkar was a social reformer, jurist, economist, author, polyglot (knowing or using several languages) orator, a scholar, and thinker of comparative religions

What are the Key Points?

• Birth
  Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born in 1891 in Mhow, Central Province (now Madhya Pradesh).
• Brief Profile
  He is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution and was India’s first Law Minister. He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the new Constitution. He was a well-known statesman who fought for the rights of the Dalits and other socially backward classes.
• Contributions
  He led the Mahad Satyagraha in March 1927 against Hindus who were opposing the decision of the Municipal Board. In 1926, the Municipal Board of Mahad (Maharashtra) passed an order to throw open the tank to all communities. Earlier, the untouchables were not allowed to use water from the Mahad tank.
  He participated in all three Round Table Conferences. In 1932, Dr. Ambedkar signed the Poona pact with Mahatma Gandhi, which abandoned the idea of separate electorates for the depressed classes (Communal Award).
  However, the seats reserved for the depressed classes were increased from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures and to 18% of the total in the Central Legislature.€ His ideas before the Hilton Young Commission served as the foundation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• Election and Designation
  In 1936, he was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly as a legislator (MLA). He was appointed to the Executive Council of Viceroy as a Labour member in 1942. In 1947, Dr. Ambedkar accepted PM Nehru’s invitation to become Minister of Law in the first Cabinet of independent India.
• Shift to Buddhism
  He resigned from the cabinet in 1951, over differences on the Hindu Code Bill. € He converted to Buddhism. He died on 6th December 1956 (Mahaparinirvan Diwas). Chaitya Bhoomi is a memorial to B R Ambedkar, located in Mumbai. He was awarded India’s highest civilian honour the Bharat Ratna in 1990.
• Important Works
  Journals:
  (i) Mooknayak (1920)
  (ii) Bahishkrit Bharat (1927)
  (iii) Samatha (1929)
  (iv) Janata (1930)
  Books:
  (i) Annihilation of Caste
  (ii) Buddha or Karl Marx

The Untouchable: Who are They and Why They Have Become Untouchables Buddha and His Dhamma. The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women

€ Organisations
(i) Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1923)
(ii) Independent Labor Party (1936)
(iii) Scheduled Castes Federation (1942)

• Relevance of Ambedkar in Present Times:€ Caste-based inequality in India still persists. While Dalits have acquired a political identity through reservation and forming their own political parties, they lack behind in social dimensions (health and education) and economic dimension.€ There has been a rise of communal polarization and communalization of politics. It is necessary that Ambedkar’s vision of constitutional morality must supersede religious morality to avoid permanent damage to the Indian Constitution.

8. Traditional New Year Festivals

Why in News?
The President of India has greeted people on the eve of Chaitra Shukladi, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand, Vaisakhi, Vishu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi and PuthanduPirappu and Bohag Bihu.

• These festivals of the spring season mark the beginning of the traditional new year in India.

What are the Traditional New Year Festivals?

• Vaishakhi
  (i) It is also pronounced as Baisakhi, observed by Hindus and Sikhs.
  (ii) It marks the beginning of Hindu Solar New year.
  (iii) It commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.€ Baisakhi was also the day when colonial British empire officials committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at a gathering, an event influential to the Indian movement against colonial rule.
• Vishu: It is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu region in Karnataka, Mahé district of Union Territory of Pondicherry, neighbouring areas of Tamil Nadu and their diaspora communities.€ The festival marks the first day of Medam, the ninth month in the solar calendar in Kerala.€ It therefore always falls in the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar on 14th or 15th April every year.
• Puthandu: Also known as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is the first day of the year on the Tamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival. € The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai. It therefore falls on or about 14th April every year on the Gregorian calendar.
• Bohag Bihu:€ Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu also called Xaat Bihu (seven Bihus) is a traditional aboriginal ethnic festival celebrated in the state of Assam and other parts of northeastern India by the indigenous ethnic groups of Assam. It marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.€ It usually falls in the 2nd week of April, historically signifying the time of harvest.
• Naba Barsha: Naba Barsha is the celebration of the new year in West Bengal as per the Bengali Calendar.€ It is also popularly known as the PoilaBaisakh which literally translates to first Baisakhi (a month in the lunisolar calendar of the Bengalis). The people of Bengal come together and celebrate this new year in their own way by making it loud and magical like every other Bengali festival.€ The festival is celebrated by all castes and religions all across Bengal.
  After Durga Pooja, this is the second most hyped festival in Bengal, this festival connects the people of Bengal, especially the Bengalis who are originally Hindu.
• Chaitra Sukladi:€ It marks the beginning of the new year of the Vikram Samvat also known as the Vedic [Hindu] calendar.€ Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas, invaded Ujjain and called for a new era.€ Under his supervision, astronomers formed a new calendar based on the luni-solar system that is still followed in the northern regions of India.€ It is the first day during the waxing phase (in which the visible side of the moon is getting bigger every night) of the moon in the Chaitra (first month of Hindu calendar).
• Gudi Padwa and Ugadi:€ These festivals are celebrated by the people in the Deccan region including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.€ The common practice in the celebrations of both the festivals is the festive food that is prepared with a mix of sweet and bitter.€ A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in the South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.
  Gudi is a doll prepared in Maharashtrian homes. A bamboo stick is adorned with green or red brocade to make the gudi. This gudi is placed prominently in the house or outside a window/ door for all to see. € For Ugadi, doors in homes are adorned with mango leaf decorations called toranalu or Torana in Kannada.
• Cheti Chand:€ Sindhis celebrate the new year as Cheti Chand. Chaitra month is called ‘Chet’ in Sindhi. € The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Uderolal/Jhulelal, the patron saint of Sindhis.
• Navreh:€ It is the lunar new year that is celebrated in Kashmir. It is the Sanskrit word ‘Nav-Varsha’ from which the word ‘Navreh’ has been derived.€ It falls on the first day of the Chaitra Navratri.€ On this day, Kashmiri pandits look at a bowl of rice which is considered as a symbol of riches and fertility.
• Sajibu Cheiraoba:€ It is the great ritual festival of Meiteis (an ethnic group in Manipur) which is observed on the first day of Manipur lunar month Shajibu, which falls in the month of April every year.€ On the day of the festival, people arrange a joint family feast in which traditional cuisines are offered to local deities at the entrance gates of the houses.

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