The G20 summit venue in New Delhi is about to receive a significant cultural touch – a gigantic 28-feet bronze statue of Nataraja, touted as the tallest in the world. The sculpture, weighing 19 tons, blends eight metals like gold, silver, lead, copper, tin, mercury, iron, and zinc known as Ashtadhatu. This magnificent piece of art was crafted in Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu, renowned for the worship of Lord Shiva in His dancing form and its exquisite bronze icons.
Swamimalai holds spiritual significance as one of the six holy abodes of Lord Murugan, also referred to as Padai Veedugal or Battle Camps. It is also famous for its Swamimalai Bronze Icons, which are adorned with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
The Nataraja statue was skilfully created using the ‘lost-wax’ casting technique. This method follows the Chola tradition where molten bronze is poured into clay molds. Chola bronzes are held in high regard in the art world for their exceptional beauty and craftsmanship.
Echolocation: A Skill of Nature Further Developed by Humans
Echolocation is a remarkable technique employed by certain animals and technological devices to understand their surroundings better. By emitting high-frequency sounds and listening for the returning echoes, they can estimate distances and locate objects.
This technique is commonly used by animals like bats and dolphins to determine object locations using reflected sound. It enables the animals to navigate, hunt, identify friends and foes, and avoid obstacles even in complete darkness.
Inspired by this natural ability, humans developed sonar (sound navigation and ranging) and radar (radio detection and ranging) technologies. Sonar is largely used for underwater navigation and communication, whereas radar is used in aviation, weather forecasting, and military operations. Recently engineers have used echolocation to develop smartphone apps that create room maps, assisting visually impaired individuals in better navigation.
132nd Edition of Durand Cup 2023
Started in Shimla in 1888 by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the Foreign Secretary to the Govt of India, the Durand Football Tournament shields the distinction of being the third oldest football tournament globally and the oldest in Asia and India. The ongoing 132nd edition is organized by India’s Armed Forces.
The Durand Cup tournament comprises two stages: the group stage and the knockout rounds. It uniquely rewards three trophies to the winning team—the Durand Cup, the Shimla Trophy, and the President’s Cup.
IAF Marks its Debut in Ex BRIGHT STAR-23
An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent participates for the first time in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23, a multilateral, tri-service exercise hosted biennially at Cairo (West) Air Base, Egypt. Besides focusing on refining joint operation planning and execution, the event strengthens international bonds and strategic relations among participant nations.
Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra Strikes Gold Again
Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra reaffirms his legacy by grabbing the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He registered an impressive throw of 88.17m. Prior to this achievement, Neeraj Chopra was already celebrated as the first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, secure the Diamond League title in 2022, and won the junior world championships in 2016.
Prime Minister’s Noteworthy Declarations
Honoring the commendable feat of ISRO scientists in Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Prime Minister marked August 23 as ‘National Space Day’. Furthermore, he named the touchdown site of Vikram Lander as ‘Shiv Shakti’ and the crash site of Chandrayaan-2’s 2019 lander as ‘Tiranga’.
