Swami Vivekananda: Life and Influence

Swami Vivekananda

• Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• His full name was Narendranath Datta.
• He was the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna Paramhans.
• He was deeply interested in spiritualism and Vedanta.
• He believed that Hinduism was the only religion that fully recognized that all religions are expressions of the same truth.
• He became widely known for his participation in the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he delivered his famous speech.
• He established Belur Math in 1899 and founded the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.
• He popularized Indian culture globally.
• India observes National Youth Day on his birthday, January 12, to honor his contributions and legacy.
• He died on July 4, 1902, at the age of 39.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

• The Great Indian Bustard is a large bird found only in India.
• Its scientific name is Ardeotis nigriceps.
• It is an agro-grassland bird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent.
• It is found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh in India, as well as parts of Pakistan.
• It inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands.
• It is one of the heaviest flying birds, weighing up to 15 kg (33 pounds).
• Males and females are roughly the same size but can be distinguished by the color of their feathers.
• The Great Indian Bustard is a key indicator species of the grassland habitat.
• It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and in Appendix I of CITES.

Zinc

• Zinc is a silvery blue-grey metal with a relatively low melting and boiling point.
• It often occurs together with lead, silver, and cadmium in ores.
• It is the fourth most widely used metal in the world, after steel, aluminum, and copper.
• India is self-sufficient in zinc production.
• The largest reserves of lead-zinc ore are in Rajasthan, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.
• Australia holds 27% of the world's zinc reserves, while China accounts for 18%.

Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

• Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Lower Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
• It lies between the Subansiri, Sipu, and Pange rivers.
• The sanctuary is home to Indian elephant, Flying squirrel, Giant squirrel, Himalayan black bear, and many other species.
• It has alpine forests like silver fir trees, ferns, orchids, bamboo, and rhododendron.