West Bengal's Traditional Nouka Baich Boat Race

Nouka Baich Boat Race

• Nouka Baich is a traditional boat race in West Bengal, typically taking place in September during the monsoon season.
• The races often continue into October and November in some areas.
• While historically dominated by men, recent years have seen increased participation from women.
• In southern West Bengal, these races are associated with the worship of Manasa, the Hindu goddess of snakes.

Abhaya Mudra

• Abhaya Mudra is a significant hand gesture in Buddhism, representing fearlessness, security, and compassion.
• It is one of the earliest and most widely recognized mudras found in visual depictions of the Buddha.
• The term "mudra" in Sanskrit can mean a seal, mark, sign, or currency.
• In Buddhism, it refers to hand and arm gestures made during rituals or depicted in images of buddhas and other Buddhist figures.
• The Abhaya Mudra emerged around the turn of the first millennium with the earliest physical depictions of the Buddha.
• The gesture is typically formed with the right hand raised to shoulder height, palm facing outward, and fingers pointing up.

SEBEX 2

• SEBEX 2 is recognized as one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosives globally, leveraging a high-melting explosive (HMX) composition.
• It is more potent than Trinitrotoluene (TNT), with a TNT equivalence of 2.01.
• SEBEX 2 is manufactured by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), Nagpur, a subsidiary of Solar Industries, under India's Make in India initiative.
• It has been rigorously evaluated, tested, and certified by the Indian Navy under its Defence Export Promotion Scheme.

Malayan Tigers

• The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is native to Peninsular Malaysia and is found in southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula, as well as southern Thailand.
• There are less than 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild.
• The Malayan tiger is the national symbol of Malaysia.
• It is primarily solitary, except during the mating season from November to March.
• Major threats include habitat loss, poaching, destruction of biodiversity, deforestation, and urbanization.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Washing

• AI washing involves companies exaggerating their integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in products or services to appear more advanced than they actually are.
• It is a practice where tech companies and startups market themselves as using AI, but do not actually do so.