May

22,
2018
PASIGHAT AIRPORT
In May 2018, Arunachal Pradesh created history by becoming the last of the eight north-
eastern States to be on India’s commercial flight service map.
About:

 Pasighat, about 570 km northeast of Guwahati, is the headquarters of East Siang district and the
State’s oldest city.
 Pasighat airport is one of six operational advance landing grounds (ALGs) in Arunachal Pradesh.
 It was laid down in 1952 primarily for military use. A civilian terminal was built in 2017 and a test
landing of Alliance Air’s commercial flight was carried out in April this year.
 Recent development: An Alliance Air flight, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, touched down at
Pasighat Airport on May 22, 2018 from Kolkata via Guwahati. With this,
o Arunachal Pradesh found place on India’s commercial flight service map.
o Pasighat airport became India’s easternmost airport with civilian operations.

INDIA-RUSSIA RELATIONS
In May 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin held their first
informal Summit in the city of Sochi in Russia.
About:

 Both leaders agreed to institute a Strategic Economic Dialogue between NITI Aayog of India and the
Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, to identify greater synergy in trade and investment.
 As a part of the expanding energy cooperation, they welcomed the arrival of the first consignment
of LNG to India in June 2018 under a long-term agreement between Gazprom and GAIL.
 The two leaders welcomed the idea of holding informal Summits as an additional engagement at
leadership level, besides the Annual Summits between the two leaders.

NIPAH VIRUS
In May 2018, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) declared a “third major
outbreak” of the Nipah virus infection in the country, as at least four people died of the
zoonotic disease since May 5 in Kerala’s district.
The virus has been listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial
Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code).

1|Page
 May
22,
2018

NAVIKA SAGAR PARIKRAMA

In May 2018, Indian Navy’s all-women crew of INSV Tarini completed the Navika Sagar
Parikrama.
About:

 Navika Sagar Parikrama was a project under which Women Officers of Indian Navy would
circumnavigate the Globe on an Indian-Built Sail Boat INSV Tarini.
 The crew was led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi.
 This was the first ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
 The project had twin objectives:
o Promoting Ocean Sailing activities in the Navy.
o Depicting Government of India’s thrust for ‘Nari Shakti’.

INSV Tarini:

 Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini (INSV Tarini) is the second sailboat of the Indian Navy (first being
INSV Mahadei) named after Tara-Tarini temple of Odisha.
 She was constructed at Aquarius Shipyard located in Divar, Goa and was commissioned to Indian
Navy service in February 2017.

Do you know?
During the course of her voyage, the vessel has met all criteria of circumnavigation, viz.
 crossing the Equator twice,

2|Page
 May
22,
2018
 crossing all Longitudes,
 crossing the three great capes (Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope).

ASHTAPADIYATTAM
In May 2018, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the revival ceremony of
ancient Dance Drama ‘Ashtapadiyattam’ in Guruvayur, Kerala.
About:

 The dance drama is based on ‘Gita Govinda’ celebrating the mythological Radha-Krishna love.
 Although the ‘Ashtapadiyattam’ in its original form is no longer in existence, it can be found in
various parts of India in various forms- like Mohiniattam and Kathakali in Kerala, Bharatanatyam in
Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri in Manipur and Odissi in Orissa.
 Each of these regions developed its own way of articulating Jayadeva’s classic in the form of dance.

Gita Govindam?
 The Gita Govinda is poem composed by Jayadeva (a 12th-century Sanskrit poet)
 It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (female cow herders) of Vrindavana,
and in particular one gopi named Radha.
 It is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into twenty-four divisions
called Prabandhas. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis.
 The text also elaborates the eight moods of Heroine, the Ashta Nayika, which has been an
inspiration for many compositions and choreographic works in Indian classical dances.
(Jayadeva was instrumental in popularising the Dashavatara, the ten incarnations of Vishnu in
another composition, Dasakritikrite. Two hymns of Jayadeva, have been incorporated in the Guru
Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion).

3|Page