Important Facts For Prelims (23rd March 2019)

• 23 Mar 2019

LIMA 2019

• The Indian Air Force is going to participate in Langkawi International Maritime Aero Expo (LIMA) 2019.
• Langkawi International Maritime Aero Expo (LIMA-2019) is planned in Langkawi, Malaysia from 26 March 2019 to 30 March 2019.
• Indian Air Force is participating in the Maritime Aero Expo for the first time, during which it will showcase its indigenously developed LCA Tejas fighter aircraft.
• Participation of IAF in LIMA-2019 will provide an opportunity to air-warriors to interact with their Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) counterparts and foster a close relationship between the two services.

Cyclone Trevor & Veronica

• Two cyclonic storms, named Trevor and Veronica, are expected to make landfall into Australia’s coasts.
• Trevor is expected to make landfall in northeast Australia while Veronica will hit northwest Australia.
• Trevor and Veronica are no different from the hurricanes or cyclones except that they spin clockwise instead of counterclockwise.
  • In the Northern Hemisphere the direction of the cyclone is counterclockwise, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is clockwise.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on 21^st March every year.
• The theme for 2019 is Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies.

History of the Day

• The UN General Assembly on 26 October 1966 proclaimed 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to be commemorated annually.
• On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws".
• Proclaiming the Day in 1966 which signifies the struggle to end the policy of apartheid in South Africa.

Navroz

• Navroz is New Year celebrations on March 21 every year for Parsis, followers of Zoroastrianism and various sects of Muslim, both Shias and Sunnis.
• In 1079 AD, a Persian (Iranian) king named Jalaluddin Malekshah introduced the Navroz (New Year) festival to generate revenue and collect taxes from people.
• It was observed on March 21 to mark the beginning of spring and the day of equinox.
• It is inscribed in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of India. In India it is known as Jamshed Navroz.

Intangible Cultural Heritage of India

• Kumbh Mela, Yoga, Traditional brass and copper craft of utensils among thatheras of Punjab, Sankirtana (ritual singing, dancing and drumming of Manipur), Buddhist chanting of Ladakh, Chhau Dance, Kalbelia (folk song and dance of Rajasthan), Kutiyattam (a Sanskrit theatre of Kerala), Tradition of Vedic Chanting, Ramlila, Novruz (Persian New Year), Ramman(religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas), Mudiyettu (ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala).