Important Facts For Prelims (31st May 2019)

• 31 May 2019

NGTS-4b

Astronomers have discovered a rogue exoplanet with its own atmosphere in the Neptunian Desert.

• NGTS-4b, nick-named ‘The Forbidden Planet’ is smaller than Neptune but three times the size of Earth.
  
  • The exoplanet has a mass of 20 Earth masses, a radius 20 per cent smaller than Neptune, and temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius.
  • It orbits around the star in only 1.3 days — the equivalent of Earth’s orbit around the Sun of one year.
  • It is the first exoplanet of its kind to have been found in the Neptunian Desert.
• Neptunian Desert: is the region close to stars where no Neptune-sized planets are found.
  
  • This area receives strong irradiation from the star. The planets do not retain their gaseous atmosphere as they evaporate leaving just a rocky core.
  • It is believed that the planet may have moved into the Neptunian Desert recently, in the last one million years. It was very big and the atmosphere is still evaporating.
  • This planet must be tough, it is right in the zone where we expected Neptune-sized planets could not survive.
• Exoplanet Planets: orbit around other stars in outer space. Exoplanets are very hard to see directly with telescopes. They are hidden by the bright glare of the stars they orbit.

Kalbelia Dance

• Kalbelia dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life.
• Location: The largest number of the population of Kalbelias is in Pali district, then Ajmer, Chittorgarh and Udaipur district.
• Nomadic life: Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways.
  
  • They live a nomadic life and belong to the scheduled tribes.
• Instruments: Women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the “khanjari” instrument and the "poongi", a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes.
  
  • The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread.
  • Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours.
• The songs also demonstrate the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during performances.
  
  • Transmitted from generation to generation, the songs and dances form part of an oral tradition for which no texts or training manuals exist.
  • Song and dance are a matter of pride for the Kalbelia community and a marker of their identity at a time when their traditional travelling lifestyle and role in rural society are diminishing.
• They demonstrate their community’s attempt to revitalize its cultural heritage and adapt it to changing socioeconomic conditions.

Wellbeing Budget

• New Zealand became the first country to unveil its "wellbeing" budget.
  • Factors, such as life expectancy, education levels, air quality and "a sense of belonging" were included in the budget.
  • There will be increased spending on mental health, indigenous welfare and child poverty in a budget.
• Many other nations have adopted similar concepts but the New Zealand attempt is being touted as the first time it has been at the core of a government's spending decisions.
• The idea of wellbeing budget is 2^nd such innovative step after, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan first floated the idea of prioritising happiness over growth in the early 1970s and introduced a Gross National Happiness Index in 2008.