Dr Peggy Mohan wins 'Mathrubhumi Book of the Year' award

Author Dr Peggy Mohan has won the 'Mathrubhumi Book of the Year' award during the 4th edition of Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL 2023).

• He has been given this award for his book 'Wanderers, Kings and Merchants', which portrays the development of language as a result of migration.

• In this award, he was given a statuette and two lakh rupees as a cash prize.

• The award was presented to Dr Peggy Mohan by Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah at the closing ceremony of MBIFL 2023.

Dr Peggy Mohan:

• She is a Trinidadian-born writer and a linguist.

• He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Michigan, USA.

• He worked as Professor of Language Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia University, New Delhi.

Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL):

• Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters was started in the year 2018.

• MBIFL 2023 was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

• This was the 4th edition of MBIFL with the theme "Shadows of History, Light of the Future ''

Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2023

• Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2023 is being organised in Mumbai (Maharashtra) from 4 -12 February.

• In the Kala Ghoda Festival, dance, art and music, architecture, food, handicrafts, graphics, and many other types of art exhibitions are seen.

• Kala Ghoda Kala Mahotsav is an arts festival organised in Mumbai, which was started in 1999 by Kala Ghoda Foundation.

• It is named Kala Ghoda because it is held at a place in the South Mumbai area where there is a statue of a black horse.

Other Festivals of Maharashtra:

• Gudi Padwa

Maharashtrians as Hindu New Year celebrations.

• Pola Festival

Harvest festival

• Elephanta Festival

Elephanta is a small island near Mumbai.

• Kalidas Mahotsav

The Kalidas Samaroh is held annually in the month of November in Nagpur's Ramtek area, in honour of the famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidas.

ITBP won the title of National Ice Hockey Championship 2023

• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has won the National Ice Hockey Championship 2023 title.

• The 12th edition of the competition has been organized in Ladakh, Leh.

• The championship was organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI).

• The ITBP team won the title for the third consecutive time by defeating Ladakh Scouts in the final with a score of 1-0.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

• It was established in 1962, after the Indo-China War of 1962. It is usually deployed in the Himalayan mountains along the border with China.

• Motto: Bravery – Perseverance – Dedication

• Headquarters: New Delhi

• Director General: Anish Dayal Singh

36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela

• Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President of India inaugurated the 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad, Haryana on 3 February 2023.

• The fair will be organized between 3 -19 February 2023.

• This year the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the partner nation for the Surajkund International Crafts Fair.

• The theme state for the year 2023 is North Eastern Region (NER), while Jammu and Kashmir was the theme state for the year 2022.

Surajkund International Crafts Mela

• This fair was started in the year 1987 to promote the pool of skilled artisans.

• The fair was upgraded to an international level fair in the year 2013.

• The fair is organized every year in the month of February by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.