Jnanpith Award

Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award of our country, was presented to Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan and Konkani novelist Damodar Mauzo, for their outstanding contribution to literature. 90-year-old Nilmani Phookan is a Sahitya Akademi and Padma Shri Awardee and 77-year-old Damodar Mauzo is also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and his books have been translated into several Indian languages.

Doodle Pizza Puzzle

On December 6, 2021, Google created an interactive doodle to celebrate pizza, one of the world’s favourite dishes. The pizza puzzle game features the eleven most popular pizza toppings across the globe and encourages its users to slice based on the type of pizza ordered. The search engine also stated that an estimated five billion pizzas are consumed every year, all over the world.

Mahaparinirvan Divas

In India, the death anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is observed every year on December 6, as Mahaparinirvan Divas. Also known respectfully as Babasaheb, Dr Ambedkar was among the seven members of the Drafting Committee, who prepared the draft of the Constitution of independent India. From 1947 to 1951, Babasaheb also served as the Minister of Law and Justice in the first cabinet of the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

New Chapter

Till now in the history of the Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University, only boys were admitted to the vesham courses, which included teaching both southern and northern styles of Kathakali. For the first time in 91 years, eight girls were admitted for this course with two boys. Three girls and one boy joined the vesham course in the southern style and five girls and a boy joined vesham, northern style.

A Day to Remember

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), is observed every year globally on December 3. More than one billion people across the world live with some form of disability. This day is marked to raise awareness about the well-being of these people and promote their rights and positive contributions to society. The day was first proclaimed in 1992, by the United General Assembly Resolution.

Return to Normalcy

After 25 years of hardships, the residents of Mangi village in Komaram Bheem-Asifabad District, Telangana, have managed to convince the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), to resume bus services to their area. In 1995, the bus services were suspended in Mangi, after the village became a Maoist stronghold. The authorities are now focused on providing education and employment opportunities to the children and adults of the village and improving its infrastructure.

Right Person at the Right Time

Gita Gopinath, currently working as the Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF),Washington, is all set to become its First Deputy Managing Director. The economist, who hails from Mysore, India, will be serving under Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of IMF. Kristalina described Gopinath as the right person to take up the leadership role at the right time.

First in the Locality

22-year-old Naziya Parvin, from Jhalawar District, Rajasthan, is all set to become the first doctor in her locality. Naziya scored 668 marks in the NEET, 2021 and ranked 1759th among eight lakh candidates, at the national level. Naziya never gave up on her dreams and cracked this prestigious exam in her fourth attempt by taking online study help.

Greater Work

38-year-old Pankaj Kumar Tarai, a truck driver from Hasina village, Jagatsinghpur District, Odisha, has rescued 400 accident victims in the last 16 years. Though Pankaj initially started this rescue mission alone, many joined to help him over the years. Currently, there are 25 members who rush to rescue the victims with him and coordinate with the local police, firefighters and other volunteers, to shift them safely to a hospital.

Spreading Awareness

Every year, World AIDS Day is observed globally on December 1. The day is marked to create awareness about this dangerous disease, which not only attacks the immune system but also reduces its resistance to other diseases. 1st December has become one of the most recognised health days as it provides more opportunity for government officials and individuals to raise awareness about the medications and treatment among the people.