The post India and Australia stress the significance of a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The two countries also discussed the significant challenges facing the Indo-Pacific and deliberated on future collaboration in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic during the inaugural ‘two-plus-two talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and their Australian counterparts Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, respectively.
Acknowledging that terrorism is a major threat to both sides, Dutton said that “Australia-India defense relationship is at a historic high.”
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]]>The post All you need to know about World Photography Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is,” said another photophile.
It all makes sense because photography is something you learn to love very quickly, even if you pick up the camera only now and then. There is also a day that celebrates and recognizes the art.
World Photography Day is observed annually to celebrate the craft, art, science, and history of photography.
The objective of the day is to inspire more and more photographers, both experts and amateurs, to talk about a profession that is a fine blend of art and technology.
The camera is celebrated in all of its many forms. After all, the device has become a major part of our lives. Of course, it’s of greater significance and importance to professionals. But the influence of the camera has transcended colour, caste, religion, and region for many years now.
That’s the reason why photography became an art form that needed to be celebrated.
History :
If one looks back at the history of World Photography Day, its origins can be traced to 1837, when the Daguerreotype, a photographic process, was developed by Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce.
Just two years later, the French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype process. However, it wasn’t the first permanent photographic image.
Then on August 19, the French government announced the invention as a gift free to the world. And that’s how it all started.
A few years before the development of the process, Niepce captured the earliest known permanent photograph, which came to be called ‘View From The Window at Le Grass’.
Many years since then, the first-ever durable colour photograph was taken in the year 1861 by Thomas Sutton. More than 100 years later, the world got its first digital camera.
Significance :
World Photography Day celebrates the rich history of the art of photography. It brings together people who share a passion for art.
Besides a recall of history, the day raises awareness and shares ideas and nuances about the field of photography. It also shows photography aficionados some historic shots of the present and past.
From taking selfies to posting pictures of life’s events, casual photography has become a major part of our lives. Cameras are now as small as a pen that can fit into your pocket. There are also special ones that are impossible to detect.
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]]>The post All you need to know about International Left handers day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The day is now celebrated worldwide, with around 20 events taking place in the United Kingdom alone.
Though only around 10% of the world’s population is left-handed, this group includes several prominent personalities. Former two-time US president Barack Obama, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, pop singers Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Apple founder Steve Jobs etc. were all left-handed. From among historical figures, this informal group includes the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Pablo Picasso, Napoleon Bonaparte etc.
Several prominent personalities from India, too, use their left hand for day-to-day works. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actor Amitabh Bachchan, industrialist Ratan Tata etc. are all left-handed.
Left-handers are likely to have better verbal skills than their right-handed counterparts, according to a 2019 study by Oxford University. The basis of this conclusion was a discovery by the researchers that left and right hemispheres of brains of left-handed individuals had better co-ordination in regions involving the use of language. The scientists, though, also cautioned that their study sample constituted just a fraction of the world’s left-handed population, adding that more research is required to reach a definitive conclusion in this regard.
Additionally, the research also found that left-handers were at slightly lower risk of both schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.
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]]>The post All you need to know about World Elephant Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Over the years, the initiative gained extensive support from celebrities, politicians and others.
World Elephant Day 2021: History
On August 12, 2012, the first World Elephant Day was observed, highlighting the plight of Asian and African elephants. The Thai-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, in collaboration with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims, organized the event for the day. And since 2012, The Sims has been a leader in World Elephant Day.
The day also focuses on spreading awareness about their preservation and protection. Notably, various threats including, poaching, habitat loss, mistreatment in captivity hover over elephants, especially Asian and African.
Over the years, Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims’s charitable organisation World Elephant Society has educated many and has also created awareness on an international level for elephant protection.
The Society works in partnership with 100 elephant conservation organisations. Several organisations and individuals are urged to come together to raise awareness about the challenges that elephants face.
The organization’s “unbiased” approach allows and encourages campaigns by all groups and citizens under the common umbrella of “World Elephant Day”.
World Elephant Day 2021: Significance
According to recent data of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), there are roughly 440,000 elephants left on the planet. The WWF also revealed that every year around 15,000 elephants are hunted by poachers. It is not only our responsibility to take measures for their conservation but also create awareness about the possible ‘Elephant Extinction.’
Meanwhile, despite being cultural and religious icons in India, elephants are badly treated by unschooled mahouts. Many elephants fell prey to electrocution, train accidents, poaching and poisoning.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the number of wild Asiatic elephants has dipped below 50,000, which is just 15% of its historic average. Wild Asiatic elephants are primarily found in India and in some parts of Southeast Asia.
World Elephant Day 2021: Support the cause
To observe World Elephant Day, Blue Dart will plant 1,031,170 trees for elephants on the outskirts of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in East Singhbum, Jharkhand. While Grow-Trees.com is planting millions of trees in Singhbhum Elephant Reserve, Jharkhand to repair fragmented migration routes, create sheltered and screened areas for elephants and expand habitats.
World Elephant Day 2021: Theme
This theme for this year’s World Elephant Day has not been announced, however, last year it was ‘Haathi Hamara Saathi.’
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]]>The post All you need to know about International Day of Indigenous Peoples appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Like all International days and weeks, which are marked to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is also celebrated to recognise the contribution and achievements of indigenous communities and to highlight the plight they face in their existence.
Significance of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was marked for the first time by UN General Assembly in December 1994, to commemorate the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
The UN celebrates this day every year to “demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation and approval in the constitution of a system with social and economic benefits for all”. Indigenous communities have also been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose life expectancy was already 20 years lower than that of their non-Indigenous counterparts before the pandemic hit.
The UN has been working towards ushering in constitutional reforms at the international level to address the ill-treatment of indigenous communities and the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by the General Assembly in September 2007, by a majority of 144 states in favour, was another step in the direction. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States were the four nations who initially opposed the adoption but later reversed their decision to support the declaration.
In 2022, the UN will start another milestone with the Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022- 2032). It aims to conserve Indigenous languages, which helps preserve their cultures, world views and visions, as well as expressions of self-determination. The agency estimates that one indigenous language dies every two weeks.
Theme this year
UN has decided on the theme of ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract’ for this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Defining social contract as an “unwritten agreement that societies make to cooperate for social and economic benefits”, the UN seeks to encourage societies to treat indigenous communities as stakeholders since they were not included in the initial social contract, which was formulated by dominant communities.
It credits indigenous communities for fighting climate change and helping biodiversity flourish and asks nations to formulate a “new social contract” which “must be based on genuine participation and partnership that fosters equal opportunities and respects the rights, dignity and freedoms of all. Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making is a key component in achieving reconciliation between indigenous peoples and States”.
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]]>The post All you need to know about International Cat Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>International Cat Day is celebrated to help raise public awareness about cats, to learn about ways to keep and protect them. Many countries also celebrate national cat days to raise awareness about feline adoption.
Canada and the US also celebrate national cat day in their countries on August 8 and October 29, respectively. Japan marks national cat day on February 22 and Russia on March 1.
In 2020, the custodianship of International Cat Day passed on from IFAW to British non-profit International Cat Care, a charity founded in 1958 by feline lovers working to spread information about cat health and welfare.
The organisation states their “Aim is to enable and inspire people to understand cats’ individual needs and perspective, and to act in the interests of each cat’s welfare. We do this by creating and sharing knowledge, insights, skills and current best practice so people can feel confident in their ability to help cats and to challenge ignorance and misconceptions.”
International Cat Care has decided on the campaign ‘Be cat curious’ to celebrate this year’s International Cat Day. The campaign encourages cat owners to spend quality time with their pets and learn more about them.
The organisation says 95% of cat owners want more advice on training their cats, with at least half saying they struggled to get their cat into the cat carrier. Hence, this year’s International Cat Day will be celebrated to encourage training for cats and their owners. Cat owners have also been invited to share their experiences of training their pets.
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]]>The post All you need to know about International Tiger Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>International Tiger Day also know as World Tiger Day is observed every year on 29 July. The day is observed to spread awareness about dangers faced by tigers.
It is very important to focus on tiger conservation as it plays a very important role in protecting and maintaining a balanced ecosystem across its range.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), “As top predators, wild tigers play an important role in maintaining the harmony of the planet’s ecosystems. By preying on herbivores, tigers help to keep the balance between the prey animals and the forest vegetation which they feed upon.”
International Tiger Day: History
World Tiger Day was first observed in the year 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia. A total of thirteen tiger range countries came together and decided a global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022.
International Tiger Day: Significance
According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there may have been 100,000 tigers at the beginning of the 20th century. The number was drastically reduced to 3,200 in the year 2010. Therefore, it becomes extremely important to save these wild cats.
International Tiger Day play a important role in it by spreading awareness and by working towards conservation of tigers.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mahatma Gandhi
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]]>The post Here’s all you need to know about Hajj and the Day of Arafah appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The Day of Arafah is the holiest day in the Islamic calendar and is observed on the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj to Mecca is among the five pillars of Islam which is obligatory only for those who are healthy and can afford it financially as well as physically.
This fifth and final pillar of Islam is liable to be performed by Muslims at least once in their lifetime where they shed overt displays of wealth and materialism, dress in simple white clothes and perform the rituals.
Date:
Hajj begins on the 8th day and ends on the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. This year, Hajj began on the evening of July 17 and will end on the evening of July 22.
History:
A visit to the holy shrine of Kaabah in Mecca has a remarkable history. It is believed that Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham, the dearest friend of God and father of prophets, was instructed by God to leave his wife Hajara and son Ismail in the desert of Mecca.
Ibrahim left the family well-flourished but in due course of time, it all diminished. His wife Hajara and son Ismail faced lots of trouble. On one occasion, Hajara travelled seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah but was unable to find any source of water.
However, when her little son Ismail rubbed the ground with his foot, a water fountain sprang up at the spot. This spot was then marked sacred and God ordered Ibrahim to build Kaabah at that place and to invite people to perform pilgrimage there.
Ibrahim and Ismail did as instructed and the Quran even narrates how the archangel, Gabriel, brought the Black Stone from heaven to be attached to the Kaabah.
Later in pre-Islamic Arabia time of “jahiliyyah”, some pagan idols were placed around the Kaaba but in 630 CE, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led the believers from Medina to Mecca and cleansed the Kaabah by destroying all the pagan idols. He was another messiah and the last prophet considered in Islam.
After cleansing the Kaabah, he reconsecrated the building to Allah and performed his first and last pilgrimage there in 632 CE. This was followed by Prophet Muhammad’s sermon to his followers on the rites of it and that is how Hajj became one of the five pillars of Islam.
Significance:
Hajj facilitates and tends to bring together Muslims across the world in a spirit of unity and brotherhood without any discrimination based on caste, culture and colour, an unmitigated representation of equality. It is believed that whoever performs the Hajj rites truly and with purity, returns home washing off all their lifelong sins.
This annual pilgrimage not only ensures equality but it also rewards pilgrims heaven after death if the obligations are performed righteously. It symbolises kindness, positivity and is the highest form of honour earned as it is a re-enactment of the sacrifices and obedience of Prophet Abraham to God almighty, following the instructions laid down by Prophet Muhammad.
Importance of Day of Arafah:
While Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are marking the Day of Arafah on July 19, Muslims in India will observe it on July 20. Arafah Day falls on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah and commemorates finality of the religion of Islam and of Divine revelation.
It is basically the climax of Hajj when Muslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat and offer a day-long prayer with recitations of the Quran. Since Mount Arafat is approximately 15 kms away from Mecca, the Muslim pilgrims spend a day there to perform the rituals and live in tents from dawn to dusk.
It was on Mount Arafat that Prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon of Islam hence, pilgrims stand here united as a dignified ritual, to seek forgiveness through reflection and prayer and it is this moment that may be described as “standing before God”. While fasting on the Day of Arafah is prohibited for the pilgrims, it is a highly recommended Sunnah for non-pilgrims as it entails a great reward with the belief that Allah forgives the sins of two years.
Since Arafah Day is viewed by Muslims as a day of gratitude, the next day is celebrated as Eid-ul-Adha which marks another sacrifice by Prophet Ibrahim. In normal times, around 2 million Muslim pilgrims would gather on Mount Arafat but owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, preventive and precautionary measures have been placed to ensure the health and safety of the pilgrims hence, only 60,000 worshippers have been allowed to the holy site this year by Saudi Arabia government.
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]]>The post Do you know about Nelson Mandela International Day, check out the history, significance, theme below appeared first on The Edge Media.
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History of Nelson Mandela International Day
The United Nations officially declared July 18th as Nelson Mandela International day in 2009. It was first celebrated in 2010. The origin of the day came from Mr Mandela himself — he is believed to have announced that his birthday be celebrated as Mandela Day. The Nelson Mandela Foundation, on April 27, 2009, hosted a series of concerts to honour the legacy of Mr Mandela and celebrate his values through community service.
Significance of this day :
The day is meant to remember the services of Mr Mandela and honour them through volunteer work, awareness and community service. Mr Mandela believed in equality and the need for people to come together and help each other rise above social class and colour. This day is viewed as an opportunity to renew the values left behind by Mr Mandela. On this day several concerts, art exhibits and fundraising volunteer events take place.
In 2014 the United Nations General Assembly introduced the Nelson Mandela prize to recognise the achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity, much like he had in his lifetime.
Themes of Nelson Mandela International Day 2021 :
Since its inception in 2010, Nelson Mandela International Day has been celebrated with a theme for that particular year. The theme for this year is “One Hand Can Feed Another”. The day is celebrated by organisations that work for violence against women, genocide and crimes. These organisations also come together to spread awareness on these prevalent issues. Last year’s theme was, “Take Action, Inspire Change”. The theme highlighted the importance of governments and citizens working together to build a peaceful, sustainable and equitable world for all.
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