Harappan inhabitants used to consume laddoos
A joint study by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, and Archeological Survey of India (ASI), New Delhi has revealed that Harappan people used to consume high-protein, multigrain ‘laddoos’ (food balls) around 4,000 years ago. The study was conducted on the laddoos procured during an excavation in Rajasthan. At least seven ‘laddoos’ dating back to 2,600 BCE were discovered in 2017 during the excavation of a Harappan archaeological site at 4MSR (earlier known as Binjor) in western part of Rajasthan.
Lord Lakshman’s statue to adorn capital city
A 151-foot-high statue of Lord Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Ram, would be installed in Lucknow, the city’s municipal corporation’s executive committee unanimously passed the proposal recently and earmarked `1 crore for construction of the statue. Popular belief is that Lord Lakshman established the city of Lucknow. Artists and sculptors from Rajasthan and other states are being contacted for the statue installation work. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation is also planning a gallery which will portray the life and times of Lord Lakshman, his story, sacrifice, devotion towards Lord Ram, ethics and simplicity. A daily light and sound show about the famous Ramayana character is also being planned by the civic body administration.
UP panchayat polls get a tinge of glamour
UP panchayat polls are set to have their share of glamour quotient. Diksha Singh, the model and Miss India runnerup of 2015, is all ready to take the political plunge by contesting the district panchayat election from Ward No 26 of Baksha Block in Jaunpur district.
The reason behind Diksha’s foray into political landscape of rural UP is the district panchayat seat that her father wanted to contest from, but has now been reserved for women, prompting the model to test the poll waters. Diksha Singh will be competing against late BJP leader Ram Chandra Singh’s daughter-in-law Shalini Singh. The first phase of the panchayat election in Jaunpur is slated for April 15.
Covid animation series goes global
‘Super Villain Corona’, an animated video series made in Uttar Pradesh, has gone global and is helping individuals, governments and organisations across 20 countries in fighting the pandemic. ‘Super Villain’ is a character which has been created to denote coronavirus which is on the prowl. Developed last year by Unicef under an arrangement with the UP government’s departments of health and family welfare, women welfare, education, AYUSH and UP Police, the video series gives Covid-19 messages such as importance of wearing masks, washing hands with soap and maintaining social distance.