UNESCO's MOW Asia-Pacific Regional Register includes Indian literary Works

• Manuscript of three Indian literary works namely Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra and Sahṛdayāloka-Locana have been included in Memory of the World (MOW) Asia-Pacific Regional Register along with 17 other works from region. 
  • The decision was taken at the 10th meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), held at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

About Literary Works 

Ramcharitmanas

• Written in the 16th Century by Goswami Tulsidas.
• An epic poem written in Awadhi language and consists of Seven Kāndas.
• Poetic retelling of the events of Ramayana.

Panchatantra

• Written by Pt. Vishnu Sharma in Sanskrit. 
• One of the oldest collection of surviving Indian Fables 
• Consists of five parts and its most distinguishing feature is the 'Story within story' structure.

Sahṛdayāloka-Locana

• Written by Acharya Anandvardhan in Sanskrit and is a text of Indian Poetics.
• Philosopher Abinava Gupta has written a commentary on it.

Ruskin Bond was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship. 

• Fellowship is the highest honour conferred by Akademi on a writer. 
• It is reserved for 'the immortals of literature'. 
• Major literary of Ruskin Bond: Vagrants in the Valley, Once Upon a Monsoon Time, Angry River, Strangers in the Night, All Roads Lead to Ganga, etc.

Muria tribes practice the deda, traditional method of preserving seeds.

About Deda Method

• Seeds are wrapped in leaves, packed tightly to look like boulders, and woven with Siali leaves.
• Benefits:  Protection of seed from pests and worms, which can be stored and used upto 5 years.

About Murias 

• Sub-group of Gond tribe, belonging to Chhattisgarh.
• Associated with Muria Rebellion of Bastar (1876) against Gopinath Kapardas, diwan of Bastar.
• Customs: Dead pillars (Gudi), where dead are buried with a stone placed 6 to 7 feet high and Ghotul where young boys and girls chose their own life partner.

A rare hemi-parasitic terrestrial plant (Phtheirospermum lushaiorum) has been found in Phawngpui National Park of Mizoram.

• Lushaiorum is named after “Lushai” tribe of Mizoram.

About Lushai tribe

• Tribe under Kuki-Chin group of tribes.
• Commonly known as Mizos and racially they are known to be under Mongoloid origin. 
• Main occupations are Jhum and orange Cultivation.
• Lusai are known as Head Hunter community. 
• Popular Dance is Bamboo Dance (Cheraw-dance).
• Basic unit of Lushai (Mizo) society is a patrilocal joint family with patrilineal descent and inheritance rules.
• Lushai (Mizo) society is patrilocal joint family with patrilineal descent and inheritance rules.

DNA analysis of ancient graves has revealed insights on the social life of Avars

About Avars

• They are nomadic people who survived in eastern central Asia between 6th-9th century.
• Considered as successors of the Huns by their way of life and warfare.
• They followed strict  patrilineal descent (father's line)
• They were hired by the Byzantine Empire to subdue other tribes
• They avoided inbreeding and practised limited intermarriage with non-Avar neighbours.
• They are renowned among archaeologists for their distinctive belt garnitures.