Sarsa Rivulet

Context: As Sikhs across India and the rest of the world observe the 356th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, a rivulet in north India associated with a key moment in his life is gasping for breath.

• The Sarsa was where the Guru Gobind Singh’s family got separated in 1704, never to be together again.
• Pharmaceutical waste being discharged either directly or indirectly into the Sarsa from nearby Industries.

About Sarsa river:

• The river rises in the Shiwalik foothills of Southern Himachal Pradesh.
• It flows in the western part of Solan district, then enters into Punjab near Diwari village.
• Sarsa joins the river Sutlej at the eastern part of Punjab.
• A Gurudwara named Parivar Vichora is situated near the bank of river Sirsa in the village Majri.

About Guru Gobind Singh:

• Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh guru.
• He was born in Patna, Bihar in 1666.
• He became the Sikh guru at the age of nine, following the demise of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
• He founded the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699.
• He introduced the turban to cover the hair along with the principles of Khalsa or the five ‘K’s.
• He laid the rules of Khalsa warriors, like abstaining from tobacco, alcohol, halal meat, and imbibing the duty of protecting innocent people from prosecution.
• He named Guru Granth Sahib as the religious text of the Khalsa and the Sikhs.
• He fought against the Mughals in the Battle of Muktsar in 1705.
• He also wrote the Zafarnama which was a letter to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Source: DownToEarth

Previous Year Question

Q.1) The world’s second tallest statue in sitting pose of Ramanuja was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India at Hyderabad recently. Which one of the following statements correctly represents the teachings of Ramanuja? (2022)

1. The best means of salvation was devotion.
2. Vedas are eternal, self-existent and wholly authoritative.
3. Logical arguments were meant for the highest bliss.
4. Salvation was to be obtained through meditation.

Q.2) According to Portuguese writer Nuniz, the women in the Vijayanagara empire were expert in which of the following areas?

1. Wrestling
2. Astrology
3. Accounting
4. Soothsaying

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4