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21st December, Winter Solstice: Read To Know About The Shortest Day Of The Year
The days have been becoming shorter and shorter, and the Winter Solstice has arrived in India and other northern hemisphere nations on December 21. The day marks the year’s shortest day, when the sun’s journey across the sky reaches farthest south.
While the meteorological winter begins on December 1, the astronomical winter begins on either December 21 or 22 with the Winter Solstice. Because the sun takes the shortest course through our sky on a daily basis, individuals in the northern hemisphere see the least amount of sunshine and, as a result, the shortest night. After the Winter Solstice, the days begin to become longer again in the months leading up to the Summer Solstice in June, which is the year’s longest day.
Since ancient times, the December Solstice, also known as the Winter Solstice, has held enormous significance for mankind.
What is the historical & cultural importance of Winter Solstice?
Since the Neolithic age, also known as the New Stone Age, when our prehistoric predecessors were at the pinnacle of cultural progress and technical advancement, the day has held tremendous significance for astronomers.
For many civilizations, the day signified the end of economic cycles. It was also used as a guide for civilizations growing crops or preparing for famine-like conditions in the winter by conserving food and getting rid of surplus domesticated cattle. Longer days were expected to begin after the Winter Solstice, which was also known as ‘midwinter’ in certain civilizations.
Several celebrations take place on the day of the Winter Solstice or are related to it across the world. In India, the Makar Sankranti celebration, which falls on January 14, celebrates the end of the month with the shortest day of the year.
Winter Solstice in 2021
Only 8 hours and 46 minutes of daylight are projected in the northern hemisphere in 2021. The north pole will be the furthest from the sun on December 20, 2021. The sunrise on the winter solstice in India will be at 07:10 a.m., and the sunset will be at 05:29 p.m., for a total day length of 10 hours 19 minutes and 11 seconds.
Odisha Witnesses First Snowfall Of The Season As Temperature Drops Below 4°C in Bonai, Sundergarh
Odisha Witnesses First Snowfall: Snowfall in the Koida and Tensa areas of Bonai, Sundergarh district, affected normal life of the people on the early Monday morning.
Following the unexpected decrease in temperature and return of cold wave conditions yesterday night, Bonai reportedly shuddered as the mercury plummeted below 4 degrees Celsius.
Snowfall was seen in several locations in the Koida and Tensa districts. A coating of snow had blanketed several vehicle, grasses, and tree leaves.
The India Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said on Monday that the cold wave weather will persist in Odisha for the next two to three days.
“Northwesterly/ northerly dry and cold wind at lower levels penetrating into Odisha, isolated cold wave to severe cold wave conditions highly possible over various portions of the interior and bordering coastal districts of Odisha during next 2-3 days,” according to the MeT office.
There will be no significant changes in minimum nighttime temperatures over the next 2-3 days, according to reports. However, the lowest temperature will be 4 to 6 degrees Celsius below usual.
On December 21, till 8.30 a.m.:
(Yellow Warning): An isolated cold wave is expected to affect Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Sonepur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Bhadrak, Angul, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, and Sambalpur districts.
In between 8.30 a.m. of December 21 to 8.30 a.m. of December 22:
(Orange Warning): Isolated cold waves to severe cold waves are expected to affect Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, and Kandhamal districts.
(Yellow Alert): Isolated cold wave conditions are highly likely to dominate across Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Nuapada, and Kalahandi districts.
In between 8.30 a.m. of December 22 to 8.30 a.m. of December 23:
(Yellow Alert): Isolated cold waves are expected to affect Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, and Kandhamal districts.
Odisha Witnesses First Snowfall
celebrating life on the road has an appeal of its own. No doubt life on the roads that compels some people to adopt traveling and without any second thought When it comes to exploring new destinations, there’s no stopping. Odisha is somehow underrated, so here is a mini blog about two must visit peaceful spot in Odisha.
Deras Dam is a small water reservoir located at a distance of, nearly 25 km away from the capital city, Bhubaneswar. The vibe vibes here, beautiful and peaceful for a long walk but be careful while stepping down from stairs.
This short trip began with three of my friends. It was way more fascinating three years ago when the water level was high but this time It was quite a sunny day and unfortunately, the water level was much lower. Pluviophile alert, if you love rain don’t forget to visit dams especially during several weeks of August and September. Deras Dam is located in a small village named kantabada of Khordha district. This dam is the third largest dam in Odisha. Outskirts of Odisha are a must-visit if you want to travel and want to reboot your mind and body after these series of lockdowns. Greeneries which will force you to forget all the chaotic noise of a busy city, moreover you can also find some pretty shells.
After having a calm walk in Deras we went to Jhumka Dam which is hardly 3 to 4 km away from Deras. It is another minor irrigation project other than Deras which is located on the sanctuary boundary.
You have the bike and good weather then what are you waiting for, just move and visit because lakes, embayment, estuary and bay never disappoint you. Moreover, some nice hiking trails too are waiting for you if you are willing to explore.
Address: Kantabada – Deras Dam Rd, Barapita, Odisha 752054
By – Soma Mitra
https://rtdjournal.com/yaas-develops-into-a-very-severe-c-paradip/
Rarest Of Rare Neelakurinji Flowers Bloom After 12 Years In Karnataka’s Madalpatti Hills
Nature is a magnificent thing. It serves as a reminder that, despite all of the turmoil, a globe is a lovely place. The blossoming of Neelakurinji, also known as Strobilanthes kunthiana, in Karnataka’s Kodagu district provides evidence.
These flowers only bloom every 12 years, according to legend. They are a kind of shrub found in the Western Ghats’ Shola woods in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The bluish-purplish flowers known as Neelakurinji give the Nilgiri Hills its name, which means “blue hills.”
As a result, when the initial images were posted by ANI, this uncommon sight drew a lot of attention on social media. Take a peek around.
Karnataka | Neelakurinji flowers, which bloom once every 12 years, seen at Mandalapatti hill in Kodagu district. pic.twitter.com/DgpZaYoFQI
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2021
Did you know?
Kurinji flowers may be found at altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 2,400 meters. While the shrub is generally 30 to 60 cm tall, it may grow to reach far over 180 cm tall under the right conditions.
The plant belongs to the genus Strobilanthes, which was originally formally described in the 19th century by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck. There are around 250 species in the genus, with 46 of them occurring in India alone.
The majority of these flower species have peculiar blossoming habits, ranging from yearly blooming to a 16-year blooming cycle.
Following the news of the flowers blooming, PC Mohan, a Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru Central, took to Twitter to share a few photos of the hills coated in purple flowers. “Kurinji, rare purplish-blue flowers, bloom on Kodagu’s Mandalpatti Hills after 12 years,” he tweeted.
Kurinji, a rare purplish-blue flowers, bloom on Kodagu’s Mandalapatti hills after 12 years. 📸 @Star_Of_Mysore pic.twitter.com/yTWxGIGJlW
— P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) August 18, 2021
Despite the pandemic, it is thought that people are eagerly making their way to the hills to catch a sight of this unique beauty. Anamalai Hills and Santhanpara are reported to be two places in Munnar, Kerala, where the Kurinji blooms. In fact, Anamalai Hills is the most well-known tourist destination in the country, attracting visitors from all across the country.
The flowers began last week, and the purple beauty quickly blanketed the whole region. In the next few days, more hills will be covered in these unique blooms.
These plants are also thought to have therapeutic properties.
Odisha’s ‘Manjhi’- A man carves a 3-km street through the mountain to connect their village.
With company willpower and will strength, you can actually flow a mighty mountain and Odisha’s Harihar Behera has proved the identical by carving out a three-km-lengthy road thru a mountain.
A native of Tulubi village underneath Odogaon block in Nalagarh district, Harihar built the road digging mountain over a length of 30 years. His late elder brother Krishna Behera additionally helped him within the endeavor.
Consistent with Harihar, a few years lower back, a set of residents of his local village had met a minister with a plea for the construction of an avenue connecting their village. But, the minister reportedly said that no one can assemble an avenue to a hilly village-like Tulubi.
The dejection drove Harihar to embark on the adventure to create records and when you consider that then, after finishing works in his farmland, Harihar started out devoting the final time for the construction of the street. After years of hard work, the three-km-lengthy stretch has become a truth.
Dinabandhu Jani, a resident of Tulubi, stated, “after the minister stated none can construct an avenue to our village, Harihar started to carve out the road through the mountain. We additionally prolonged assist to him.”
“family, while touring our village, used to forget about the path and wander off in the forest. Then i an idea for how long do we face the hassle and determine to construct the road on my own. I and my elder brother worked for the street after completing the rural works and the road has grown to be a truth now,” stated Harihar.
The inspiring tale of making a street through the mountain isn’t always new. In 2018, Jalandhar Nayak of Gumi village in Kandhamal had hogged the limelight for constructing a 6-kilometer street for his family by means of slicing mountains. Earlier than that, Dashrath many of Bihar was given the name of mountain guy for the same feat. The story of Dashrath Manjhi became later made into a movie ‘Manjhi – the mountain guy.’
Source: Odisha TV.
First Ever Odia Documentary Now Streaming On Disney + Hotstar, Watch “The Mountain Hockey”
“An architect designs for the present with an awareness of the past for a future who is essentially unknown.”- Norman Foster Building of an empire or a nation means structuring or framing the unabridged nation aforesaid to match the ease and comfort of the individuals of the nation. More often than not it hangs on the population, area, climatic factors, topography and basic requirements of the nation. Nation building is a vast area which can be subdivided as building of individual towns into cities, to districts, states and so on. It is also viewed as the power of the whole state. The growth of every nation has its own way and terms. As each and every profession has its own importance in its place, hence, architecture is growing its place slowly and regularly. Hence the future of nation is deeply rooted in architecture of that place.
With the growth of technology and accessibility, tourism is gaining its importance in today’s scenario. The architecture of a nation helps in tourist visits across the whole world. The monuments, extremely carved temples, rich heritages, luxurious palaces and the beautiful landscapes pull the hearts of the people to visit such places. This also helps in a broader part of a country’s economy and finance. Having said that, architecture has been lending its hands towards building the industrial sectors, companies, etc., which even stand close to serve the economy of a nation. They also serve many hundreds and thousands of livelihoods. Architecture also helps in developing the film sectors of the world, taking the entertainment of the people to a whole new level with its prophetic creations. Turning barren lands and dump yards into such architectural masterpieces enhances the beauty of the place and the country as a whole. Architecture speaks the history and geography of a place; due to the change in climate and temperature, even the shapes, forms and textures of a building changes.
As coin has its two sides, lotus is immersed in mud, science has its boons and banes, a human has some good with some bad habits. a glass filled with half water and is half empty and films teach and ruin us at the same time, similarly architecture and nation building have its demerits too. Too much of something is always bad. The growth in population makes architecture restricted to small amount of land. The green cover of the earth is getting reduced in greater pace. Amount of population is rapidly increasing, hence causing various diseases. Due to over exploitation of land, calamities fall over every now and then in most part of the country. The industries release huge amount of toxic gases which contributes to various kinds of pollution. Too much of built environment which helps in growth and economy of a nation also produce some toxic gases and pollution that creates deadly diseases like cancer and asthma. The huge high-rise social apartment sectors save a lot of land cover while disturbs the climatological cycle of the certain place.
As values depicts a person’s personality and his house, likewise architecture depicts a nation. A nation with good architecture and architectural monuments shows the rich culture and
tradition of a place. Architecture helps not only in piling the nation but also in structuring the aesthetics of a nation. But too much of anything is way too bad and a wrong practice. Similarly, too much of built spaces and built environment affects the nation adversely. If it is taken as a good source of economy booster and personality changer of the nation, then it can create wonders in its own space. Hence, I would like to request everyone not to exploit the beauty of nature rather endeavour the best of your own abilities on enhance the beauty as well as create comfortable living spaces for human beings and other creatures on earth.

Bhitarakanika National Park To Open For Tourists From 5th August, Read Details
The Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district will be available to tourists starting next week, on August 5, which is great news for animal lovers.
Visitors will be permitted to enter the wildlife sanctuary in accordance with Covid-19 procedures. Tourists, on the other hand, will not be permitted to spend the night at the park.
During the mating season of estuarine crocodiles, the nature reserve was closed for tourists from May 1 to July 31.
“All places and boats (government and private) in the national park will be sanitised over the next three to four days, after which the Bhitarkanika National Park and Gahirmatha Wildlife Sanctuary will be available to the public beginning August 5. We anticipate that guests would carefully adhere to Covid proper behaviour in the park, including the usage of masks and sanitizers,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Jagayandatta Pati stated on Sunday.
The park and sanctuary will be open throughout the day in the beginning, with the State Headquarters authorities making the choice on overnight stays, according to the DFO.
According to sources, the national park’s Gupti, Dangamal, and Hukitola sections would be available to tourists.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently designated four protected areas (PA) in Odisha where ecotourism may be developed. Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Chilika (Nalaban) Wildlife Sanctuary, Gahirmatha (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary, and Nandankanan Wildlife Sanctuary are among the locations.
The Ministry has identified 90 such locations around the country.
International Travel: Green Signal To Vaccinated Passengers For Open Air Travel By Global Airlines’ Association
International air travel should be made available to at least those passengers who have been properly vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). According to the group, a thorough framework should be put in place that permits those who have been vaccinated to travel without difficulty. Furthermore, the system should ensure that travellers who have not been vaccinated are tested and verified, while not imposing additional restrictions.
“Vaccination and testing have a role to play in foreign trip recovery. Waiting for vaccines to become widely available before reopening borders is not an option. Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Deputy Director General and Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, remarked, “The global vaccine roll-out is going to take time.” “That is why, for people who do not have access to vaccines or are unable to be vaccinated for various reasons,” Clifford continued.
Clifford believes that maintaining a zero case load policy is unsustainable, especially given experts’ predictions that Covid-19 will become an endemic. “We have been and will continue to push nations to make data-driven decisions when reopening their borders to international travel to limit the dangers of Covid-19,” he said.
Independent data modelling undertaken by Airbus and Boeing, respectively, recently revealed that methods without quarantine measures can allow international travel to resume with a very minimal probability of Covid-19 being introduced into the trip destination. Vaccination campaigns have expanded on a worldwide scale, raising hopes for a speedier economic challenger for the world economy. Rising Delta variant cases, on the other hand, are a major source of concern for governments all around the world.
Good News For The Travellers, Says Adar Poonawalla As 16 European Countries Give A Nod To Covishiled
Low Pressure in the Bay of Bengal on July 21, cause heavy rainfall and lightning in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: The regional-based meteorological center here on Friday predicted that a low-pressure region is probable to shape over the northwest Bay of Bengal and neighborhood around July 21.
The weatherman also stated that Odisha would acquire heavy rainfall, a thunderstorm with lightning beneath the have an impact on of low-strain region.
A yellow warning has been issued for several districts of the state for the following five days.
Test details right here:
Day 1: Thunderstorms with lightning are very probable to arise at one or two places over the districts of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, and Kalahandi.
Day 2: Thunderstorms with lightning are very likely to arise at one or two places over the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Sundergarh, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj.
Source: Kalinga News