QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC , 14 July 2021 – Art and Culture – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: b)

Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement that was founded by Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay. The movement believes in the infallible authority of the Vedas.

The central objectives of Arya Samaj is to, “eradicate Ignorance (Agyan), Indigence or Poverty (Abhav) and Injustice (Anayay) from this earth. This mission is enshrined in the ten Niyams or Principles.”

Members of the Arya Samaj believe in one God and reject the worship of idols.

Solution: c)

• Mimamsa philosophy is basically the analysis of interpretation, application and the use of the text of the Samhita and Brahmana portions of the Veda.
• According to Mimamsa philosophy, Vedas are eternal and possess all knowledge, and religion means the fulfilment of duties prescribed by the Vedas.
• This philosophy encompasses the Nyaya-Vaisheshika systems and emphasizes the concept of valid knowledge.

Solution: b)

Charvaka School or Lokayata Philosophy

Brihaspati laid the foundation stone of this school and it was supposed to be one of the earliest schools that developed a philosophical theory. The philosophy is old enough to find mention in the Vedas and Brihadarankya Upanishad. The Charvaka School was the main propounder of the materialistic view to achieve salvation. As it was geared towards the common people, the philosophy was soon dubbed as Lokayata or something derived from the common people.

They argued for a complete disregard of any world beyond this world that was inhabited by a person. They

denied the existence of any supernatural or divine agent who could regulate our conduct on earth. They argued against the need to achieve salvation and also denied the existence of brahma and God. They believed in anything that could be touched and be experienced by the human senses.

Some of their main teachings are:

They argued against Gods and their representatives on the earth – the priestly class.

They argued that a Brahman manufactures false rituals so as to acquire gifts (dakshina) from the followers.

Man is the centre of all activities and he should enjoy himself as long as he lives. He should consume all earthly goods and indulge in sensual pleasure.

The Charvakas do not consider ‘ether’ as one of the five essential elements as it cannot be experienced through the perception. Hence, they say the universe consists of only four elements: fire, earth, water and air.

The materialistic philosophies dominated over the idealist ones.

Solution: c)

The word ‘Khyal’ is derived from Persian and means “idea or imagination”. The origin of this style was attributed to Amir Khusrau. This form is popular amongst the artists as this provides greater scope for improvisation. Khyal is based on the repertoire of short songs ranging from two to eight lines. Generally, a Khyal composition is also referred to as a ‘Bandish’.

Sultan Mohammad Sharqi gave the biggest patronage to Khyal in the 15th century. One of the most unique features of Khyal is the use of taan in the composition. Because of this, Alap is given much less room in the Khyal music as compared to Dhrupad. A typical Khyal performance uses two songs:

Bada Khyal: sung in the slow tempo

Chhota Khyal: sung in the fast tempo

In most cases, every singer renders the same bandish differently, while keeping the text and raga as constant. Usually, the theme for these Khyal bandish is romantic in nature. They sing about love, even if they are related to the divine creatures. It may be praising God or a particular king. Exceptional Khyal compositions are composed in the praise of Lord Krishna.

Solution: d)

Madhubani Paintings

• Madhubani means ‘forest of honey’.
• It is a style of folk painting old enough to find mention in some of the ancient Indian texts like the holy Ramayana.
• It is also known as Mithila, for its origin, is said to be the Mithila region in Bihar.
• Traditionally, the Madhubani paintings were created using fingers and twigs, and items like matchsticks have come to be used in their creation in recent times.
• This style of painting has been traditionally done by the women of the region, though today men are also involved to meet the demand.
• These paintings are popular because of their tribal motifs and use of bright earthy colours.