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India's Peacock Diplomacy at the UN ​India has presented five young peacocks—four blue and one rare white, reflecting the UN's colours to the UN Office at Geneva. ​Indian envoy to Geneva Arindam Bagchi handed them over to Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of UN Geneva, in a unique symbolic gesture showcasing India's cultural heritage and diplomatic outreach.

BHAKTI MOVEMENT Bhakti Movement: Pan-Indian devotional tradition, especially prominent c. 11th–18th century; used vernacular/local languages and challenged excessive ritualism and social hierarchies. Virashaiva/Lingayat Movement: 12th-century Karnataka; associated with Basavanna & Allama Prabhu; centred on Shiva and opposed caste discrimination, ritualism, superstition, image worship and animal sacrifice. Anubhava Mantapa: Associated with Basavanna at Kalyana (Karnataka); forum where men and women from different social backgrounds discussed spiritual and social issues. Akka Mahadevi: 12th-century woman Lingayat/Virashaiva saint; renounced conventional social norms; associated with Basavanna and Anubhava Mantapa. Namadeva (1270-1350): Maharashtra; devotee of Vithoba/Vitthala (Vishnu); devotional hymns attacked social hierarchy and ritual purity. Kabir (1440-1518): Nirguna Bhakti saint; rejected caste distinctions and Hindu-Muslim religious orthodoxy; stressed direct devotion to one God. Guru Nanak (1469–1539): Founder of Sikhism; Ik Onkar = One Supreme Being; emphasised unity of God and rejection of caste/religious discrimination. Guru Granth Sahib: Includes hymns of the Sikh Gurus as well as non-Sikh saints such as Kabir, Sheikh Farid, Namdev and Ravidas. South Indian roots: Alvars = Vaishnava poet-saints; Nayanars = Shaiva poet-saints. Andal—> Alvar (Vaishnava); Karaikkal Ammaiyar—>Nayanar (Shaiva). Regional matching: Chaitanya-Bengal/Odisha—>Krishna | Mirabai-Rajasthan—>Krishna | Tukaram-Maharashtra—>Vithoba | Narsinh Mehta-Gujarat—>Krishna | Lal Ded-Kashmir—>Shaiva mysticism | Vidyapati-Mithila—>Maithili poet. #HISTORY