Sanchi Stupa
- It was built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the third century BC.
- It enshrines religious relics or remains of the Buddha and his most revered disciples.
- Structure:
- It is enclosed by a massive stone railing pierced by four gateways, which are adorned with elaborate carvings (known as Sanchi sculpture).
- The stupa itself consists of a base bearing a hemispherical dome (anda), symbolizing the dome of heaven enclosing the earth.
- It is surmounted by a squared rail unit (harmika) representing the world mountain, from which rises a mast (yashti), symbolizing the cosmic axis.
- The mast bears umbrellas (chatras) that represent the various heavens (devaloka).
Zero Shadow Day
- It is a sub-solar point where the sun is directly overhead at a particular latitude.
- When the sun is at the zenith (the highest point in the sky) its rays will be hitting a particular point exactly perpendicular to the surface.
- This will make the shadow of a person exactly under him, making it look like there are no shadows.
When does it occur?
- There are two zero shadow days every year in May and July/August, observed in places that lie between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn.
- One falls during the Uttarayan (when the Sun moves northwards), and the other is during Dakshinayan (when the Sun moves southwards).
- It lasts for a small part of a second, but the effect can be seen for a minute to a minute-and-a-half.
Corporate Social Responsibility
- It is a business model by which companies make a concerted effort to operate in ways that enhance rather than degrade society and the environment.
- It helps both improve various aspects of society as well as promote a positive brand image of companies.
- Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 makes it mandatory for the following companies having in the immediately preceding financial year:
- Every company having a net worth of rupees five hundred crores or more, or
- Every company having a turnover of rupees one thousand crores or more, or
- Every company has a net profit of rupees five crores or more to comply with CSR provisions.