November 2025
In short: India's culture, sports and awards this month — distilled for SI/Constable Prelims.
Current Affairs — India › Society, Culture, Sports & Awards · 14 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu
Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.
Birsa Munda's 150th birth anniversary was marked as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, Arya Samaj completed 150 years, three Punjab cities got 'holy city' status, Lucknow was declared a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and David Szalay's Flesh won the 2025 Booker Prize.
Bust of Birsa Munda ('Dharti Aaba'), whose 150th birth anniversary was observed nationwide as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas this November · ᱤᱧ ᱢᱟᱛᱟᱞ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
November 2025 — At a Glance
November's culture calendar was anchored by two big anniversaries — Birsa Munda's 150th birth anniversary and 150 years of Arya Samaj — alongside a UNESCO gastronomy honour for Lucknow, new 'holy city' protections in Punjab, and the year's major literary prizes.
1. Anniversaries, Heritage & Tribal Pride
150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda — Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas
- Who — Birsa Munda (born 15 November 1875, Ulihatu village, then Bengal Presidency, now Jharkhand); revered as 'Dharti Aaba' ('Father of the Earth').
- What he did — Led the Ulgulan (the Great Rebellion) of 1899 — a socio-religious tribal movement asserting rights over land, forests and water; his followers proclaimed 'Diku Raj Tuntu Jana — Abua Raj Ete Jana' ('the rule of outsiders is over, our own rule has begun').
- Legacy — His birth anniversary is observed nationwide as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (Tribal Pride Day); the Ranchi jail where he died is now the Birsa Munda Smriti Sangrahalaya (Memorial Museum).
150 Years of Arya Samaj
- What — PM Modi addressed the International Arya Mahasammelan 2025, part of the Jyana Jyoti Festival marking 150 years of Arya Samaj and Swami Dayanand Saraswati's 200th birth anniversary.
- About Arya Samaj — Founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875, Bombay — a monotheistic Hindu reform movement, not a separate religion, rejecting ritualism and promoting Vedic teachings; motto 'Krinvanto Vishwam Aryam'.
- Contributions — Promoted widow remarriage, opposed child marriage and Sati, campaigned against caste discrimination; spread education via Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) schools; influenced nationalists like Lala Lajpat Rai.
Museum of Royal Kingdoms of India
- What — PM Modi laid the foundation stone at the Statue of Unity, Gujarat, to document India's princely states/kingdoms and their integration into the Union.
- Background — At Independence, India had 550+ princely states; under Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, they were persuaded to accede via the Instrument of Accession.
Holy city status for three Punjab cities
- What — Punjab government accorded 'holy city' status to Anandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Amritsar Walled City — home to three of Sikhism's five Takhts.
- Key provisions — Bans sale/consumption of liquor, meat, tobacco in these areas; an interfaith committee will be formed to guide religious-tourism development.
- The five Takhts — Akal Takht (Amritsar), Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib (Anandpur Sahib), Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda), Takht Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib (Patna), Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded).
2. Festivals & Global Culture Honours
Lucknow declared a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
- What — Lucknow was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), recognising its Awadhi culinary heritage.
- Significance — Boosts culinary tourism and adds to the growing list of Indian UCCN cities (recognised for crafts, literature, music, film, gastronomy or design).
Raulane festival, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
- What — An ancient festival in Kinnaur district honouring celestial fairies called Saunis, believed to protect villagers through harsh winters.
- Ritual — Two men symbolically marry as the divine couple Raula (groom) and Raulane (bride), performing a slow, meditative dance at the Nagin Narayan Temple.
Bhutan's Global Peace Prayer Festival
- What — Bhutan hosted a large-scale Global Peace Prayer Festival during the month, drawing pilgrims and dignitaries as part of its broader spiritual-tourism push, alongside PM Modi's state visit.
Udupi and Goa — Dvaita Vedanta heritage in the news
- Udupi — PM Modi visited the Sri Krishna Matha, Udupi (Karnataka), founded in the 13th century by Sri Madhvacharya, proponent of the Dvaita (Dualism) school of Vedanta.
- Goa — PM Modi unveiled a 77-foot bronze Lord Ram statue at Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math, Goa, which follows the same Dvaita tradition and recently marked its 550th anniversary.
3. Sports
Madurai hosts the 2025 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup
- What — Madurai, Tamil Nadu — known as 'the City that Never Sleeps' and the ancient capital of the Pandyan Kingdom — hosted the 2025 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
4. Awards & Personalities in the News
Awards & personalities — November 2025| Award | Winner / Key fact |
|---|
| Booker Prize 2025 | David Szalay (Hungarian-British) for his novel *Flesh* — the world's leading literary award for a single work of fiction in English, published in the UK or Ireland; founded 1969. |
| Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2024 | Michelle Bachelet, first and only woman President of Chile and a former UN Human Rights chief; the prize was instituted in 1986 by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. |
| Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2025 | Announced by the Sahitya Akademi (India's National Academy of Letters, est. 1954) — recognises outstanding children's literature across 24 official languages; instituted in 2010. |