Looking back at the burning issues

1 PADMAVATI

This is among the many varieties of parrots which sound human. They are the Alexandrine parrot/Gagroni parrot and are found in the Gagron Fort of Rajasthan. Ratan Sen supposedly heard about Padmavati’s beauty from this parrot. These parrots irritated Khilji’s army by imitating him and his soldiers. Identify the parrot.

2 FIRE CRACKER BAN

To celebrate the wedding, a firework display was set on May 30, 1770. The most celebrated artists of the world were called to display the magic of fireworks with over three thousand rockets and fire-balls and soon it became the deadliest fireworks-related accident in history. Whose marriage was that?

3 BEEF BAN

West Bengal permits slaughter of cows, bulls and buffaloes over the age of 14 but requires ‘this’. Tamil Nadu, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Goa and Odisha allow the slaughter of cattle with ‘this’ too. The north-eastern States of India doesn’t need ‘this’ at all. What is being referred to?

4 TRIPLE TALAQ

A famous Bollywood actress’ alleged Talaq went viral on social media. The authenticity of the news was questioned and dubbed as incorrect. Her marriage to this director who allegedly said Talaq was fraught with several troubles, from allegations of domestic violence against him. Which couple is being referred to?

5 THE GST

This term should replace all existing taxes. The term and the modern movement originated with the publication of this American economist’s work, Progress and Poverty, in 1879. Many Political parties and institutions were founded based on his principles. What are we talking about?

6 AN UNINSTALL CAMPAIGN

This widely used mobile app, initially called as ‘Picaboo’ was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The company’s CEO had been targeted by many in India, because he allegedly called India poor. Soon #Uninstall _______ became viral. Identify the company.

7 UNIQUE PROTEST

The construction industry had taken a hard hit in Italy. People from different levels of the industry joined forces and protested on a day which they dubbed as ‘The Day of Anger’. What unique thing did they do to protest?

8 BANNED MOVIES

Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha had its fair share of battles with CBFC. This reminds me of an iconic film, which is an emotional take on the lengths of friendship and kindness. Upon its release in 1982, Norway, Finland and Sweden banned the film for all children under the age of twelve as they felt that allowing children to watch it would create a discord between generations. Identify the movie.

9 THE CONTROVERSIAL OSCAR

La La Land was announced as the best film at the 2017 Oscars but then had to hand the award over to Moonlight after a mistake was noticed. There’s been another confusion at Oscars. Janet Patterson, an Australian costume designer and four-time Oscar nominee passed away in October 2016. Her name and occupation were correct in the montage, but the photo used was of a still-living Australian film producer. Identify.

10 CHINA BLOCKS WHATSAPP

China banned Facebook and blocked WhatsApp. Since then, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been finding a way to reintroduce the social network into the country. They launched a photo-sharing app mimicking the look and feel of Facebook’s Moments app. What is it called?

11 AUSTRALIAN HINDU PROTEST

An advertisement released by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) showed gods worshiped in different religions sitting down for a meal of lamb. There was Jesus, Zeus, and an Indian god among others. The Hindu community of Australia filed a complaint against this. Identify the god.

12 GODDESS DURGA CARTOON

A newspaper ad featured a controversial picture of the Hindu goddess Durga, Ganesha, Kartik, Saraswati and Lakshmi having a spa. Soon the company’s outlets were vandalised and the owner was threatened. Identify.

13 FIFA AND THE POPPY BAN

FIFA is set to lift the ban on displaying the red poppy. They fined England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for their use of the poppy to commemorate Armistice Day, deeming it to be a political symbol. Worn on Armistice Day, this was produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society because the Royal British Legion had refused to be associated with its manufacture. Many veterans felt that its significance undermined the lasting meaning of the ‘Red poppy’. What is it?