Current affairs 11 October 2023

Swaminarayan Akshardham, largest Hindu temple outside India inaugurated.

• The largest Hindu temple outside India, BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, has been inaugurated in New Jersey, the United States Swaminarayan Akshardham is spread over 185 acres.
• Mahant Swami Maharaj conducted the 'Pran Prathistha' ritual at the temple.
• Akshardham in New Jersey marks the third such cultural complex globally.
• The first Akshardham was created in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, India, in 1992, followed by Akshardham in New Delhi in 2005.

Country’s Oldest Think Tank USI To Hold Indian Military Heritage Festival.

• The country’s oldest think tank, the United Service Institution of India (USI), is organizing the first Indian Military Heritage Festival (IMHF) to address the gap in the national discourse and cultural calendar.
• Aim: To enhance our understanding of the country’s rich military heritage and traditions; contemporary security and strategy concerns; and the push to achieve self-reliance in military capability.
• It is scheduled to be held on October 21 and 22.

Navy hosts Annual Joint HADR Exercise "Chakravat" 2023.

• The Annual Joint HADR Exercise (AJHE) is an outcome of Hon’ble PM’s directive promulgated during Combined Commanders’ Conference 2015.
• The exercise has been conducted by Indian Army, Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Air Force (IAF) in rotation since 2016.
• It is being hosted by the Indian Navy at Goa from 09 to 11 Oct 23.
• The 2023 edition would synergise efforts at the national level as well as witness participation from eight countries of the Indian Ocean Region.

North America's first Gandhi Museum opens in Houston.

• The first free-standing Gandhi Museum in North America, dedicated to the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi is open to the public in the US city of Houston ,Texas.
• Museum in the United States, dedicated to Gandhi, to preserve and promote his ever-lasting legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution.
• The outer walls of the semi-circle-shaped museum depict various peace activists including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Betty Williams, and more.

Kenyan Kiptum breaks world record to win Chicago Marathon men’s title 2023.

• Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum blazed his way to smash the world record by clocking a stunning 2:00:35 to win the Chicago Marathon 2023.
• The timing by World Athletics wiped off 34 seconds from the previous world mark of 2:01:09 set by his fellow countryman Eliud Kipchoge.
• The Chicago course a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon produced fast times even in the women's field, with Dutch star Sifan Hassan winning the women's title at 2:13:44.