CULTURAL QA 01-2023-10 BEING ACOMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 AreBrahmins the most intellectual people in India today? A1 Sampada, Lives in India (2002–present)Jan 3 This questionreminds me of a castiest whatsapp forward which was widely circulated in myfamily whatsapp groups :) It said :- We, the konkani saraswat Brahminswho lived historically on the banks of holy river of Saraswati are the blessedcommunity by Lord Parusharam himself. Even in modern world despite being asmall community based in west India there is no field which we haven'tinfluenced. Dilip Sardesai and Sachin Tendulkar in cricket,Deepika Padukone in Bollywood, Suresh Prabhu and Manohar Parrikar in Politicsand many more. It is evident thatwe have been contributing to country'sdevelopment throughout the history. It is all in our genes The messageassumes that “skills" and “intelligence" are possessed by Brahmincommunity by birth. Let meremind these people that Vijay Mallya who caused such a big scam in the countryis also a konkani saraswat Brahmin :) So should we assumethat we(sarwaswat Brahmins) are most criminal community of the country? Absolutely not. Despite myself being a Brahmin, I disagree that Brahminsare the most intellectual people of the country. No community ismore intelligent than another however it is the individuals who develop skillsand intellectualism in their lives to achieve greater heights. I hope peopleunderstand this and reduce the “superiority complex" which they havedeveloped. Q2 Howdid King Tut have an iron dagger when Egypt didn't mine iron? A2 Bob deWitt, Art History Professor,Utah Valley University Updated 3y This magnificent,priceless, and extremely rare artifact from the tomb of King Tutankhamen is believed by researchers to havebeen made from an iron meteorite. The handle and sheath are of goldand the boss on the handle is crystal. Iron was very rare in the Bronze Age when King Tut lived and was considered even morevaluable than gold. In fact, iron was so rare it wasrevered. The Egyptians even believed that the bones ofthe gods were made from iron; certainly understandable since the metaldid come from the sky … Recent studies by ateam of Italian and Egyptian researchers used a technique called X-rayfluorescence spectrometry to determine that the metal of the blade is composed of iron, nickel andcobalt, minerals which “strongly suggest an extraterrestrial origin”. So, the Egyptians got the metal from a meteorite, butwhether they discovered the meteorite or got it through trade is unknown. It’s interesting tonote that one of the most revered objects of ancient Egypt was the so-called‘Ben-ben’ stone — a pyramidal object which may have inspired the shape of theOld Kingdom pyramids. It was apparently also an iron meteorite of ancientorigin. Its shape had probably been created as it plunged through theatmosphere, heating up and melting the metal, allowing it to flow backward toform a rough pyramid shape. Perhaps it was similar to this iron meteorite which is nowlocated in a museum in Mexico City. Q3 Similartrain ACs are closed in winter, so why does the railway charge for it? A3 Indian Railways Space, Swagata Sarkar,Updated Aug 9 The railwaystill has not developed a system to provide AC to 72 passengers individually,so even if they gave an option to not opt for AC in winters, there is nopossible way to “Not Air condition someone personally”. But jokes aside, the railway charges for the CONSTANTAMBIENT temperature and air circulation, not just the AC. The Things you seemounted on Air Conditioned coaches are not exactly AC, they are called RoofMounted Package Units or RMPUsfor short. RMPUs are installed on each end of an AC coach and they don't justcool the coach, they also dehumidify, heat, and most importantly, VENTILATE thecoach and keep providing fresh air. RMPUs are not turned off inwinters, more on that later. Since theAC coach acts like a closed environment and there are no open windows, theexchange of new air is crucial else Carbon dioxide levels can spike. The RMPUdoes exactly that. Both RMPU units ofthe coach are connected to a microprocessor-based system that automaticallychanges the temperature inside the coach according to the ambient temperaturevia a system of humidity sensors and thermostats. In rainy seasons, this system alsodehumidifies the coach and in winter this system heats the coach and humidifiesthe air. If the AC coachdoes not have a working AC (because everyone did not opt for AC), the coach will soon fill withthe heat all 72 passengers are producing and it will stay trapped insidebecause there are no open windows and since the AC is not working, no fresh aircan enter and soon there will be CO2 spikes and everyone will pass out (at thevery least). The Indian Railwayscharge for the comfort AC coaches provide, not to earn extra money by justshowing it's an AC coach. Whenit's -2 degrees celsius outside, the system will constantly keep it 18 degreescelsius inside. If the RMPUs are turned off as you said, thescenario I told above will happen but now in -2 degrees Celcius. RMPUs arenever turned off regardless of the weather, season, ticket price, internationalwars, power outages, hunger strikes, or anything in general. As long as thereare people in an AC coach, the RMPU has to function. My note- Regarding ambient temperature, is it veryeffective in the coaches named AC coach? Why can’t the railway rename then as AT coach instead of AC coach, doubt arising in my mind. It was during PM Manmohan singh period three tier coach was renamed assleeper coach. My experience is ambienttemperature coaches is regulation is not very effective, after manypassengers got out before destination or while the train starts. During summer many passengers feel sultry and suffocative atleastfor one hour after the train starts. The staff, TTR informs it willbe regulated after running for some timeto passengers. Q4 Whatbenefits do we derive from drinking alkaline water over ordinary water? A4 Ken Saladin, Professor of biology,emeritus (retired)21h The only benefits Iknow of are that if you buy a lot of alkaline water, you don’t have to carry around so much nasty money orworry about confusing big numbers in your bank account. As for effects of alkaline water on the body, it hasabsolutely none—or at least, nothing different from the effect and necessity ofwater in general. People who drinkordinary tap water sufferfrom the burden of having too much money left over and too manydecisions to make on what to spend it on instead of bottled water. My note- I enjoyed the sarcastic by Professor Kensaladin. Q5 Whatare some lesser known facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri? A5 Premjeet Yadav, Dec 21 How should a minister be? He had not told hismother that he was a railway minister.Was told that "I work in railway". He once came to anevent organised by Railway where his mother also came, asking that my son isalso here, he is also in the railway. People asked whatis the name ?? When she told the name, everyone was shocked, "She islying".But she said, "No he has come". People took her in front of Lal Bahadur Shastriji andasked, "Is this is your son? So the mother said"yes he is my son." People showedthe minister, "Is she your mother?" Then Shastri jicalled his mother and sat with her and after some time sent her home. So the reportersasked "Why didn't you give a speech in front of her". So he said - My motherdoes not know that I am a minister. If she comes to know, she will startrecommending people and I will not be able to refuse…and she will also have arrogance.Everyone was shocked to hear the answer." Where did thoseselfless, humble and honest people go? "We will always work on the late Shri Lal BahadurShastri ji as our ideal ". Gone thosePoliticians , Gone those days… Q6 Whatare some harsh realities of life? A6 ADI, Lives in Boston, MA Jan 8 You are born alone and most likely will die alone.What I mean to say is that during your life, you will have to face and fightyour critical battles alone. Money, beauty,social status means a lot in this world. If you lose them, 99.99% of yoursocial circle will disappear. More knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean morehappiness. 99% of the daily news from across the world is useless and is mostlikely to make you feel depressed in long term. Once you lose yourinnocence, you can not get it back. Once you see the ugly face of the realworld, you can’t unsee it. For instance, a friend, colleague or spousebetrays you or cheats behind your back, you can not unsee/undo it. You will always have some insecurities in life untilyou die. Those insecurities could be related to losing someone or losingsomething (job, money, power) or dying. Destination or target based goals ($1 million before30, $100,000 fancy car) are overrated. Once you achieve them, you will get usedto them in a few days or weeks. Years or months of effort, pain and sacrificeswill not seem to be worth for a temporary happiness. If you live longenough, you will lose most of your loved ones, friends one by one. You will never beable to figure out life or life’s purpose. Life will be a mixed bag- some great moments,few bad moments and a lot of boring or average forgettable moments. You willchange and your feelings, values, morals, logic, hobbies, tastes, preferenceswill keep changing throughout your life. Similarly, otherswill also change. Your favourite people today will no longer be your favouritein next 10–20 years. My note- A hardtruth . Ihave experienced in the iyer 123 group from a member…. . Your boss,colleagues or the charismatic friendly guy that you met last weekend during aparty don’t have your best interests in mind even if they are very friendlywith you. Every personwho is polite and friendly with you is not your FRIEND. Bonus - 100 years from now, no one will remember you. Thisis true for 99.99% people who don’t a place in historybooks. So stop working so hard to prove a point or impress others and live yourlife your own way on your own terms and conditions. Q7 Whydo many Indians gift "fruits" to their relatives while visiting them? A7 Buvana Rameshwar, Lives in India(1989–present)7h We always takeseasonal fruits when visiting siblings, inlaws, friends and other relatives. If they live nearbyand it is tea- time visit we take hot samosas with chutneys and hot crispyjalebis as our local area samosas are very well made. Earlier we boughttraditional laddus too as gifts. But I have strictly avoided buying almond halwa, cashew katlis andchocolates as an Indian norm, the main reason being the high price leaving thehealth issues aside. These were usually brought to us mainly by ourguests to show their standard of life was higher than us, even if it wasn't, orit didn't matter to us ! We were even branded as misers by others. Now too most of ourrelatives bring us these high fat hifi sweets in spite of our age and the factthat we shouldn't eat too much sugar or fats. But we stick to seasonal Indian fruits and buy whatlooks fresh. They are good for health, appropriate for that weather, budgetfriendly and there is no competition as to who brought better gifts. You don'trun a race with others if you are on a different track always. My note- Many feel the sweets as not as highquality if packed in the shop from where it is purchased. So many re-pack them in costly sweetshop’s boxes, the purchased item from anordinary sweet shop- a hard truth. Though certainfruits are more healthy, but comparatively cheap, many do not consider it as agood gift. Costliest fruits like pomegranate are only considered as gift, notany type of plantain- ahard truth. Q8 Whatis a life hack that you think everybody should know? A8 Ankur Visen, Works at FIS Global Updated5y Ever lost your bikeor Car keys ? Well most of the people rush to locksmith for a new key orsometimes to get the lock changed (if no duplicate is available). You don’tneed to shed extra money from your Wallet for a Duplicate Key(which can ruinyour lock too) and jeopardize the Vehicle security too. Every keycomes with a Unique identification number which looks like this (for my bike) : Memorize thisnumber or write it down somewhere. Just provide this number at your vehicle’sshowroom and they will provide you with a new set of keys!! Edit : As manypeople have doubts about their Car keys getting lost : Cars of this generation have engine immobilizer ,the keys will contain a code which communicates with the engine. Only if the code matches the engine would start , this is the reason forcharging huge money for keys in cars. Most time the dealer would need tocommunicate with company to get the code or car would require software update .In bikes this technology ( immobilizer ) is not wide spread. so they will givenew keys for free. Alsoa locksmith key wont work for this generation cars. Thanks a lotVigneshwarraj Chandrasekaran for you input. Q9 Whatis the history of Kutumina? A9 ...Connecting DOTS...A place of thereal TRUTH, FACT, FICTION, MYSTERY & CRIMEThu Qutub Minar (Height: 73 m - Architectural style:Indo-Islamic architecture - Closed:1981 - Owner: Archaeological Survey of India) The Qutub Minar isa 73-meter (239.5 feet) tall tower located in Qutub Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inthe Mehrauli area of Delhi, India. The tower was built by Qutbal-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate, in the early 13th century. The tower is made of redsandstone and marble, and is decorated with inscriptions and geometric patterns.The tower has five distinct stories, each marked by a projecting balcony. TheQutub Minar is an important example of Indo-Islamic architecture and is apopular tourist attraction in Delhi. The construction of Qutub Minar began in 1193 and wascompleted in 1368. The tower was built to commemoratethe victory of Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak over the last Hindu kingdom inDelhi. The tower is also known for its calligraphic inscriptions and corbelledbracket and it is said that minarwas built to serve as a minaret for the muezzins to call the faithful toprayer. However, over thecenturies, the tower was damaged by lightning and earthquakes, and it underwentseveral rounds of repairs and renovations. The last major restoration of the Qutub Minar was carriedout in the early 20th century by the British archaeologist AlexanderCunningham. Q10 Currently,extra marital affairs are increasing in middle class Indian societies too. Whatare the factors behind it? A10 Bhuvana Rameshwar, South Indian cultureJan 3 More exposure tomembers of opposite sex because of smart phones, more women going in for jobs outside homeand often husband and wife working in different towns and cities . Living in nuclearfamilies away from hometown and known people is another reason. Add to these copying of western culture indress, behaviour and life style. This adds to their confidence to doanything even if morally wrong as long as “we don't get caught” attitude.Besides “variety is thespice of life” for some as soon as they get little freedom. Each person has aprivate phone. Earlier it was only a fixed land line thus less privacy. All themore lesser if it was joint family with many members. Now all have smart phones**even economicallyweaker sections have a second hand smart phone. This gives them morefreedom, more exposure and easy access to unwanted friendships and soonrelationships. My note- Many people have 5-10 SIMS. Manymiddle class and lower class own smart phones which even upper class cannotafford. People doing crimes misuse SIMs… One smile and phone numbers get exchanged. Ihave often heard desperate people starting conversations with wrong numbers too. People want fun in their monotonous life, so this is easy with a phone atleisure. The secrecy, the privacy, the ease etc enabled bypersonal phones often leads to temptations not heardof or accessed by normal, middle class women and men. It is a temptation whichgives them an unusual thrill and they continue until caught or cheated by thepartner. Inspite of less exposure to parties, clubs etc the middleclass find their new /old friends, flames from fb, tinder, like apps. What follows iseverything they do not get at home comes to them like…new, unusual importance,praise (flattery), gifts like crazy teenagers , long romantic hours on thephone, constant messaging and long drives. This is such a welcome thrill fromdaily life of work, eat, sleep. Many drive to holiday spots, beach resorts and hillstations very soon for a cosy atmosphere . The cab drivers are the mostinvolved in extramarital affairs. Many cheat women saying they are self employed engineers! Womenfall easily for cars and such drives. They feel elated and go into theirhappier, younger years once again. The phone is thus a time machine. For most what starts as a virtual - world friendshipsoon gives them the blind, daring and irresponsible courage to proceed deeperin it in real life. Theyjump into a full- fledged affair not knowing the consequences or whether thereis any future in it. Only when cheated of money, black mailed,snatched of their self respect and good name do they realize their folly. Bythat time it wrecks many happy families. Divorces, murders andsuicides as a result of these are also getting common amongst middle - classIndians. One reason I'msceptical to cite here is the improvedfood habits in Indian middle class together with the better earnings(economy level). . They are eating more and better. The intake of fats andproteins is more. People are getting “fatted” in literal terms. Thephysiological, anatomical changes, hormonal improvement, better dressing senseadd to increased attraction to opposite sex. Morality takes a back seat. My note- Recent approval of living together without marriage by Supreme court also has made many rich to have such relations openly now. All the above QA are from Quora website on 15-01- 2023. Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers . Compiled andposted by R. Gopala krishnan on 16-01-2023 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/805371569.1060361.1673831171186%40mail.yahoo.com.
