CULTURAL QA 05-2022-03 BEING A COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 If I book a first class AC ticketfrom IRCTC, do I get a "coupe (for 2 people)" or a "cabin (for 4people)"? A1 Ankit Barnawal FormerStudent at Doon Business School, Dehradun (2017–2022)Thu AC First Class in Indian Railways are the most expensive mode oftravelling. It consists of 2 or 4 berths per compartment and there are no sideupper or side lower berths. Compartmenthaving 2 berths are called coupe and with 4 berths are called cabin. The berths are more comfortable and spacious, there is a small ladder toreach upper berth in the coach and there are small tables for every passengerto have meals. In trains like Rajdhani Express, there is a button in each FirstAC compartment to call attendant at any point of time. If you booked a first AC ticket from IRCTC, you willonly get the status of ticket as CNF/0. You will not get the seat number atthat time. The seats will be allottedto you after the chart gets prepared i.e. 4 hours before the scheduleddeparture of the train from originating station. You will receive a SMS from IRCTC regarding seatallotment in AC First Class. The allotment of seats are done based on the bookings made in the train.For example :- If a couple books a ticket in AC First Class, the couple is likely to geta coupe cabin in the coach. If there are more than 2 passengers in a single PNR, then thosepassengers are likely to get the cabin of 4 passengers. Based on my experience of travelling as an individual in AC First Class,I have always got a cabin of 4 passengers and the allotment is done just afterthe chart preparation of the train. In ICF rake, there are total22 seats in AC FirstClass in which A, C, F and G are cabin of 4 passengers and B, D and E are coupecabin of 2 passengers. In LHB rake, there are total24 seats in AC FirstClass in which A, C, F and H are cabin of 4 passengers and B, D, E and G arecoupe cabin of 2 passengers. If it is a full First AC Coach, it will be numbered H1. If it is a composite coach(Half First AC and half AC Two Tier), it will be numbered HA1. If it is a compositecoach (Half First AC and half AC Three Tier), it will be numbered HB1. Thus, In a half First AC Coach, A and B are cabins and C is a coupe.Hopeyou are clear with the seat layout of a full AC First Class and a composite ACFirst Class. My note- Information about HB1 coach is new to me. Ihave travelled in HA1 coach. Q2 Why was it evolutionaryadvantageous to lose claws for humans? A2 Claire Jordan Degreein biology and folklore; programmer, shop owner, secretary on newspaper Sun *Humans* didn’t losetheir claws - the first simian primates did. All monkeys and apes have nails.They’re better for dexterity and for certain types of climbing. If you’re going to swing by your arms youeither need flat nails, or really big, deep-rooted claws like those of a sloth,so you can actually hang from the claws - and sloth claws aren’t much use foranything else, whereas fingerscan be used for a lot of things. Small claws of the type lemurs have would justsnag on bark and get broken - they’re used for a more cat-like way of climbing. Q3 What are day-to-day challengesfaced by government employees in India of which no one talks about openly? My note- Lengthy answer A3 GopalkrishnaVishwanath True Indian and free from regional/religious/linguistic/casteprejudices Thu I worked for a government-owned company for 28 years before I resigned. The biggest challenge Ifaced was retaining my morale to work and excel at my job and do it for my own satisfaction withoutexpectations of early promotions or other benefits. I had to get used to thefact that the principle of seniority was sacrosanct and none could flout it. I had to get used to the fact that 80 percent of the work had to be doneby 20 percent of the staff. I had to be satisfied that I belonged to this 20 percent and had tosuppress my frustration that I could do nothing about the other 80percent. I had to get used to a philosophical statement made by my boss once thatin these kinds of organizations drawing a salary was compulsory but workingfor it was optional. If you excelled at your job, you would be respected by your colleagues orwould be the object of jealousy. Your bosses would be happy with you as long as they were themselvesexcellent and did not feel threatened by your excellence and your performance.If they were mediocre the intermediate bosses would prevent you from gettingexposed to bigger bosses so that the mediocrity of intermediate bosses did notget exposed. You wouldalso have to face the frustration of your immediate boss taking credit forsomething you did, before the bigger bosses. You would also be thetarget if something went wrong due to a decision by your immediate boss. Another challenge wasunionism. The mediocre would band together. They would form Unions, or Associations and theoffice bearers would invariably be those who were mediocre at work butexcellent at playing politics. The fact that they knew that it is very difficult for a Government-owned organizationto sack someone for inefficiency or negligence made them revel inmediocrity. Some employees would give preference to their personal work overoffice work. Complaints against them would not work. The procedures for sackingan employee were cumbersome and it would take several months or even years tosack an employee for inefficiency or indiscipline. Unions would protect them.The threat of strikes, go-slow, pen-down strikes, ‘non-cooperation movements’,would make managers tolerate inefficiency. My boss often told me“yahaan sab kuch chalta hai”. (Everything is tolerated here). I cheerfully kept up my morale, ignored the inefficient around me andworked sincerely, and was glad to be respected and given prestigiousassignments to work on. I would put all these office problems behind me andsimply plunge into my work and team up with like-minded people. I have had severalbrushes with incompetent staff and some of them were militant too. When during the lateeighties and early nineties, we got a good quality photocopying machine, wewere not allowed to operate it. Under pressure from the Union, a new machineoperator was recruited and put in charge of the machine and we had to giverequisitions in printed forms for getting copies of our documents. One day, we had an urgent job on which I was working. A document had tobe sent out come what may, before the end of the day. My team members and Iworked hard to meet the target. We needed an urgent copy of a few pages. My junior colleague was sent to get a copy. He reached the photocopyingroom about 5 minutes after the official closing time. The operator refused worksaying his duty hours were over. My colleague returned without a copyand told me what happened. I went there personally to talk to the operator andconvince him He was unconcerned with the urgency. I,therefore, told him to move aside so that I could take those copies myself. Hecontacted the Union leader. The Union leader along with hisoffice bearers all stormed into the room and threatened to break my legs if Itouched the machine. They demanded overtime pay for the operator orasked me to wait till tomorrow. They claimed I had no right to do work that wasthe work of someone else. I left the office on myown, using my motorcycle, rode a kilometer to a shop and got the copies, stayedback two hours that day, and then despatched the documents myself by visitingthe courier’s office. The next day I reported the matter to the head of the office. To mysurprise, he had nothing to say except tell me that I neededto handle these militant chaps tactfully and that I had failed in doing so. He also said that it was my fault for not having finished the workduring the working hours. The union leader's stock had gone up thatday as word soon spread that he had taught me a lesson. I can cite so many other examples of employees with secure jobs abusingtheir privileges. We had two office cars. Two drivers were appointed on a permanent basis.They were union members. No one could control them. They wouldsteal petrol from the tank and use it elsewhere. They sold new car parts andreplaced them with used parts obtained from garages. They abused medical facilities. Under the medical reimbursement scheme,employees were allowed to consult a panel of doctors and buy medicines thatwere prescribed by these authorized doctors. Upon producing the prescriptionand the bill from the chemist’s shop the expenditure on medicines would bereimbursed by the office. This facility was badly abused. Employees would visitthe doctor with minor ailments like cold or cough, get costly antibioticsprescribed, produce the prescriptions at selected chemists shops and gettoothpaste, Horlicks, and health foods or cosmetics or toiletries instead ofthe medicines and get a fake bill for the prescribed medicines. The racket wasimpossible to stop and was going on merrily. Any firm measures to prevent itwould have resulted in a strike. When one of the driversdied due to a damagedliver resulting from drinking, more than one lady came to the office claimingto be his wife and asking for financial settlement. Both had the same names andboth had been using the office medical facilities. All they had to do was togive the officially recorded name of the spouse while visiting the doctor andbuying medicines. Abuse of perks andbenefits was widespread.People bought cars or scooters/motorcycles and claimed “conveyance allowance”even when they were not using the vehicle. The vehicle was often used by the familymembers of the employee for private purposes but the employee would claimconveyance allowance every month. Honest employees who worked hard for the benefit of the organizationwould watch all this with frustration and there was nothing anyone could doabout it. It is no wonder thatvery few public sector organizations have worked for the prosperity of thecountry. Most are justa drain on the government's revenues. Privatization was unthinkable during those days of thelicense and permit raj when communist parties wielded a lot of influence. Q4 How did people with diabetessurvive or treat their illness before the invention of insulin? A4 Baba Vickram AdityaBedi Top Writer 2018 Badge, Published in Yugmarg & Punjab Times. Updated 9h The use of natural medicines in Ancient India, 400 A.D. Ancient India led theworld in recognizing and differentiating between Type I and Type II Diabetes. Ancient Indians used ants to recognize the presence of Diabetes,as elevated glucose levels led to urine being released which had a high sugarcontent. Ants would be attracted to this glucose rich urine and hence AncientIndians called Diabetes“Madhumeha”, or Honey Urine. It was noted that wealthy heavy setindividuals presented a different form of Diabetes than the younger and thinnerDiabetics. Increased activity helped the older heavier patients, but this hadno effect on the treatment of the younger patients. It was noted that bothforms of Diabetes were rather rare, though Ancient India had more Type II Diabetics.Increased activity,exercise, and dietary changes were used along with Ayurvedic Medicine. Theuse of bitter gourd, fenugreek, turmeric and various other herbs were used.Even today, these treatments are used in India alongside allopathic medicines. Ancient India had success inthe treatment of Type II Diabetes but could do little for Type IDiabetics other than lessen their pain as the absence of Insulin productionmade the condition nearly impossible to treat. Sushruta the Physician and Surgeon, circa 700 B.C. India. >From the works of twoAncient Indian Physicians, Sushruta (700 B.C.), and >Charaka (400 A.D), we cansurmise that many Type II Diabetics lived for decades >or more after beingdiagnosed. The idea ofincreased activity and eating foods >which promoted weight loss were understoodto be the way of maintaining health. >It was even understood that fatty food was preferable tosugar rich food. The >difference between Type II Diabetes and Type I would notagain be recognized >until the 1930s in full in the modern era. Thework Ancient Indians did in >regard to Diabetes was perhaps the most advanceduntil the advent of insulin >during the 1920s. Modified Ancient Indianpreparations though debated by many >even today, are still used in India. While today, Diabetes is far >betterunderstood, the remarkable understanding of Ancient India is truly >incredible.The reality is that Ancient Indians who suffered with Type II >Diabetes weretreated better in Ancient India than their counterparts in other >parts of theworld, and this treatment was only surpassed in the modern age. Q5 Do fish filter water and make it clean? A5 Jayant Pushu Kabra,lives in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India (2019-present)Answered 1h ago The short and definitive answer is yes! A filter basically cleans the water of debris,removes the toxic buildup of ammonia and nitrates, and aerates the water soyour fish can breathe. But if you are asking about fish then, Certain species offish help clean up a pond by eating algae, collections of green organisms thatlook like plants but don't have the roots, stems or leaves of true plants. Algae live and grow in stagnant water and canquickly take over an entire pond if left to their own devices. Q6 Do Japanese apartments have washingmachines? A6 Chiaki Watanabe Bornand raised in Japan Apr 5 No, they don’t. Unlessit claims it’s fully furnished, which is very very very rare in Japan, you need to buy and set literally everything fromlight bulbs to fridge by yourself. If you mean “Do Japanese people living in apartments have washingmachines?” yes, most would do. But not all. Q7 Why do I have diarrhea everytime Ieat pineapple? A7 Lucia Garcia Workedat Hospitals Thu Pineapple is a nutritious and delicious tropical fruit that containsalmost all the vitamins and 16 kinds of natural minerals that the body needs. Ripe pineapples also contain small amounts of bromelain, which mostfruits do not contain. Bromelain is widely used inthe pharmaceutical industry, it can inhibit the growth of tumor cells, preventand treat cardiovascular diseases. Bromelain can also helprelieve a variety of inflammatory conditions and is beneficial and harmless tomost people. However, some people's gastrointestinal tract does not have thefunction of breaking down bromelain, so it is easy to produce intestinal immuneresponse, which can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting andother symptoms. It is recommended to Soak the Pineapple in Salt Water for 30 Minutesbefore eating.The salt water can not only lessens the astringent taste, but also destroy the bromelain. Brine-soaked pineapples are safe to eat withoutcausing gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. Q8 How did electric companiescalculate and bill for electricity when household electricity was first madeavailable? A8 David Thomas·Former President, Alaska Electric and Energy Cooperative (2007–2021)Thu The first lamp-hourmeter was invented in 1872 and Edison developed electrolytic cells (thatdeposited onto copper proportional to amp hours) in 1881. Around 1900, things went topendulum meters, then two pendulums then motor meters. Then as DC systems gaveway to AC, induction meters were used. In short, electricalmeters have existed almost the entire time that electricity has been sold. When most houses only had a few lights bulbs, you mightcharge per light fixture (we still do that, today*) but as soon as electricalappliances and heaters were available, meter (and meter reading) werefundamental to operation/financing the system. * we still have a street-light tariff with one fee for 250-watt andanother for 400-watt fixtures. Lacking a meter and not requiring meter reading,it allows street lights to be operated less expensively than if they were ontheir own metered service. All the above QA are from Quora website on 02-05- 2022. Quora answers need not be 100%correct answers Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 03-05-2022 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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