Pranam
Q3 The truth: Vasco da Gama: Facts & Biography Vasco da Gama (1460-1524)
Vasco da Gama was a highly successful Portuguese sailor and explorer during
the Age of Exploration. He was the first person to sail directly from
Europe to India, around the Cape of Good Hope. His discovery was monumental
in the history of navigation as well as instrumental in establishing
Portugal as a major colonial empire.
A route to India: Da Gama was born in 1460 to a family of nobles in Sines,
Portugal. His father, Estevao, was also an explorer. Da Gama learned to
navigate in the navy, which he joined as soon as he was old enough. In
1497, da Gama was appointed to command a ship with the goal of discovering
a sailing route to India.
Several decades earlier, Henry the Navigator had patronized several
successful voyages in North and West Africa. These voyages were Portugal’s
first steps at becoming a major maritime and colonial power. In 1487,
Bartolomeu Dias discovered that the Indian and Atlantic Oceans were
connected. This interested Portuguese King Manuel. He wished to conquer
Islam and establish himself as the King of Jerusalem, in addition to making
money off the spice trade.
Vasco da Gama's first voyage took his ship around the Cape of Good
Hope and across the Indian Ocean.De Gama captained four vessels when he set
out on July 8, 1497. Da Gama himself rode in the 200-ton St. Gabriel and
his younger brother Paulo led the St. Rafael. Da Gama sailed south, taking
advantage of the prevailing winds off the western coast of Africa, and
swung out into the Atlantic before veering back in an arc to meet the South
African coast. He then rounded the Cape of Good Hope and ventured into the
Indian Ocean.
By the time they reached Indian Ocean waters, most of his crew
was infected
with scurvy. Da Gama made landfall in Mozambique to rest and resupply.
There, they had skirmishes with the sultan who did not believe the
Europeans’ gifts were sufficient. They then landed in Mombasa and Malindi,
where an Arab guide agreed to assist da Gama; the guide may have been
famous Arab navigator Ahmed Ibn Magid.
Da Gama’s fleet sailed for 23 days before landing at Calicut, India,
(modern-day Kozhikode) on May 20, 1498. *The Europeans assumed the locals
were Christians,* though they were actually Hindus. { the intelligence of
the west?} Despite this misunderstanding, the ruler of Calicut agreed to
trade with da Gama and he acquired a large supply of valuable spices. The
Muslims who already traded at Calicut, however, were less inviting of da
Gama’s competition and forced da Gama to barter many of his spices in order
to acquire sufficient supplies for the trip home.
Return to Portugal: In August, after three months in India, da Gama’s
fleet left Calicut — despite advice that monsoon season was approaching.
The ships encountered terrible storms during their journey. The passage
across the Indian Ocean — which had previously taken little more than three
weeks — took more than three months. So many men died of scurvy during the
crossing that da Gama ordered the St. Rafael burned for lack of crew.
The ships split up off the western coast of Africa, returning to Lisbon
at different times. Da Gama’s brother Paulo fell ill and da Gama took him
to the Azores with hopes of healing him. Paulo died on the Azores and,
after mourning on the island for some time, da Gama eventually returned to
Portugal more than one month after the other ships had come back.
Ultimately, it took da Gama’s fleet more than a year to return to
their homeland after leaving India. Though only 54 of the original
170-member crew returned to Portugal in 1499, da Gama received a hero’s
welcome. He was made an admiral and married Catarina de Ataíde, a woman of
a noble family. The spice trade was hugely important for Portugal and soon
after da Gama’s return, King Manuel dispatched another expedition to India,
led by Pedro Alvares Cabral. Cabral established a trading post in Calicut,
but conflicts with the local Muslims resulted in battles and the deaths of
70 Portuguese.
Second voyage to India: In 1502, King Manuel once again sent da Gama to
India to further secure Portugal’s dominance in the region. Da Gama left
Lisbon with 20 armed ships under his command. During his journey, da Gama
slaughtered hundreds of Muslims, attacking ships and firing cannons at
trading posts up and down the east African coast. In one instance, he
ordered the massacre of 380 people — including women and children — aboard
a Muslim ship returning from Mecca.
His brutal practices continued once he reached Calicut. There, da Gama
destroyed the trading post and killed 38 hostages. Once he had the Calicut
ruler's surrender, da Gama went south to Cochin (known as Kochi today).
There, he made an alliance with the local ruler, further securing
Portugal’s position as a dominant spice trader.
Da Gama left Cochin in February 1503. During his return journey, he
established Portuguese trading posts in what is now Mozambique. Portugal
would later become the major colonial power in Mozambique.
As part of this second India voyage, da Gama's uncles —Vicente and Brás
Sodré — were put in charge of a five-ship squadron with instructions to
protect friendly trading states on India's west coast. They were also
tasked with disrupting Arabic shipping along the route, according to David
Mearns, of Blue Water Recoveries in the United Kingdom. Disobeying such
orders, the uncles, and their squadron, instead set off for the Gulf of
Aden, carrying out a campaign of piracy.
At one point, after killing everyone on five Arab ships, the Sodré
brothers took shelter in a bay off the southern coast of Oman to repair
their own ships. Not heeding the advice of local fishermen about impending
strong winds, their ships ripped from their moorings. Vicente's ship sank
in deep water, killing him and his crew. It is this ship, the nau
Esmeralda, that scientists think they have discovered off the coast of
Oman, they announced in March 2016. [See Photos of the Lost nau Esmeralda
Ship]
Life in Portugal and final voyage: For 20 years, da Gama lived in Portugal
with his wife, six sons and one daughter. He continued to advise King
Manuel on matters regarding India and was made count of Vidigueira in
1519.After King Manuel died, King John III asked da Gama to return to India
once again. He was requested to help deal with the increasing corruption of
the Portuguese officials there. In 1524, da Gama yet again set sail — this
time with the title of Viceroy. Da Gama fell ill soon after arriving in
Cochin. He died from an unnamed illness on Dec. 24, 1524. He was initially
buried in a Catholic church in Kochi, but his remains were eventually
brought back to Portugal in 1538. KR IRS 21522
On Sat, 21 May 2022 at 04:42, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *CULTURAL QA 05-2022-21*
>
> *BEING A COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS*
>
> Q1 Why does it get humid in a washroom after a shower?
>
> A1 Shanmathi Raman, DENTIST from The Vinayaka Mission's
> Sankarachariyar Dental College (2018) Answered 38m ago
>
> *The temperature of the body releases to outside environment,* so the
> washroom gets humid after shower
>
> *2ND ANSWER- Mohit Answered 33m ago*
>
> A bathroom's humidity level is increased by the large amount of steam that
> a hot shower or bath produces, and as the moisture drifts in the air, it
> makes contact with colder surfaces and creates water droplets.
>
> Try out these different methods to dehumidify your bathroom to find one
> that works best for you.
>
> Use a Dehumidifier. ... Consider Switching Up Your Shower Routine. ...Leave
> the Door Open. ... Remove Sources of Moisture. ...Wipe Down Wet Spots.
> ... Try Adding Houseplants.
>
> Q2 Why is humidity in the bathroom high?
>
> A2 Nidhi Bharti, BA from Indira Gandhi National Open University
> (2020)Answered May 20, 2019
>
> *Usually bathrooms don’t have windows and once the door is closed the
> circulation of air with the outer environment cuts* while inside
> vapourisation increases by taking heat energy from the water we bath and
> the air we breathe. *As there is no clear way for the hot air to escape
> it keeps circulating in the bathroom* and we feel high humidity along
> with stickiness.
>
> Q3 What was the situation when Vasco da Gama reached India?
>
> A3 Ahareen Saha(অঋণ সাহা) history buff Updated Thu
>
> *My note- Lengthy but very informative answer*
>
> I will give a detailed description of what he saw in India as mentioned
> in the Journal of the *First Voyage of Vasco Da Gama in India(1497–1499)
> written by Alvaro Velho or Joao de Sa(disputed)*
>
> Note: This post is inspired from many articles associated with that book
> and also a video (link will be shared at the end).
>
> Vasco Da Gama initially thought that India is a Christian kingdom as is
> described in that journal many times. The journal is divided into 3 parts.
>
> 1st Part
>
> *Vasco Da Gama reached the Indian shores (Calicut, Kerala) on 18th
> May,1498 (Friday) after 23 days of continuous voyage.*
>
> My note- The name of the exact place is Kappad and I have visited it
> during my working at Calicut. There is *a granite stone with inscription
> about Vascodagama landed with date*
>
> He described the shores as surrounded by “lofty mountains”.
>
> There were frequent storms at that time so the “pilot” could not recognise
> the place. Finally on Sunday , their ships touched the shores and his men
> found that they were at Calicut(Kozhikode).
>
> They were approached by 4 boats. The men in those boats asked Vasco Da
> Gama that what nation did they belong to.
>
> Those people then took those sailors to the shores of Calicut. As
> mentioned in the journal, the first words spoken to Da Gama were, ”May the
> devil take thee, what brought you hither?”
>
> Da Gama replied as,”*We came here in search of Christians and spices!”*
>
> It is then mentioned that the natives knew their language which sounds
> strange but anyway.
>
> *Description of Calicut and the people there*
>
> The journal mentions that the city of Calicut was inhabited by
> “Christians” who had a dark brown complexion. Some of them had big beards
> and long hair. Some of them shaved their head and kept a tuft of hair at
> the back.(shika)This was considered as a proof of them being “christians”.
>
> Some of them had mustaches and put on a lot of gold. They were half naked
> (naked till the waist) and covered the lower part of their abdomen with
> cotton. The poorer ones did not put on gold.
>
> The women of Calicut were “ugly”(mentioned in journal) and of short
> stature. They put on many jewels, bracelets, rings with precious stones.
>
> They were of “mild” temper and seemed “ignorant”.
>
> *After these descriptions, the journal talks about how two men approached
> him and asked him that if he wanted to meet the king.*
>
> They spent the night there in their ships and the next morning, Vasco da
> gama along with 13 other men went to meet the king in their best attires.
>
> They went in their boats which had flags of the kingdom of Calicut.
>
> *Da Gama was welcomed by another group of men at the shores of another
> island in Calicut. He was frightened by them initially because they carried
> naked swords.*
>
> He was later taken to another town called Kapuola through a Palanguin
> which was used there by men of distinction.
>
> Da Gama was served rice with butter and boiled fish when he reached to the
> other town.
>
> *After that, he was taken to a “large church”(a temple) and he described
> it as follows.*
>
> The church looked like a monastery made of stones and covered with tiles.
>
> In the centre of the church was a “chapel” made of bronze doors and there
> were steps which led to a deity. The people there called her “our
> lady”(most probably shakti devi).
>
> Along the walls, hung 7 bells and they prayed to the goddess thinking that
> she was “mother Mary”.
>
> They were not allowed inside the chapel (garbagriha) because only a
> certain group of people (brahmins) were allowed inside.
>
> *The brahmins were described as men who put on a thread from their left
> shoulders to the right side of* their waist. They dressed like the
> deacons of Portugal.
>
> The Brahmins (Quaffies) then gave Vasco Da Gama some “holy water” and
> white earth.
>
> *The “Christians”(hindus)* there put on this white earth on their
> forehead, neck,breasts and arms.
>
> The “churches” there had sculptures of many “Christian saints” with many
> hands made with colourful stones and looked intricate and beautiful.
>
> Part 1 ends here..
>
> Part 2:
>
> Da Gama finally reached to the court of the *Zamorin of Calicut whom he
> described as “half naked”,covered with gold,wealthy*. The court was
> beautiful.
>
> The king had a golden cup in his hands into which he threw a leaf which
> was chewed by the people there because of its soothing effects (betel leaf).
>
> They called the betel leaf as “atambor”.
>
> The king was surrounded by silver jars filled with these atambor leaves.
>
> *When Vasco Da Gama reached closer to the king, he joined his hands and
> raised them towards heaven like the Christians.*
>
> The king then got a chair for Da Gama and offered him fruits. One looked
> like a melon but was hard from outside and soft from inside and the other
> was like a fig.
>
> *Da Gama introduced himself as the ambassador from Portugal who had been
> sent to India to search for the “King of Christians*”. He was asked not
> to come back before he could find the Christian kingdoms of India or his
> head would be cut off.
>
> The people at the court stared at him while he said all that.
>
> Part 3:
>
> *Da Gama offered the king twelve pieces of striped cloth, four scarlet
> hoods, six hats, four strings of coral, a case of six wash-hand basins, a
> case of sugar, two casks of oil, and two of honey.*
>
> Upon receiving these things, the people laughed at him and told him that
> the Zamorin would not take *anything except gold and even the poorest
> people there would not offer him those items.*
>
> Vasco da gama became sad but he went back to his ship.
>
> He then went to speak to the Zamorin a few days later. He did not meet him
> on a Tuesday (as the Zamorin wanted) because he was tired.
>
> *The Zamorin then told him that even if he came from a rich country, he
> brought nothing to offer him.*
>
> The Captain replied that his main purpose of travelling to India was to
> discover it and so he had not got many gifts for the king.
>
> The King then asked him that what did he want, men or stones. If men, then
> why did he not bring anything.
>
> The Zamorin then reminded him of how he talked about a golden image of
> Santa Maria.
>
> *Vasco da gama replied that she was not made of gold and even if she was
> made of gold, he would never part with her as she “guided” him to India*
> and would guide him back to Portugal.
>
> Vasco da Gama was asked by the Zamorin that what goods were found in his
> kingdom.
>
> *He then said that there were corn, cloth, iron, bronze found in his
> kingdom*. He had samples of those goods. If the king approved, he might
> order his men to bring those goods from his homeland.
>
> *The king said “no!” and wanted to sell whatever he had at the best prices*.
> The Portugese men agreed and went back to their lodgings.
>
> *The next day, they had to sell all their goods at very cheap prices (like
> a shirt which had a cost of 300* rays was sold at 30 in Calicut).
>
> *In return, they took many unique items from the kingdom as “samples” to
> show to Manuel the first(then king of Portugal).*
>
> They then happily returned back to Portugal through Mozambique and
> described their visit to the King and queen of Portugal.
>
> Q4 What is needed for good quality dialysis?
>
> A4 Narayana Health Health for all. All for health.1y
>
> *Dialysis is a life-sustaining procedure of the treatment for Kidney
> failure* and Chronic Kidney Disease, so quality can make all the
> difference! Keep in mind the following for good quality dialysis:
>
> Dialysis patients have weakened immune systems which increase their risk
> of illness, infection, and associated hospitalization. Adherence to good
> quality and safe dialysis practices, therefore, assumes great importance.
>
> *Highest purity of dialysis water with right electrolyte balance.*
>
> Good anti-infection measures. *Regular monitoring by a Nephrologist.
> Increased automation to remove the chances of human error. Appropriate
> dosage of dialysis.*
>
> Source: Narayana Health[1] (Kidney Disease – Symptoms, Myths and Facts[2])
>
> Footnotes [1] Narayana Health[2] Kidney Disease - Symptoms, Myths and Facts
>
> Q5 Why do microscopic mites live on human faces?
>
> A5 *Because they can*.
>
> *They live in the hair follicles alongside the roots, and feed on the oil
> of the glands that secrete into the follicles.*
>
> It’s quite nutritious for them, and nature tends not to let nutritious
> things go to waste. Something evolves because there’s an opportunity for a
> good livelihood, so to speak.
>
> *All the above QA are from Quora website on 20-05- 2022. *
>
> *Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers .*
>
> *Compiled **and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 21-05-2022*
>
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