CULTURAL QA 10-2022-14

BEING  A COMPILATIONTHERE MAY  BE ERRORS

Q1         Why do fruit and vegetable vendors inIndia always try to take 
advantage of their customers?

A1         Balaji Viswanathan, follows governmentpolicies closely.15h

India’s roadsidefruit and vegetable vendors are poor people running a risky 
business with verylittle margins. Most of them are honest bringing an essential 
service topeople’s doorsteps.

The middle classaunties and uncles show their valour in negotiating & harassing 
these poorpeople. I find such bargainers cheap people. If you want to bargain, 
try bargaining with your car ortextile showrooms.

I have always foundit ridiculous to bargain with roadside vendors. The few 
rupees I save isnothing to me while it could be a matter of going hungry or 
filled for thatguy. It is not like your vendor is going rich from your 10 rupee 
tomatopurchase and driving a Mercedes.

My note- Most road side vendors if we purchaseregularly provide, quality items 
with minimum affordable price.

Fruit shops also give quality items, but fixed priceoften 10-20 more than 
street merchants. In my area it is a common seen basket full of 
decayed/slightly decayed fruits are given to cowsbefore fruit shops.

Q2         Is it now possible to construct a newtemple like the Tanjore 
Brihadeeswar Periya Koil, constructed 1000 years backby the great Chola king, 
Raja Raja Cholan?

A2         Kanthaswamy Balasubramaniam. Lawyer Mon

This is an Engineering Question

Logically youshould be able to construct a new temple of the same design.I 
meanTechnologically we are more adanced, we have far more materials, we 
haveautomated equipment to reduce manual labour

However do we have the Vision to Build a Temple?

In those days - Churches or Temples or Mosques werebuilt with a Vision that we 
don’t have today. Every thingin a temple had relevance. The Position of the 
Chief Deity, The Storehouse forVegetables for Prasad, The Sanctum Santorium, 
The Position of every single Pillar,The Septs, the Relevance of each religious 
stone sculpture from Apsara to Demonto Elephant to Horse

The Architects hada Vision that nobody can have today because the RELEVANCE of 
Temples havedecreased significantly.

Look at thisStonework

All Hand Sculptedand yet Precision Work - Scale is same and the vastness of the 
Landscape isclear. Everything represents something signifcant. Its not just 
random art.

And the PrimaryVisionary was Rajendra I or Rajaraja I or Both.The Kings took 
huge interest insuch Temples and their Design.Yet the Designs are Superflous

It means the Designs are not 100% Engineering Efficient- they have a lot of 
waste of space of stone and of volumes.

However theperceived inefficiency is compensated by tremendous religious 
significance

Today you lack

→ Vision→ Scale→Religious Significance→ Skill

Today you have farbetter→ Technology→ Efficiency→ Materials for Construction→ 
Automation tosubstitute for Manual Labour

So is it possible to construct a New Temple likeBrihadeeshwar Temple?

Answer:- No. You can construct a New Temple butit will be built on Todays 
Engineering Principles -mainly Western Fundamentalsof Structural Engineering 
and Space Conceptualization. It will resemble

The Ram Mandir Design in Ayodhya

More like aStructure in Gautam Adanis Garden - than a Temple

Industrial Finish,Pillars Factory Processed - in general does this look 
anything like a MedivalTemple?

Yet the Structureis efficient and made with the right amount of materials and 
should satisfy anEngineer

Q3         What are the differences betweenMadurai and Tanjore? Which city 
would be better for a heritage trip in TamilNadu?

A3         Anbazhagan Ambrose,M.Phil. inLiterature & Linguistics, Jawaharlal 
Nehru University (Graduated 2000)Mon

Difference betweenMadurai and Tanjore - Maduraiis a city (bit congested for my 
taste) and Tanjore is a sleepy lil townmasquerading as a city :)

As much as I wouldlike to sing paens for Madurai in terms of heritage, I am 
forced by objectivityto trumpet Tanjore in this regard.

If you want to goon a heritage trip in TN, you just close your eyes and pick 
the Delta region.Period. End of story.

Let us see how Chola Nadu (CN) and Pandya Nadu (PN) farein this heritage battle.

UNESCO heritagesites - CN has THREE, PN has one. Winner - Chola Nadu

Paadal PetraSthalams (Shaivaite) - CN has whopping 200 sites, PN has only has 
14 sites.Winner - Chola Nadu

Divya Desams(Vaishnavite) - CN has 40 sites, PN has 18 sites. Winner - Chola 
Nadu

Chola Nadu has theonly navagraha circuit in TN. Winner - Chola Nadu

Density ofimportant temples out of 10,000 most important temples. Chola Nadu - 
1,809major temples. Pandya Nadu - approx. 300. Put in another perspective, the 
Deltadistricts like Tanjore, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam account only for 8% of 
TNpopulation, but have 20% of TN’s major temples. Winner - Chola Nadu

Time you will needto see all major temples in and around Kumbakonam alone - ONE 
WEEK. Time youwill need for temples around Madurai - 2 days. And Kumbakonam is 
a tiny tinytown in comparison to Madurai. Winner - Chola Nadu

I know it does myreputation no good to talk about temples, but somehow I seem 
to be visitingmore of them than my theist friends. Perils of being the 
designated driver inthe family.

Disclaimer - I have no conflict of interest to promoteChola Nadu. I am a 
Thondai Naadan. But objective analysis is very important inlife.

Q4         What is the harsh truth of life?

A4         Vishal,Software Engineer Sun

Today I wastraveling from Moulali to Tollygunge (Place in kolkata). I was 
looking forTaxi. Because of festival Eid Milad-un-Nabi in that area every taxi 
was askingfor higher fare around Rs500. Then we decided to go by bus and catch 
metro from maidan. Themoment we decided to cross the road and look for bus 
suddenly one taxi driverrushed.

Driver ( Askedloudly) : Where do you want to go?

Me : Tollygunge,khudghat

Driver (excitengly asked in hurry ) : sit! sit ! 👹

Me : What is thefare? 🤔

Driver ( in hurry): first sit, then will say. 😏

He opened door forus make us sit.

Me : (Astonishinglysat): sir , what is fare. Please tell me this first.🥺😐

Driver ( showing meter): see this is meter and I willcharge according to this. 
It's 30 rs for 2 kms. If Iwould have told you 300–400 you would not have sat. I 
am very honest man Icharge only by meter.☺️

My distance wasaround 11 km and as per meter charge per km was rs 15 so for 11 
km total priceshould be Rs. 165

Usually drivernever take you with meter pricing they ask for specific fare and 
they take.This experience was completely new for me after ages that he is 
asking formeter ride. I was afraid that who knows that what price would show on 
hismeter. May be his machine is not good. I thought if he will say higher 
fairlike 600 i would not give more than 400. Thinking why I took this 
uncommonride. Nowadays can't trust people easily.

Me : Sir, how long have you been in kolkata. 🤔

Driver: it's been 12 year bhaiya.😃

Driver (Mean whileafter some minutes of conversation ): I am very honest man. I 
am happy withwhat I earn. I never expect more than what is required.

I was amazed withhis words. Like that I chatted with him for next 10–20 min.

End of trip the amount was showing around 180 and he askedfor same.

I was like 😞😥🥺.

I liked hishonesty and perception of life.

I gave 300 rs 😊🙏whatI expect to be fare. His smile made me happy. I said dada 
this was for yourhonesty.

Nowadays beinghonest people think it's crime but still people are there like 
him who worshiptheir work and embrace what he gets from life though they faced 
lots ofhardship. Life is notfair with everyone and there are people who embrace 
it and appreciate it trulyto live their life😊

Q5         Why are humans called omnivores when weare herbivores?

A5         Claire Jordan, Degree in biology andfolklore; programmer, shop 
owner, secretary on newspaper22h

We aren’t herbivores. No ape is, and very few primates.

In fact, there arevery few 100% pure herbivores in nature. Among mammals 
chinchillas, degus,manatees, dugongs and *maybe* lagomorphs come to mind. 

But most of theanimals we think of as herbivores such as sheep, deer etc eat a 
certain amountof meat if they can get it: in fact some male deer arequite 
predatory, as the calcium from the prey’s bones helps them to buildbigger 
antlers.

Q6         What is the reason and time period ofwhen some humans (Europeans) 
completely lost the need to make melanin in theirhair and skin and become so 
white? Even Eskimos have dark hair and skin so Iquestion if it’s because they 
lived in colder climates.

A6         Mats Andersson, B. Sc, M. Sc fromUppsala University Sep 28

You’re 100%right there—it wasn’t the temperatures that did it. It was the Gulf 
Stream.

Patience, all willbe explained.

It has to do with sunlight and vitamin D. Humans needvitamin D. We produce it 
in the skin, when it is struck bysunlight, and we can also get it from food.

In Northern Europe, the sunlight is so weak that humansdevelop vitamin D 
deficiency, and a whole hostof health problems, unless they get enough of it 
from the food. But having lighter skinhelps—melanin protects against the sun, 
so if you have dark skin, you make lessvitamin D.

So, in the north,you need light skin or a diet rich in vitamin D. The Inuit 
(Eskimos is an older term) have a diet richin fish, which means they eat loads 
of vitamin D. There was neverany pressure on them to evolve a lighter skin (and 
darker skin has survivalvalue, too: it protects against skin cancer). Similar 
with the Sami, who tothis day remain darker than others in Northern Europe: 
they traditionally liveda semi-pastoral life, with lots of fish and other 
sources of vitamin D.

The game changer was agriculture.If you live off agriculture, you get a diet 
that is very poor in vitamin D.This means that people living off agriculture in 
Northern Europe had a massiveadvantage if they had light skin.

Agriculture arrivedhere about 6,000 years ago. And immediately, we started to 
get paler—you cansee this in preserved DNA. Peoplewho had a mutation to produce 
less melanin had a huge survival advantage.The lighter hair colour is a side 
effect of producing less melanin.

Another side effect is that we can digest milk as adults.Milk contains some 
vitamin D, so we got a survival advantage from that, too.

So what’s with the Gulf Stream?

Well, if you lookclosely at a map, Northern Europe is actually the only place 
in the world whereyou can live off agriculture this far north. And that’s 
because of the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean streamthat makes Northern Europe much 
warmer than other places at a comparablelatitude.

Q7         How much time does it take to travel bytrain from Chennai to 
Vijayawada and then Vijayawada-Hyderabad?

A7         Vivekanadaswamy Narumanchi, Worked atHyderabad, Telangana, IndiaOct 8

The travel time between Chennai and Vijayawada is about 8hours. It may change 
as per train, which may be super fast,with less stops.

Chennai Rajdhaniexpress starts at 06 10 Am and reaches Vijayawada by 12 noon. 
Pinakini expressstarts at Vijayawada at 6 am and reaches chennai at 01 00 pm.

The travel timebetween Vijayawada and Hyderabad also changed as per chosen 
train. Sathavahana express starting at 0610 Am reaches secunderabad at 11.45 Am.

Faluknama expressfrom Howrah reaches Vijayawada at 15 35 hr and reaches 
secunderabad at 21 35hr. It requires reservation for travel.

Q8         What are the best foods to eat beforesleep?

A8         Emeline Larose, Former Educator Updated7h

1. Honey. A small amount of honey can cause yourbrain to secret orexin, a newly 
discovered neurotransmitter related to yourmind's reaction. A few drops of 
honey added to warm milk or herbal tea willhelp you relax before going to bed.

2. Hot milk. It is well known that drinking a cup ofhot milk before bedtime 
aids sleep. This is because milk contains tryptophan,which has a calming effect 
and aids in deep sleep. Furthermore, calcium canassist your brain in making 
full use of tryptophan.

3. Almonds. Almonds are high in protein, vitamins,and other nutrients, but they 
also contain tryptophan and magnesium, which helpto relax your muscles. Almonds 
can help to relieve anxiety if eaten on aregular basis. Meanwhile, almonds are 
good for your heart and can help you getrid of toxins in your intestines.

4. Oatmeal. Oatmeal is also ideal. With 147milligrams per cup, oatmeal is also 
a good source of tryptophan. Furthermore,oatmeal can stimulate the production 
of melatonin. A small cup of oatmeal willhelp you sleep better.

5. Bananas. Bananas contain melatonin,tryptophan, vitamin B6, and magnesium, 
all of which are beneficial to serotoninproduction and sleep.

6. A small amount of water. Do not drink plenty ofwater before going to bed. 
Too much water increases the burden on your kidneysand makes you bloated. A 
small amount of water can meet your water needs atnight while posing no burden. 
I installed a Water drop water filter system toensure that I always have clean, 
safe water. Even if I wake up thirsty, I canalways get some healthy water.

Q9         What is a detonator in railways? Howimportant are they?

A9         Subhasis Dutta Roy,Former Working inIndian Railways at Indian 
Railways (2001–2022)Updated 2y

During the fog you must have heard a sound of brustcrackers on line when 
entering Station. That sound is asystem Signal of Indian Railways. Here you get 
the details of those signals. It is very important signal inRailway in view of 
safety. It has three types of use. It also called detonatorsignals.

Here is pic howdetonator look and placed in Railway track

1st in during fog. If fog weather notice is circulatedin some sections then two 
fog signals are placed on railway track, one is 270meter and 2nd one 280 meter 
before from inner distance signal to warn LocoPilot about signals. Whentwo fog 
signals burst 10 meter apart during fog Loco Pilot is aware that innerdistance 
signal is next 270 meter. From inner distance signal youget idea the aspect of 
your home signal. In some case these two signals placedbefore home signal in 
same manner.

2nd during any abnormal condition. If by any means a train is involved in 
anaccident and adjacent line is blocked then Loco Pilot/ALP of that train put 
thedetonator signals on the track adjacent to his track in opposite directions 
toavoid the next accident. 

ALP of that train should go forward and placed total 4detonator signals in 
opposite directions of line . In this case distance are600 meter, then again 
600 meter and 10 meter and 10 meter total 4 detonatorsare to be placed on the 
opposite direction trackfrom the Loco of that train. Counting of distance can 
done by counting ofElectric pole. In straight line Electric pole are placed 72 
meter apart. If byany means ALP can not reach that particular distance then he 
will put only onedetonator on track as far he may reached. When opposite 
direction train bursttwo detonators 10 meter apart he must control his train 
for any abnormalities.Thus next accident will save. If only one detonator burst 
it is indicate thatthe place of accident is very neat. He then apply Emergency 
brake of his trainrain.

3rd during PWI working on line. It placing system issame as above. Difference 
only two red flags should be put on line before thatworking place. These flags 
called banner flag.

My note- There wasmajor train accident during 1970 or so at Perambur, first 
train  from Chennai central had engine problem, the guard could not place 
detonatorat proper distance/ detonator did not function. Signal was clear,the 
next train from Chennai central jammed over it. 

Q10              What food has made you wonder,"How did our ancestors discover 
that this was edible?"

A10       Shaunak Bhattacharjeee, Software Engineer| Traveller | Foodie Sep 27

The way cashew nutsare manufactured, who would have imagined that they could be 
eaten? We know that our ancestorscopied what animals are and that is how many 
weird things that seem inediblebecame a part of our diet.

However, cashew nuts are different.First, the kidney-shaped nut is extracted 
from the rest of the fruit. However, this is toxic and eating itcould be fatal 
to human beings! The nut needs to be roasted firstand then left to dry. After 
drying it, the outer shell has to be removed andpeeled. It then needs to be 
fumigated to remove any toxins before it can beeaten.

I wonderhow on Earth our ancestors thought that a nut which is toxic if eaten 
directly,could be roasted, left to be dried and then peeled to obtain something 
that canbe eaten!

My note – Is itso toxic? I have recollection of eating tender nuts  removing 
the tender skin in my middle schooldays. Can friends respond?  Is it toxicif we 
eat tender seeds in small quantities?. 

All the above QA are from  Quora  website on   13 -10-2022

Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers .

Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 14-10-2022

 

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