---------- Forwarded message --------- From: 'N Sekar' via iyer123 <[email protected]> Date: Sat, Nov 4, 2023, 7:23 AM Subject: Re: [KeralaIyers] Re: [iyer123] CULTURAL QA 11-2023-03 To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Gopa4411 < [email protected]> Cc: Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]>, Chittanandam V. R. < [email protected]>, Mathangi K. Kumar <[email protected]>, Yeddanapudi Markandeyulu <[email protected]>
I got a response in my personal mail id from another member and he rightly points out: "Bharatanatyam dancers ( my comment - may be all artistists in my opinion) touch the stage with reverence before they enter it to perform". " Modi prostrated to the Parliament building in 2014 before he stepped in". While reading the above I thought how i forgot to mention our own Grahapravesam where we prostrate before the newly built house which will become our home, praying for its blessings. Our culture is so rich we respect all - animate and inanimate as we believe all have lives of their own. I remember my mother putting kumkumam to the new dress, placing them in the Pooja area ( there was no separate room) and asking us to prostrate before them before we wear them for the first time. But those were the days where we got a new dress only for Deepavali and perhaps the birthdays, a rarity to be cherished and remembered. What a rich, noble culture is ours but instead of taking pride in it, it is fashionable now a days to ridicule them, without an iota of understanding the meaning behind these acts. At least some of us have, as elders, failed in our duty to keep the younger generation informed about these gestures and why we do them. We can't let this rich legacy of ours be forgotten or given up - they are too valuable. N Sekar Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_> On Fri, Nov 3, 2023 at 7:09 PM, 'N Sekar' via KeralaIyers <[email protected]> wrote: Thanks Sri G K. Yes I am responding to your post after about a month as we were visiting various temples, having our base at Kumbakonam. Also, the Internet connectivity was not all that good at times. We returned to Chennai about 3 days back and will stay for about 2 weeks. Nice to read about Tulasi Matam - in the olden days every house had one and doing Sandhya Vandanam sitting near it was considered very auspicious as also doing it near rivers and goshalaas. Regarding feeding the cows with biscuits, I learnt about it a few years ago when we were at Rameshwaram and the shop keeper suggested we feed the cows with Marie biscuits as too many people were feeding them with bananas. To our surprise they seemed to relish eating biscuits. In Kumbakonam Adi Kumbeswarar temple the elephant ate apples and at Uppliappan koil it ate seedless dates. The vendors gave extra qty free when they learnt it was for the elephants. Nice of them. N Sekar Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_> On Fri, Nov 3, 2023 at 6:46 PM, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <[email protected]> wrote: Dear Mr Sekar, Thank you for the response with your experience , surely after a month, I think. Certain things are actually inborn by birth. One such is worshiping holy basil. Unless the basil location is well kept, no light is kept near it in the evening sandhya, watered, my mind is disturbed. Where ever basil grow, we grow it. In fact there are more well growing plants in the compound than in Tulsimatam in my home. Similarly the cows after grace in the front grown grass and rest in front of the home. As a matter of fact crows craw early morning and some sit on compound wall waiting for biscuit. They never move while I offer biscuit pieces as if very familiar to me. Probably crows recognize me than I could Gopalakrishnan On Friday, 3 November, 2023 at 05:46:33 pm IST, Narayanaswamy Sekar < [email protected]> wrote: ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: *'N Sekar' via iyer123* <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Nov 3, 2023, 5:45 PM Subject: Re: [iyer123] CULTURAL QA 11-2023-03 To: <[email protected]>, Kerala Iyer <[email protected]>, Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]>, Chittanandam V. R. < [email protected]>, Mathangi K. Kumar <[email protected]>, Yeddanapudi Markandeyulu <[email protected]> Thanks Sri G K. Re Q 1: Several years ago my boss, of British and S A origin asked me why we worship rivers and trees. He was really curious and used to ask me lot about our religion. I said the environmental concern was only a few decades old but we Hindus knew its importance thousands of years ago. Anything we worship, we treat it with respect, take care and do not harm. Hence by inculcating the habit of worshipping Nature we automatically preserve and protect it with no one telling us what to do or teaching us about the importance of environment but it was ingrained in our culture from our childhood. We considered rivers sacred and hence made sure they remained pure and clean but that was another time and age. Worshipping Nature is ingrained in our culture and as the answer in Quora said, we show our reverence and gratitude to Mother Nature. As an aside, have you seen how some players touch the field before they enter it? - to show respect and reverence and ask for its blessings as that's where they will play and earn their livelihood. Protecting Nature - That's why Sri K M Munishi started the Vana Mahotsav - to protect and nurture the trees and Nature. He is forgotten as also the Vana Mahotsav as it was given a religious colour. We are hurtling towards disaster - man made - which Sri Y M refers to repeatedly in his posts. N Sekar Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_> On Fri, Nov 3, 2023 at 3:07 PM, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <[email protected]> wrote: *CULTURAL QA 11-2023-03* *All the BELOW QA are from Quora DIGEST to me on 03-11-2023.* *QUORA ANSWERS NEED NOT BE 100% CORRECT ANSWERS.* *Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 80, on 03-11-2023.* *Q1 Today my boss asked me, do people worship a monkey in India? What could have been my best response?* *A1 Mukund Arya, Follower of a Mystic Religion called Hinduism Updated 6y* *Tell your Boss, we don't just worship a Monkey......* *or a "Cow": or an Elephant: or a Dog: or a Snake: or a Bird (Garuda): or a Fish(God Matsya):* *or Even trees, Tulsi (Basil): or a River (Ganges): or Sun: or Mother Earth:* *or Various form of Humans, Man with normal two hands, one head and two eyes (Lord Krishna):* *or a Man with 4 Hands (Lord Vishnu, the Maintainer):* *or a Man with three eyes (Lord Shiva, the Destroyer):* *or a Man with 4 heads (Lord Brahma, the creator):* *or a "Lady" with 10 hands (Goddess Shakti):* *but we worship every forms of nature, Air (Vayu), Water(Lord Varuna), Rain(Lord Indra), Food (Goddess Annapurna) etc. that made our ecosystem livable for humans.* *Basically Sir, We worship everything that keeps you alive.* *Q2 What level of atmosphere do planes fly in? What is the highest altitude a plane can fly?* *A2 Rebecca Williams, Experience in Aviation Tue* *The atmosphere is divided into five layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer, where most of the weather occurs and where we live.* *The stratosphere is the second layer, where the ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. * *The mesosphere is the third layer, where meteors burn up as they enter the atmosphere. * *The thermosphere is the fourth layer, where auroras and satellites occur.* * The exosphere is the fifth and outermost layer, where the atmosphere gradually fades into space.* *Most commercial planes fly in the lower part of the stratosphere, between 30,000 and 40,000 feet (9,000 and 12,000 meters). * *This is because flying at higher altitudes reduces air resistance and fuel consumption, as well as avoiding turbulence and bad weather in the troposphere.* * However, there are limits to how high planes can fly, depending on their design and performance.* *The highest altitude that a commercial plane can fly today is 45,000 feet (13,700 meters), which is achieved by some private jets and military aircraft. This was not always the case. * *In the past, some planes could fly higher than that. For example, Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet that was retired in 2003, had a cruising altitude of 60,000 feet (18,300 meters). And some military planes could fly even higher than that. For example, the SR-71 Blackbird, a reconnaissance plane that was retired in 1998, had a record altitude of 85,069 feet (25,929 meters).* *These planes used special engines and materials to withstand the extreme conditions at such high altitudes. * *Most planes today use jet engines that require oxygen to burn fuel. At higher altitudes, the air becomes too thin and cold for jet engines to work efficiently. Also, the air pressure drops significantly at higher altitudes, which puts more stress on the plane’s structure and cabin pressure. * *Most planes today are designed to fly at optimal altitudes in the stratosphere.* *My note- The QA is added for the information in addition to height the planes can fly, about the different layers above earth. * *Q3 If an elephant’s brain is bigger than ours, why are they not smarter?* *A3 Gary Meaney, author of Zoology's Greatest Mystery (2022)13h* *This is a good question, because the answer teaches us a lot about the nature of intelligence itself. The average human brain weighs about a kilogram and a half, which is remarkably small really. The sum of all consciousness is housed within that little scoop of nervous tissue. On the other hand, within the cranium of an African bush elephant sits a brain well over twice the size of ours.* *It’s clear that there’s more to intelligence than just brain size. The baleen whales of the oceans have brains weighing 7 kilograms, well over quadruple the mass of ours. However, their behaviour is much less complex and sophisticated than that of humans, or indeed of elephants. Baleen whales aren’t stupid - their songs are a rich and advanced form of communication, and they’ve been known to display altruism - but their intelligence definitely isn’t proportional to their massive brain size.* *This is of course because their brains are tiny relative to their bodies. A blue whale’s brain makes up as little as 0.005% of its total body mass! Our brains, by comparison, are about 2.5% of our bodyweight. So is brain-to-body mass ratio the true decider of intellect? It’s certainly a better metric to compare between animals, but still one which is deeply flawed.* *It turns out that, all else being equal, brain mass does not scale linearly with body mass. After all, there is a minimum number of neurons an animal needs to function, a concept known as the “grey floor”. Smaller animals tend to have much higher brain-to-body mass ratios, without necessarily seeming any more intelligent. A humble shrew, for example, has a brain which constitutes one tenth of the size of its body! If the metric were reliable, the shrew would be taming us!* *While we’re on the topic, I should mention that the species with the lowest brain-to-body mass ratio of all vertebrates on this Earth is the magnificently named bony-eared assfish. Brains consume huge amounts of precious energy, so in the incredibly barren environment of the deep sea, the bony-eared assfish has done away with most of its grey matter.* *For a fish with such an unflattering name, it is hauntingly beautiful!* *Anyway, it’s clear that raw brain-to-body mass ratio is far from a perfect measure of intelligence; it is too harsh on big animals, and too kind to small animals. Scientists have studied the relative brain sizes of mammals, and come up with a formula that adjusts for this problem. Applying this formula gives a new, more refined metric: encephalisation quotient, or EQ for short.* *In other words, EQ is the ratio of actual brain size to predicted brain size. When we compare different animals’ EQ values, the results line up a lot more with what we would expect, intelligence-wise. Humans have the highest score of any animal, at about 7.6. The tucuxi, a very interesting type of freshwater dolphin from the rivers of South America, takes second place. It measures only 1.5 metres in length, and has a bright pink underbelly!* *Manta rays have one of the highest EQs among fish, octopuses triumph among invertebrates, and corvids outperform their feathered friends. These results are all exactly what we would predict based on behavioural signs of intelligence. So, is encephalisation quotient really the answer? Probably not. Once again, this method seems to fall short of being perfect.* *On average, birds have much lower EQs than mammals, but there is ample evidence to suggest that birds are incredibly smart. In fact, all the dinosaurs, not just birds, have surprisingly low encephalisation values. If estimated EQ is to be believed, Tyrannosaurus rex was less intelligent than a slug. Believe it or not, the sauropod dinosaurs have the lowest score of any animal in history ever measured, at as low as 0.01!* *There are several likely reasons for this. The formula for encephalisation quotient was based only on data from mammalian species, so in general it probably shouldn’t be used to compare mammals to non-mammals. Bird/dinosaur cells are much smaller than mammalian cells. For its size, a typical avian brain has twice as many neurons as a standard mammal brain!* *Raw brain size, brain-to-body mass ratio, EQ… all these metrics share a fundamental problem: they’re all based on overall brain mass in some way, and there’s a lot of stuff inside brains that has nothing to do with intelligence. For example, a large portion of whales’ and dolphins’ brain mass is just insulating blubber! There are all kinds of factors like this that really muddy the waters. Perhaps it’s better to just focus on the part of the brain that actually does the thinking.* *The cerebral cortex is thought to be the seat of intelligence in mammals. This grooved and convoluted outer layer of tissue is responsible for processing our senses, finely controlling our movement, abstract thought, and much more. Non-mammal animals don’t have a cerebral cortex per se, but they always have an equivalent brain region - for example, birds have their dorsoventricular ridge, or DVR.* *So far, the single best predictor of intelligence we have found is the number of cortical neurons; that is, the total number of nerve cells within the cerebral cortex (or equivalent area). Humans have at least 16 billion, which is exceptional! Elephants, despite having a brain twice as large, have about a third as many cortical neurons. However, the real world champion is the orca, believe it or not, with an absolutely astonishing 43 billion cortical neurons!* *In fact, by this measure, humans sit at humble fifth place. There are four species of dolphins with more cortical neurons, the most of all belonging to the orca. Some might be quick to discredit this method as soon as they hear that it doesn’t put humans on top, and I would encourage those people to keep an open mind. If we’re so, so sure that orcas are less smart than us, perhaps we’re looking at intelligence in the wrong way.* *But that’s a more philosophical discussion for another answer. Anyway, for centuries, humans have been trying to put a number on intelligence, to find some way to quantify it. None of the metrics we’ve come up with are perfect, but for now, the best we have is the number of cortical neurons. It doubtless has its discrepancies, but overall it seems to be an extremely useful way of comparing animal acumen.* *So, going back to your question, if an elephant’s brain is bigger than ours, why isn’t it smarter? Because the size of a brain, as we’ve seen, has little to do with intelligence. Apologies if this answer was long-winded, though I think we visited some interesting places on our journey through animal minds! Thank you everyone for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and have a great day.* *My note- Not touched item above is parrots- how they talk. I read elsewhere they share same type of chromosomes like humans in the brain, enabling them to talk.* *Q4 Why are cars not made of aluminium; considering it is readily available, rust-proof, and lighter than steel?* *A4 Erika Fernandez, Car Lover Jul 9* *Cars are not made of aluminium for several reasons, despite its advantages of being readily available, rust-proof, and lighter than steel. Aluminium is more expensive than steel, both in terms of material and processing costs. Aluminium requires more energy and specialized equipment to produce, shape, and join than steel, which increases the manufacturing costs and the final price of the car. According to some estimates, aluminium can cost two to three times more per kilogram than steel.* *Aluminium is weaker than steel, both in terms of tensile strength and stiffness. Aluminium has a lower resistance to deformation and fracture than steel, which affects the safety and durability of the car. * *Aluminium also has a lower fatigue limit than steel, which means it can fail after repeated loading and unloading cycles. To compensate for its lower strength, aluminium needs to be thicker or reinforced with other materials, which reduces its weight advantage over steel.* *Also aluminium is less compatible than steel with other materials and components used in cars, such as plastics, rubber, glass, or electronics. Aluminium has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than steel, which means it expands and contracts more with temperature changes, causing stress and distortion in the car structure. Aluminium also has a higher electrical conductivity than steel, which can interfere with the electrical systems and cause corrosion or galvanic reactions.* *Q5 What are some of the best examples of humanity?* *A5 Divya Yadav,May 6* *Meet Babu Muddrappa, the 29 year old auto driver from Bengaluru.* *On his way home Babu found a pregnant woman in labour and crying for help on Whitefield road.* *He took that unknown pregnant woman to the hospital for delivery. The woman was in a lot of pain so he just filled up the admission forms with his details.* *Babu waited till the woman gave birth to a baby girl. But the baby was 2 months premature, weighing just 850 grams and suffered from severe breathing problems.* *He was asked to run the infant to Bowring Hospital for treatment and so he did.* *However, when he came back to the hospital, he found out that the woman had fled.* *Babu felt bad for the newborn and decided to adopt the girl and raise her as his own child. He even took care of the hospital bills.* *He took care of the food and medicines and he did everything that was required to keep the baby girl healthy. But as events turned, her health deteriorated and the baby died after 18 days in the hospital.* *The auto drivers in India, especially in the metropolitan cities, are infamous for charging absurd amount of money and most importantly, refusing a ride.* *However, even amidst their notoriety, there exist drivers like Babu Muddrappa who set an example of striking a balance between one’s duty and humanity.* *People like him make the world a better place to live in!* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iyer123" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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