CULTURAL QA 020243 Q4 Why do Japanese and Koreans sleep on the floor?
G My note- Why Korea and Japan, in India also, in many homes still sleeping on the floor on rolling beds or mats is common. Darba sayanam: तस्य रामस्य सुप्तस्य कुश आस्तीर्णे मही तले | नियमाद् अप्रमत्तस्य निशास् तिस्रो अतिचक्रमुः || ६-२१-१० 10. niyamaat = following the scriptural injunction; tasya = that; raamasya = Rama; apramattasya = who was attentive; suptasya = while sleeping; mahiitale = on the ground; kushaastiirNe = spread with Kusha grass; atichakramuH = surpassed a time; tisraH = of three; nishaaH = nights. Following the scriptural injunction, that Rama who was devoted to his sacred vow, while sleeping on the ground spread with Kusha grass, spent a time of three nights there. स त्रिरात्रोषितस्तत्र नयज्ञो धर्मवत्सलः | उपासत तदा रामः सागरम् सरिताम् पतिम् || ६-२१-११ 11. tadaa = then; raamaH = Rama; nayajN^aH = who was skilled in policy; dharmavatsalaH = and fond of piety; triraatroshhitaH = remaining for three nights ;tatra = there; upaasata = waiting upon; saagaram = the ocean; sritaam patim = the Lord of rivers. Remaining there for three nights, Rama who was skilled in policy and fond of piety, waited upon the ocean, the lord of rivers.\ Sleeping on the floor is so aged as can be seen from Valmiki Ramayanam KR IRS 3224 ---------------------------------------------------- Q5 Which single person caused the greatest damage to India or Indian society? How? KR Hegde and Mr G adding wool over the eyes? “Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?” Another Remark Churchill Never Said By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH| July 16, 2022 Gandhi Sir Stafford Cripps with Mohandas Gandhi at Birla House, Delhi, during his mission to India, April 1942. Cripps tried but failed to negotiate Congress Party support for the war effort with the promise of Dominion status afterward. Birla House, now Gandhi Smriti (a museum), was the residence of Gandhi’s friend Ghanshyam Das Birla, who conveyed friendly exchanges between Churchill and Gandhi in 1935 (see bit.ly/3Ku6Qcf). Gandhi spent his last days there before being assassinated in January 1948. (Imperial War Museum, public domain) For many years Churchill’s view of India has been distorted, quoted out of context or based on hearsay. The Prime Minister’s attitude toward Mohandas Gandhi is part of this demonology. Now Hira Jungkow, an Indian student at the London School of Economics, has blown away another lie—one of the more despicable. It is that Churchill wished Gandhi dead as a casualty of the 1943 Bengal Famine. Gandhi certainly raised Churchill’s hackles on many documented occasions. But wishing he would starve to death is not in the record. In a 2021 interview with Andrew Roberts, one of Churchill’s foremost defenders, The New Yorker raised this old myth: “It is just striking to read about Churchill being alerted to the massive number of deaths of Indians in territory that his government ruled, and asking questions like why Gandhi hadn’t died—which he hoped for—if things were so bad.”1 (The bad things were food shortages and famine in Bengal.) Research however indicates Churchill didn’t say that, and what he did say was not in context of the Bengal Famine. After reading the New Yorker interview, Mr. Jungkow did the research and published his findings, which are summarized and amplified below. Why didn’t The New Yorker? “Why Gandhi hadn’t died yet” In September 1943 Churchill appointed Field Marshal Archibald Wavell Viceroy of India. Arthur Herman noted the irony: Churchill, long blamed for ignoring it, had appointed the very man “who would halt the famine in its tracks.”2 Wavell’s and Churchill’s actions to ease the famine are explained elsewhere. (See links in endnotes 2 and 10.) We focus here only on the specific misrepresentation of Churchill in two frequently quoted books.3 Both cite Wavell’s diary from July 1944: “Winston sent me a peevish telegram to ask why Gandhi hadn’t died yet! He has never answered my telegram about food.” Wavell did write this,4 but it was not a quote—and fairly peevish itself. Why don’t the critics publish what Churchill actually said? Here it is: Surely Mr. Gandhi has made a most remarkable recovery, as he is already able to take an active part in politics. How does this square with the medical reports upon which his release on grounds of ill-health was agreed to by us? In one of these we were told that he would not be able to take any part in politics again.5 Wavell replied that Gandhi had been released from detention because it was thought he was near death, but it “can hardly be said to have resumed an active part in politics yet.” Wavell added: “His release has not worsened [the] situation on the whole and I am clear it was right and justified.”6 Churchill did not contest this, and the correspondence ended. “He has never answered my telegram about food” Mr. Jungkow did not investigate Wavell’s complaint that Churchill hadn’t answered him about food, but that has a qualification too. Published documents reveal that Wavell’s requests for food mainly went to Leo Amery, Secretary of State for India.7 It is odd that Amery, often described as India’s sympathizer, is never cited for what he did to ease the Famine. Which as it turns out, was a lot less than Churchill and Wavell. And Amery’s diaries, so often used to manufacture nasty Churchill quotes about Indians, are laced with racial pejoratives that Churchill never used.8 This misrepresentation is peculiar in its timing: July 1944, when the Famine was easing. In January Bengal received 130,000 tons of Iraqi barley, 80,000 tons of Australian wheat (with 100,000 more to come), 10,000 from Canada. Wavell wanted more, so on 14 February, Churchill called an emergency meeting of the War Cabinet. Could they find more grain without wrecking plans for D-Day? In April, Churchill declared that “his sympathy was great for the sufferings of the people of India.”9 The War Cabinet referred him to Roosevelt. Churchill duly expressed “serious concern” to FDR, saying Australia had a million tons but he lacked the shipping. Could America help? No, said the President, U.S. shipping was stretched thin for D-Day and the Pacific. Churchill kept at it, wrote Zareer Masani. “By the end of 1944 Wavell’s much-requested one million additional tons had been secured from Australia and the allied South East Asia Command…”10 Churchill’s actual words to Wavell referred to Gandhi’s “fasts to death,” not the Famine. Lots of blame to go round Another prominent figure never questioned for ignoring the famine is Gandhi himself. “For all his reputation as a humanitarian,” wrote Arthur Herman, Gandhi did remarkably little about the emergency. The issue barely comes up in his letters, except as another grievance against the Raj. Yet in peacetime throughout the 20th century, the Raj always handled famines with efficiency. In February 1944 Gandhi wrote to Wavell: “I know that millions outside are starving for want of food. But I should feel utterly helpless if I went out and missed the food [i.e. independence] by which alone living becomes worthwhile.” Gandhi felt free to conduct his private “fast unto death” even as the rest of India starved.11 Leo Amery, however little he’d done to help, was still offering advice as the famine ended. Acknowledging “His Majesty’s Government’s help over food grains,” he advised Churchill: “…you may say that you cried wolf unnecessarily to [Roosevelt], and you may wish to send him a personal telegram explaining that the additional 200,000 tons has only been found by a drastic cutting down of our military maintenance provision….” Churchill wrote on Amery’s original: “I do not propose to send a personal telegram on this. Will you be so kind as to explain the matter to the State Department, quoting my personal [appeal] to the President as the key?”12 It would appear that Amery, like Wavell, expected the Prime Minister to attend every detail of the famine problem personally. Endnotes 1 Isaac Chotiner, “Q&A: Why Andrew Roberts Wants Us to Reconsider King George III,” in The New Yorker, 9 November 2021, accessed 7 April 2022. 2 Arthur Herman, “Absent Churchill, the Bengal Famine Would Have Been Worse,” Hillsdale College Churchill Project. 2017, accessed 5 April 2022. Churchill’s first directive to Wavell placed famine relief as second only to the war effort. The reference is CHAQ 2/3/66/6-7. Madelin Evans of the Churchill Archives Centre writes that the document is still being digitaized for online purposes, but the catalogue entry reads: Printed War Cabinet Paper, note by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence [WSC] on “India” (9 Oct) with a copy of a “Directive to the Viceroy Designate” [Lord Wavell] by WSC (8 Oct). Subjects of the directive include the need for India to be a “safe and fertile base” for the British and United States offensive against Japan in 1944; famine in India and the need to make every effort to deal with local shortages, stop grain hoarding and ensure a fair distribution of food between town and country; the gap between rich and poor needing examination; that [Wavell] should make every effort to ease tension between Hindus and Muslims and encourage them to work together, as a democratic government can not work without equality; Wavell’s main aims should be to defend the frontiers of India, appease communal differences, rally all sections of society to support the war effort, and maintain the best possible standard of living for the largest number of people; and the British Government’s commitment to establishing a self-governing India as part of the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations [after the war]. 3 Madhusree Mukerjee, Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II (New York: Basic Books, 2010), Kindle edition, 332. Shashi Tharoor, Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India (Royal Oak, Mich., Scribe Publishing, 2017), 160. See also a video panel, “Churchill: Hero or Colonialist,” with Larry P. Arnn, Madhusee Mukerjee and Sean McMeekin. 4 Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal (Oxford University Press, 1973), 78. 5 Martin Gilbert & Larry P. Arnn, eds., The Churchill Documents, vol. 20, Normandy and Beyond, May-December 1944 (Hillsdale, Mich.: Hillsdale College Press, 2018), 702. 6 Ibid., 742. 7 Nicholas Mansergh, Constitutional Relations Between Britain and India: The Transfer of Power 1942-47, Volume IV (London: HMSO, 1973), passim, but see for example Wavell-Amery communications in 1944, https://bit.ly/3KwUQXl, accessed 8 April 2022. 8 See Richard M. Langworth, “Prime Source: Leo Amery” in “The Truth About Churchill’s ‘Racist Epithets,’” Hillsdale College Churchill Project, 2020. 9 War Cabinet: Conclusions, 24 April 1944, in Martin Gilbert & Larry P. Arnn, eds., The Churchill Documents, vol. 19, Fateful Questions, September 1943-April 1944 (Hillsdale College Press, 2017), 2554. 10 Zareer Masani, “Churchill and the Genocide Myth: Last Word on the Bengal Famine,” Hillsdale College Churchill Project, 2021, accessed 5 April 2021. 11 Herman, op. cit. Gandhi to Wavell, 17 February 1944, in Ganhiji Correspondence With the Government 1942-44 (Ahmedabad: Navajihan Publishing, 1945), 289, https://bit.ly/3xayw1Y, accessed 8 April 2022. II And Churchill is a person who cared to supply only the military and gave a speech asking every citizen to shrink; and when leading reported asked why you have not allowed , even a loaf of bread, Churchill retorted, “Thank God I allowed now at least half” So Churchill and Hitler were born to conquer and to nbe conquered. And he was uniform throughout KR 12 Amery to Churchill, 30 June 1944, in Mansergh, 1059. Q7 What kind of people will always live life to the fullest? KR Neither ignorant not the wise can lead the fullest life; ignorant does not that he does know, so what is life he is leading is unknown to him; a wis knows he has all and can live fully, however, being wise, he has to answer all his actions as good and bad and, in such process, might be floundering. There is a proverb” Paramanum Paithiyamum eppozhudum sirithukkone iruppar; that mean till end within the frame od sanyasi and madman they are the happiest. KR IRS 3224 On Sat, 3 Feb 2024 at 04:46, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 < [email protected]> wrote: > CULTURAL QA 02-2024-3 > > All the below QA are from Quora DIGEST to me on 03-02-2024. > > Selected quora answers generally interesting are included .Still they need > not be 100% correct answers. > > Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 80, on 03-02-2024. > > Q1 Which is the cruel bird in world? > > A1 Wadiyat Narjis, 9mo > > The southern cassowary is known as the world's most dangerous bird. > > Native to the forests of New Guinea and Northern Australia, in captivity > the bird displays extreme aggression. > > Southern cassowaries are known for their striking appearance, with a tall, > bony crest on their heads, a bright blue neck and throat, and black > feathers covering their bodies. > > They can grow up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall and weigh up to 58 kilograms > (128 pounds), making them the second-heaviest bird in the world after the > ostrich > > Q2 What screams "I'm a middle class Indian"? > > A2 Anshu Bharti, A mother of a six years old boy.7mo"Do you have a > yoga mat?" A woman came rushing to the supermarket while I enquired about > the same. > > "Yes, we do. You can check on the second floor." the cashier replied. > > We both proceeded towards the elevator as our purpose of being there was > the same. > > "Could you please show me a yoga mat?" We both requested the stock > assistant in the chorus as soon as we reached the second floor. > > "Yes, Mam, here are the ones." > > I felt elated as I didn't have to struggle more early morning. The request > for a yoga mat came from my child's school last evening, and I couldn't > manage to get it due to my office work. When I dropped him off at school > today, I immediately thought of buying it. While I was wondering what color > of the mat would impress him, the lady interrupted by asking another > question to the assistant. > > "Don't you have smaller ones? I want to buy one for my child. I am sure > the smaller one will cost lesser." She said. > > "No, Mam. We have only these." > > I could sense her concerns. However, since she had no choice, she picked > up one. And I too. > > At the cash counter, > > "Sir, the price is too high. If you had a smaller one, I would have taken > that and saved money." She uttered. > > "Sorry, Mam. But you see, there is a special price written on it. The > actual price is 680 Rs, and the special price is just 550 Rs." > > "Ummm…could you please make it 500 Rs?" She hopelessly demanded. > > The cashier nodded, and I could see the brightest smile on her face for > saving 50 Rs. > > My note- In Chennai I have not seen any supermarket reducing even a rupee- > > Q3 What is the funniest military-based joke you know? > > A3 Jim Cherry, Former Radiologist Updated Dec 8 > > During inspection of the battalion, the lieutenant comes to a private who > forgot > to properly shine his shoes. > > The lieutenant says, “Your shoes look like sh’t.” > > To which the private replies, “Just a reflection, sir.” > > Q4 Why do Japanese and Koreans sleep on the floor? > > A4 Audrey Lewis,Nutrition Enthusiast, Health Advocate Jan 10 > > Ah, this reminds me of a fascinating conversation I had with a colleague > who had lived in both Japan and Korea. She explained that in these > cultures, sleeping on the floor isn't just a matter of tradition, but > it's also deeply rooted in their lifestyle and philosophy. > > In Japan, the practice is known as sleeping on a "futon," which is a type > of mattress that can be easily rolled up and stored away. This tradition > stems from the Japanese concept of space utilization and minimalism. > Traditional Japanese homes, known as "tatami" rooms, serve multiple > purposes – they could be a living room by day and a bedroom by night. The > futon fits perfectly into this versatile way of living. > > Koreans have a similar practice, known as sleeping on a "yo." Like the > Japanese futon, the yo is a thin mattress that can be easily stored. This > practice is also influenced by the traditional Korean ondol heating system. > The > ondol system involves a unique underfloor heating system that makes the > floor a cozy and warm place to sleep, especially during cold winters. > > Both these practices also tie into the broader Asian philosophy that > emphasizes simplicity, efficiency, and harmony with the environment. > Sleeping close to the ground is seen as a way to stay connected with the > earth and maintain a humble and grounded lifestyle. > > It's not just about tradition, though. Many people in these cultures > believe that sleeping on a firm surface is good for posture and back health. > While it might seem unusual from a Western perspective, it's a practice > that has deep cultural roots and practical benefits. Plus, imagine the ease > of never having to worry about a squeaky bed frame! > > My note- Why Korea and Japan, in India also, in many homes still sleeping > on the floor on rolling beds or mats is common. > > Q5 Which single person caused the greatest damage to India or Indian > society? How? > > TheYashHegde, YouTuber (2013–present)Updated 6y > > Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill. Many of you may know that, he was > the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (later again > from 1951 to 1955). > > Now I don't like writing long answers, so I'll try to keep it short, the > way I like. > > World war 2 was at it's peak. United kingdom was having a tough time > with the resources. India was a British colony back then > (Unfortunately).Churchill ordered to divert the essential > resources/supplies, from civilians in Bengal to the United Kingdom. > > The civilians in Bengal had nothing to eat, causing “The Great Bengal > Famine”Result? 4 Million people died of starvation. > > Apparently, when Churchill was informed about this famine. All he had to > say was, “Why hasn't Gandhi died yet”. > > My note- I have read the same was told by Churchil, earlier also, but how > it is relating Gandhi is a big question in me. > > Q6 Who is/was the greatest person in India? > > A6 Saurabh Jha, Student at Electronics and Communication Engineering > (2019–present) 5y > > He is Dr. H. C VERMA a well known experimental physicist and a retired > professor at IIT kanpur. His book Concept of Physics is widely used by > students. > > Now if you go to buy any other authors’ book you will have to pay a good > amount of money, but concept of physics by Dr H.C Verma comes at very > affordable rate. > > In an interview a student asked him why he is selling his books at this > price he smiled and answered ‘My main motive is to deliver my concepts > through this book not to earn money’. > > Q7 What kind of people will always live life to the fullest? > > A7 Awdhesh Singh,Author: Pearls of Wisdom from Everyday Life |Ex-IRS| > IITian 5y > > Two types of people live life to the fullest. > > 1: Ignorant > > If you are totally ignorant of the happening in the world, you can live > life to the fullest. > > A sheep or a goat live its life to the fullest even when it is taken for > slaughtering because it does not know that it is going to die soon. > > In the same way, if you are ignorant of the consequences of your actions > and the laws of the world, you would enjoy your life to the fullest till > such time, you are hit by a calamity or die. > > 2: Wise > > If you are a wise person, you know the deepest secrets of the world. > Hence, you know what is to be done and what is not to be done. You don’t > do anything that can bring you suffering and hence you don’t suffer in life. > You only perform actions that brings you joy and hence your life is filled > with joy and you live fully. > > My note- I have highlighted the details of the person answered the > question. Rest is left for your thinking….. > > > > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/770852877.2897577.1706957157399%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/770852877.2897577.1706957157399%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- 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]. 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