CULTURAL QA 05-2024-05A All theBELOW QA are from Quora digest to me on 05-05-2024.
Quoraanswers need not be 100% correct answers .Compiled andposted by R. Gopala krishnan, on 05-05-2024 Q1 Does any archaeological evidence ofRamayana and Mahabharat exist? Why do Hindus believe it to be a real historicalevent? A1 Ranjiv Kurup, Author of The Historyand Philosophy of the Hindu 8mo Not yet. We are looking attwo entirely different eras - one 15000 years ago, the other 7500 years ago.These dates can be obtained by studying the lunar calendar dates that ismentioned precisely in the verses of these historical records. You may say thatlunar and other astronomical sightings and events are cyclical, so how can onebe sure of the dates? This has been a problem until the advent of astronomicalsoftware, where you can dial in a year and study the position of cosmic bodiesand constellations in that period. Let me give you anexample. One of the verses of the Mahabharata speaks of a very significantconfiguration of stars in a constellation, namely, the Great Bear, known inIndian traditions as the Saptarshi. We know this constellation to be a 7-starconfiguration. Less known is thatone of the stars is part of a twin-star system - Mizar and Alcor - known asVashishta and Arundhati in Indian traditions. This constellation and thetwin-star system has been very significant in Indian traditions, not only inthe study of astronomy, but also as an analogy for spiritual concepts such asthe role of a Guru, the role of husband and wife in marriage, and so on. Eventoday, newly weds are shown the twin star system as a role model for marriage,as this is not a case of one star orbiting the other. They orbit each other,that is, both are moving constantly. And like the demure wife of a great Rishiin those days, Arundhati is always a step behind Vashishta. This constantmovement of the twin star system that is observed daily in Indian traditionsalso has a negative side. It is when Arundhati goes ahead of Vashishta. Tounderstand how one star leads or trails another and from what point ofreference, one has to know astronomical reference lines, etc, so I will notdescribe it here. Arundhati goingahead of Vashishta is considered a bad omen. And the counsellor to the King hadpointed this out, along with many other omens indicating a bad time for theruling dynasty. So, in what periodsin history does this phenomenon occur? One can decipherthese readings as occuring between 11091 BCE and 4508 BCE using astronomicalsoftware such as Stellarium. You have your first fix in the historicaltimeline. There are over 500astronomical readings such as this in the Mahabharata, and you can get a fairlyaccurate fix. However, it is notjust the calendar dates. There are descriptions of major rivers that haveeither changed course (Yamuna, Sutlej) or are drying up (Saraswati, 5,000 yearsafter the end of the Ice Age). There are descriptions of geography, climate,animals, mountain ranges, terrain, villages and towns, lineages of kings,battle strategy and small formation tactics, weapons, politics, statecraft,other kingdoms of India, and so on. The existence of paleochannels has alreadyproven the existence of now-extinct rivers and the change in the course of suchrivers. Most significantly,there is the cultural memory, and these texts are referred to as itihasa orhistorical records. Indians don’t needany further evidence. And there is no pressing reason for the government toassign funds to unearth what is considered known history. The period in whichthese events occurred means that these are big-budget archaeological projectswith deep excavations. Let’s understandthis a bit. Let’s assume 1 metre of excavation reveals 100 years of history.How deep will we have to go to the Mahabharata era or 7500 years? That’s 75m (250 ft)deep, the height of a 25-storey building. Good luck gettingthe budget and acquiring agricultural lands or settlements just to dig! Q2 Why are flies so fast? A2 Ian O'Grady, Studied TV and FilmProduction 6mo Have ever wonderedwhy it’s so hard to swat a fly? It almost feels like they know what you aregoing to do before you even do it and dodge all your swats. They can do thisbecause they have big eyes that have up to 6,000 “Ommatidia,” which are likethousands of little lenses, which means they have the fastest vision on earth.They also have tiny brains that can process information ten times faster than ahuman. To a fly, we appear to be in slow motion. They can see youcoming from nearly any angle, and they have tiny hairs all over their bodies tofeel the air move as you approach. Flies need to beable to fly away in a split second, and despite only having two wings, theyhave amazing take-off speeds and quick flight manoeuvres. It has been recentlydiscovered that flies have these things called “Halteres,” which aredumbbell-shaped, evolutionary remnants of wings that allows them to sensein-air rotations. They coordinatetheir legs, wings and Halteres to quickly avoid any danger mid-flight. They canalso flap their wings over 200 cycles per second. Q3 What is the salary of a manager inthe State Bank of India? A3 Sujan Bhuimali, Knows Bengali Mar 17 This might not bethe most accurate answer since I don’t work in SBI, but my father does. He is aScale 4 officer(Chief Manager) with 20 years of experience. He has 8 years moreyears to retire. He joined as a clerk in SBI and with a salary of 5000 in 90’s. Currently as far asI know he has a pre-tax salary of 140k–150k. He gets around 90k-110k post-taxand EMI. It might not seemmuch compared to the Private sector. But we live in a tier 3 city so he savesmore than half of his salary. We live a good life with 2 cars(Honda city andAlto k10) and 2 bikes( RE thunderbird and Vespa). He has built houses for mygrandparents as well as for us. He invests a lot inthe stock market and had hardly faced any loss there he earns quite a lot fromthere too but he invests that money again and will use it in retirement. So, the salary of amanager in SBI is enough to give you and your family a good life but jobsatisfaction might not be there(exceptions are everywhere). I am currently 19years old doing CSE from NIT Silchar(2nd year). And have not taken a singlepenny from my father after I joined college. I had saved quite some money tillnow (from scholarships, internships, freelance, etc). Started investing in theStock market after I came to college, my father guides me in this. Q4 What are the most profound jokesever? A4 Ronald Butler, Former Former FirearmsDealer, Sifu of Kung Fu Feb 23 A young chapapplied for a job as a salesman in a department store. The sales managerinterviewed him but wasn’t too impressed, so he decided to give him test to getrid of him nicely. “Here’s ablue-check pair of trousers, red shirt, yellow tie, a rainbow-coloured jacketand a pink straw hat. If you can sell all these items within 2 hours, I’ll giveyou a job son.” The young chap goesoff with the items and returns with a sales docket within 45 minutes - he’ssold the lot to just one customer. The manager isflabbergasted: “Ok you’ve got the job, that’s amazing, and in that short time,but tell me, what did the customer say to you while you were selling him thisstuff?” “Oh, he didn’t say too much at all, but I hadto close the sale quickly, as his guide dog was really growling at me.” Q5 What are some mind-blowing factsabout South Korea that might surprise someone who lives there? A5 Nownthen, Love reading information 1h - South Koreaconsists of over 4,000islands, each with its own unique story and history. - In South Korea, anewborn baby is considered one year old. - Koreans thinkthat there is some significance to their blood type. - The number fouris an unlucky number in South Korea. - South Korea issurprisingly safe despite the fact that the Korean peninsula has been dividedinto two by war. - South Korea has astrong drinking culture. - South Koreans arevery respectful of traffic and pedestrian laws. - South Korea ishome to the world's largest cosmetics market, with a global share of 2.8%. - The country has avibrant gaming culture, with professional gamers earning millions of dollarsand competing in televised tournaments. - South Korea isone of the most educated countries in the world, with a literacy rate of over97%. - South Korea has athriving K-pop industry, with groups like BTS and Blackpink achieving globalsuccess. - The country has arich cultural heritage, with 11 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage items,including traditional music, dance, and crafts. - South Korea ishome to the world's largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City, whichcovers an area of over 5.5 million square feet. - The country has ahighly developed public transportation system, with a comprehensive network ofsubways, buses, and high-speed trains. - South Korea is aleader in technology and innovation, with companies like Samsung, LG, andHyundai driving global advancements in fields like electronics, automotive, andrenewable energy. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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