h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why would the presentation of a square of Astroturf as New Year's gift, risk causing grave offence in the Uttar Pradesh region of India?

Google and Wikipedia and forbidden.

There are klaxons, naturally - so be bold, preferably interesting but never obvious.

Hm, is the giving of a piece of turf to honour a loved one's/family's grave or memorial site a common new year's gift (or a gift around the time that western cultures call new year?)

Would giving astroturf be offensive as it is fake ground?

>Is it a common gift? <

No.

>Would giving astroturf be offensive as it is fake ground?<

Yes. It's synthetic qualities are at the root of this QI. DGI +1

w00t as they say.

Hm. Synthetic. offensive. Is the time of year important?

and vital.

What's astroturf? Is it some kind of synthetic grass thingy?

Exactamundo.

http://prmeetsmarketing.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/astroturf.jpg

Maybe that'll help.

Thanks.

So, would offering a piece of real turf be ok?

Oh I should think so, but why?

Wouldn't be offering a piece of astroturf to anybody and in any circumstance be offensive

Nothing to do with the colour then?

Nothing to do with the colour then?

Correct.

So, new years. Dont like fake things. Is turf/grass important? I am assuming the religion part is important as you've mentioned it so specifically???

>as you've mentioned it so specifically?<

Or is that just a cunning bit of misdirection of my part?

Or was that?

Seriously, Potentially all religions could have but Hinduism definitely has.

I'll watch for a while. I'm at a total loss and need a clue now at least I've not jumped on any landmines of noise and flashing light yet...

Hopefully some more ideas will pop up shortly in the form of other people!

when i was in cyprus the military golf courses were rough dusty things with no grass

the greens were 'browns' a mixture of sand and desil oil pounded flat and smooth

the usual practice was to carry a small square of green 'scotchbright' or if you could get it, astroturf and wherever the golf ball ended up, you would pick it up and put your square of green down under it then replace the ball

the main reason for doing this was to offer some protection to the head of the club from the dry, rock hard, baked ground

Yes that was a bit obscurantist of me , wasn't it?

I meant there's a particular and peculiar something about Hinduism that you don't find in most other religions, (Certainly the Big Three who get very antsy about it), and it's therein that the Astroturf becomes significant.

Not Golf.

Is it anything to do with the Bhopal disaster? The chemicals to make the astroturf green made in the Union Carbide plant?

An intelligent thought, but no.