GK - World Heritage Sites in India: Cultural (I)

The World Heritage List of the UNESCO includes 936 properties across the world forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 725 cultural site, 183 natural site and 28 mixed sites.

India has both Cultural and Natural sites. The Cultural sites are:

1. Agra Fort


2. Ajanta Caves
3. Ellora Caves
4. Taj Mahal

5. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram


6. Sun Temple, Konârak
7. Churches and Convents of Goa

8. Fatehpur Sikri


9. Group of Monuments at Hampi

10. Khajuraho Group of Monuments


11. Elephanta Caves

12. Great Living Chola Temples

GK - World Heritage Sites in India: Cultural (II)

The World Heritage List of the UNESCO includes 936 properties across the world forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 725 cultural site, 183 natural site and 28 mixed sites.

India has both Cultural and Natural sites. The Cultural sites are:

1. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal


2. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
3. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi
4. Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi

5. Mountain Railways of India


6. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya


7. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka


8. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
9. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

10. Red Fort Complex


11. The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

GK - World Heritage Sites in India: Natural

The World Heritage List of the UNESCO includes 936 properties across the world forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 725 cultural site, 183 natural site and 28 mixed sites.

India has both Cultural and Natural sites. The Natural sites are:

Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Sundarbans National Park
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

Quiz - Words & Phrases

Questions

1. Who is a "whipping boy"?
2. This ancient city in the land of Shinar, in which the construction of a tower intended to reach heaven was begun, has given a word to us. What is that word?
3. What is a "cat's paw"?
4. What are the "locust years"?
5. Who are the "hoi polloi"?

Scroll down for the answers.
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1. A boy who was to be whipped in place of a prince who was to be punished.

2. Babel. In the Bible, a city (now thought to be Babylon) in Shinar where God confused the builders of a tower into heaven by turning the language of its builders into many languages with none of these 'new' languages comprehensible to the others.

3. Someone used as a tool by another

4. A period of economic hardship. This word was coined by Winston Churchill (on the basis of the Bible verse Joel 2:25) to describe the years 1931–35 in Britain.

5. The common people. Hoi polloi is a borrowing of the Greek phrase hoi polloi, consisting of hoi, meaning "the" and polloi, the plural of polus, "many." Hoi polloi is sometimes incorrectly used to mean "the elite," possibly because it is reminiscent of high and mighty or because it sounds like hoity-toity.

Vocabulary - Commonly Confused Words

Let’s look at some commonly confused words. And down to brass tacks:

Access
The ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance
Excess
The fact of exceeding something else in amount or degree.
Going beyond what is regarded as customary or proper.
Accession
The act of coming into the possession of a right, title, office, etc.: accession to the throne.
An increase by something added: an accession of territory.

Artist
A person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
Artiste (ahr-teest)
An artist, esp. an actor, singer, dancer, or other public performer.
Artisan
A person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson. E.g. a carpenter.

Allusion
A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication
Illusion
Something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.

Affect
To act on; produce a change in.
Effect
Something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence
To produce as an effect; bring about; accomplish; make happen:

Altar
An elevated place like a platform, at which religious rites are performed.
Alter
To make different in some way.

#ModiInDubai

I have no doubt that hosannas will be sung about the Madison Avenue redux at the Dubai cricket stadium by Narendra Modi. All day today on Indian television and for a week on social media will see discussions aplenty about the speech. #ModiInDubai was trending during his speech itself. Clearly there is much to crow about the performance – for a politician.

However, Narendra Modi was not in the UAE just as an uber successful politician but as the Prime Minister of the country. He is my PM, he is your PM and he is the PM of Rahul baba and Sonia Gandhi too. That is the image that he should project – that of a statesman and not that of a glib politician.

I would not be a position to talk about the entire speech because I could not sit through it all but certain comments made by NaMo were not, in my view, in good taste. And therein lies the rub. I am not for a moment suggesting that it was a bad speech in its entirety or that he did not say anything of relevance at all in the 20 minutes that I watched his speech. He did. The investments, the anti-terrorism front, UAE’s support to India for a seat on the Security Council et al – all very relevant and important.

However, not every speech delivered needs to be of the type given at a political rally. 

I was really uncomfortable with the jibes by the Prime Minister at the opposition, principally the Congress, when on foreign shores. It sounds great when you are taking the battle to the opposition when on campaign trail but sounds petty in this scenario.

“There are 700 flights from India to Dubai but it has taken 34 years for a PM to visit you.” Really, was that required? And also the statement about the results of the General Elections being celebrated as much in Dubai as in India is a statement befitting the President of the BJP addressing the crowd. Not the PM of the country speaking on foreign soil.

I do not wish to sound unduly negative about the Prime Minister but the overall feel that I got from the speech was that it was a PR spiel. And that put me off. Work silently and let others sing your praises. There seem to be enough and more willing to do that in any case. Why tom tom your supposed successes yourself? It does not behove a PM who is on a visit to a foreign land.

Modiji you have won the general elections. You need not keep telling us how awesome you are or keep attacking poor Rahul baba’s party. We all know that you are competent and that Rahul Baba and Co. messed up, which is why you came to power with such a mandate. You can exit campaign mode now.

There are promises to keep, and miles to go before you sleep. Especially since you have made so many of them during your election campaign. Let’s start ticking them off one by one now. It is High Time.

The Dream Cabinet

Creating Dream Teams is a popular past-time among sports enthusiasts across all sports. I thought I would take this concept and apply it to politics, more specifically to governance. Here is my Dream Cabinet for India, based totally on my opinion on who might hold a particular portfolio with distinction.

Prime Minister
Lal Bahadur Shastri: Incorruptible, decisive and a truly humble man. He gets my vote for the Prime Ministerial post.

Home Minister
Vallabhai Patel: Need I say more? There are enough and more problems for the Sardar to tackle today.

External Affairs
Jawaharlal Nehru: He had a genuine world view which would help India in this day and age. He would need to stop being a touch holier than thou with the Americans though.

Finance Minister
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari: I would like to go totally off tangent here. My choice is Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. Not only was he erudite but he had the vision to talk about a liberal state (economically) at the height of Nehruvian socialism. The 21 point programme of the Swatantra party was a truly liberal document.

Defence Minister
Arun Singh: Extremely well read on matters military, he was even called in by Jaswant Singh at the height of the Kargil war, and upright.

Minister of Communications & IT and Science & Technology
Rajiv Gandhi: Those who knew him well called him extremely intelligent and level-headed. There is no doubt that he was the one who set the stone rolling for the telecom revolution that followed later. He was also clear that India needed the Service sector to progress. Something that we have clearly acknowledged now.

Minister of Railways
Madhav Rao Scindia: He handled the very same portfolio competently. Would make a great team with Bibek Debroy at the Rail Bhavan.

Minister of I&B and Parliamentary Affairs        
Atal Behari Vajpayee: As politics gets more and more fractious the country needs someone who can reach out to everyone in Parliament. He is the right man for the job. Moreover we need a liberal minded person in the I&B ministry. 

Minister of Law and Justice
Dr B. R. Ambedkar: Enough said.

Minister of Minority Affairs
Maulana Azad: We need someone extremely erudite and with stature across the country. The Maulana has both erudition and stature. Not just that, he steered the Education ministry in a newly independent India with aplomb. That would also help him in working on the low levels of education among India’s minorities.

Minister of Rural Development; Panchayati Raj; Drinking Water & Sanitation
Morarji Desai: A staunch Gandhian and inflexibly principled Morarjibhai handled the Revenue and Agriculture portfolio in the 1937 Bombay Government. He brought in far-reaching reforms in land revenue that helped the rural poor. Though he has handled other more ‘important’ portfolios like Finance, Commerce & Industry and was both Deputy PM and PM, given his background and conviction it is the Rural Development Ministry for him.

Minister of Agriculture and Food & Public Distribution
C Subramaniam: He helped usher in the Green Revolution. He would be the right person to handle Agriculture and its allied portfolio Food & Public Distribution.

Minister of Civil Aviation
Nitish Kumar: He capably handled the portfolios at the centre and has made a difference in governance in Bihar. Civil Aviation clearly needs a capable administrator and reformer. (Reformer because he needs to figure out what to do with Air India.) I believe he is both.

Environment   
Jairam Ramesh: A feisty environment minister; he took on the builders lobby, industrialists and his own cabinet colleagues while enforcing environmental laws. Given the state of the environment, we require someone like him back at the helm of affairs.

Minister of Human Resource Development
PV Narasimha Rao: We need a scholar and we need a doer. He fits the bill. A consummate politician he was also a linguist, author and reformer. The ideal man to head this ministry at this stage in India.

Minister of Women & Child Development and Health & Family Welfare
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: Minister of Health in the first cabinet, President of the WHO, driving force behind setting up the AIIMS. Quite an impressive resume that.

Tourism
Naveen Patnaik: Managed to pull Odisha out of economic doldrums and has been in power since 2000. He has not only demonstrated his political and administrative acumen but also shown his political side too in these past 15 years. Led a jet-setting life style, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mick Jagger, Jackie Kennedy etc, till he returned to India in 1998. Just the right person to head this ministry.

Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises and Infrastructure
Narendra Modi: And finally the man of the moment. Given his reputation as a doer and implementer he would be perfect for the Industries portfolio. Obviously the right person to see through the ‘Make in India’ policy. If he were to get his skills sets to play in upgrading public enterprises and infrastructure – road, ports and airports then we would be in kosher.

Vocabulary - The Humours of the Body

The ancient Greek medical practitioners believed that a healthy body had a balance of four humours (essential fluids) which gave an indication of someone’s temperament. An imbalance of humours was thought to cause a change in temperament.

Those humours were blood, bile (choler), black bile, and phlegm. Each humour was associated with a season and an element (air, water, fire, and earth). While we no longer use this theory to treat people these terms continue to be used in the English language.

Choleric:
Easily irritated or angered; hot-tempered.
Etymology:
From the Greek chole (bile).

Phlegmatic:
Having a sluggish temperament; apathetic.
Calm or composed.
Etymology:
From the Greek Phlegm which meant "inflammation, heat" (the humour phlegm was supposedly a result of heat)

Melancholic:
Gloomy; wistful.
Saddening.
Of or related to melancholia.
Etymology:
From the Greek melancholia (the condition of having an excess of black bile)

Bilious:
Extremely unpleasant.
Ill-natured; irritable.
Relating to bile.
Etymology:
From the Latin bilis (bile).

Sanguine:
Cheerfully optimistic or confident.
Having a healthy reddish color.
Blood-red.
Etymology:
From the Latin sanguis (blood).

Vocabulary - Words Originating From 'Phil'

One way to improve vocabulary is through the Roots/Prefixes/Suffixes method that we have spoken of extensively in class. I want to use that method in this post. Let's start with 'Phil'

Phil means Love/Loving

A few words that originate from this root are:

Philately
Collecting of stamps and other postal matter as a hobby or an investment.
Study of postage stamps, revenue stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postal cards, covers, and similar material relating to postal or fiscal history.
Etymology:
phil + atéleia: Atéleia means 'Freedom from charges' (taken to mean recipient's freedom from delivery charges by virtue of the stamp which sender affixed to the letter). If you are interested atéleia can be further traced to mean a: not and telos: toll/tax
The word was coined by French stamp collector Georges Herpin (1860–65)
He came up with a Greek word that he felt most closely resembled the use of a postage stamp – to indicate that the cost of carrying the letter had already been paid by the sender and therefore the recipient did not have to pay any tax. This was an important change as earlier it was the recipient who always paid for the post.

Philharmonic
Fond of or devoted to music; music-loving: used esp. in the name of certain musical societies that sponsor symphony orchestras (Philharmonic Societies) and hence applied to their concerts (philharmonic concerts).
Presented by a symphony orchestra or the society sponsoring it.
Etymology:
From the Greek Phil + harmonikós musical, suitable

Philoprogenitive
Producing offspring, esp. abundantly; prolific.
Pertaining to, or characterized by love for offspring, esp. one's own.
Etymology:
From the Greek Phil + Gen (birth, race, produce)

Philtre
A potion, charm, or drug supposed to cause the person taking it to fall in love, usually with some specific person.
A magic potion for any purpose
Etymology:
The Greek philtron which literally means "to make oneself beloved”, which in turn originates from the root word Phil.
Caution: I will not be held responsible for any outcome of you guys using/misusing the Philtre. I am merely a language teacher, not….…. ;-)

Philtrum
The vertical groove on the surface of the upper lip, below the septum of the nose.
Etymology:
Again from philtron which also means dimple in upper lip.

Vocabulary - Commonly Confused Words

Vocabulary is not just about learning ‘big’ words. It is also about knowing the difference between words that are similar in spelling or pronunciation or are similar in any other way. Let’s look at some commonly confused words. These would be  useful especially while dealing with the questions on  FIB. 

Apposite:
Appropriate or suitable for the occasion.
Opposite:
Diametrically different, antonym.

Avocation:
A subordinate occupation, usually one pursued for pleasure. A Hobby.
Vocation:
Particular occupation, business or profession.

Barbarism:
A state of society in which men were not civilised.
Barbarity:
Cruelty

Battle:
A hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces
War:
A conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations.

Canvas:
A closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used for tents, sails, etc.
Canvass:
To solicit votes, subscriptions, opinions, or the like from people.

Task: Create sentences using these words.

GK - Indian History

Questions

1. King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. How did this marriage affect Indian history?

2. “A boy is born, A boy is born, A boy is born”. What message was being conveyed here?

3. The Hindu kingdom of Champa flourished outside the present boundaries of India. Where would the kingdom be located in today’s context?

4. What is the Doctrine of Lapse?

5. In modern Indian history one often comes across the term European Factories. What are these factories that the European powers established in India?




Scroll down for answers . . .







1. When King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza the Portuguese transferred the islands that make up modern day Mumbai to the British as the dowry of Catherine.

2. “A boy is born, A boy is born, A boy is born”. This announced the signing of the Simla Agreement.

3. The Hindu kingdom of Champa flourished outside the present boundaries of India. This kingdom would be located in modern Vietnam. During this period the country was considered a great centre of Vedic learning.

4. The Doctrine of Lapse was a ruse by the East India Company to acquire territory. When the ruler of a protected state died without an heir, the adopted heir would not be able to succeed him. In such a case the state would be annexed by the British. The only exception being if the British authorities approved of the adoption before hand.

5. European Factories were fortified trading stations established by the European powers.

Navi Mumbai

And I stay in a city that is in the top three in the country – in the Swachhata sweepstakes. We are the third cleanest city in India. Yipeeee . . .

Er . . . hmmm . . . Not really. This is actually an award based on the extent of open defecation, solid waste management, waste water treatment, drinking and surface water quality of water bodies and mortality due to waterborne diseases. So it’s not really an award for a city that looks spic and span.
Nonetheless it is a city that has its own charms.

Of all the cities that I have stayed in I have stayed the longest in Navi Mumbai and I have grown to like the place. Of course travelling to Mumbai for work from here has been a huge pain in the ass, but in general I have no regrets about moving to the City of the 21st Century.

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For one, it is much greener than most other cities. Even the morning jog can be amidst green environs. 

 

The Parsik hills running right through Navi Mumbai, or whatever is left of the hill range, with the waterfalls during the monsoons give the city a natural charm.

And in how many places in and around a metropolis can you take a short drive to a trekking spot? 

Though Padavkada is out of bounds now for safety issues it is a delightful place which can both challenge the veteran trekker and allow the beginner to enjoy nature. 

The Ghansoli waterfall is a bit dangerous though it is just as beautiful as the one at Pandavkada.

I guess Lutyens Delhi is greener than Navi Mumbai but then again the issues of Delhi – pointless aggression and pollution and lack of safety etc. are not the issues that one faces in Navi Mumbai.

The other thing is that it a planned city. While driving through Vashi in the evenings is a nightmare, by and large Navi Mumbai is nowhere as chaotic and unplanned as Mumbai or any other big city. I am eagerly looking forward to the Metro starting which will make commutes even better.

But are there no gripes that I have? Hmmmm . . . . Well, actually I do.

I am a big history buff and it is in this area that Navi Mumbai falls flat. The only place to explore that has any historical significance is the Belapur fort. The entrance to the fort is a forgotten and utterly neglected stump. The interiors – well, they are not taken care of either and like most small forts across the country are in an extremely dilapidated condition. It is sad indeed. I am not so sure of any other historical monuments that are in existence within Navi Mumbai. I wish there were.

I also wish we used the sea front better and that the catamaran service that was in existence more than a decade ago is re-introduced. Elephanta caves is just 15 minutes away from Uran by sea. Why can’t there be regular services to the island. And more importantly, how about having catamaran services from Vashi or Belapur to the Elephanta caves? It could prove to be a good weekend visit for a lot of people here.

Just two gripes from cynical old me? Well . . .

Had I been a party animal or a shopaholic or a theatre buff I am sure I would have been depressed about the state of affairs here, but lazy me likes it just fine in here.

Vocabulary - French

Have you ever noticed, anything French is equated with sophistication? For one reason or the other it is (a subject for another post probably). I guess, we have got to admit the French loan words in English do sound sophisticated. So, here is a look at a few of them.
 
de rigueur (duh ree-GUHR)
Required by fashion, custom, or etiquette.
Etymology:
From 'of strictness', from the Latin rigor.

parry (PAR-ee)
To ward off or evade.
A defensive movement or an evasive answer.
Etymology:
From parez which means 'ward off'

femme fatale (fem fuh-TAHL)
plural femmes fatales (fem fuh-TAHLZ)
An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who leads others into disaster.
Etymology:
Literally fatal woman. :D :D

volte-face (volt-FAHS)
A reversal in policy or opinion; about-face.
Etymology:
It came into French from Latin volvere (to turn) + faccia (face).

nouveau riche (noo-voh-REESH)
Someone who has recently acquired wealth, especially one who displays this in an ostentatious fashion.
Etymology:
The term nouveau riche in French simply means 'new rich'. Trust the French to coin another word on the same lines - 'nouveau pauvre'  meaning 'newly impoverished'.

Vocabulary - Spanish

Spanish is the most widely spoken of the Romance languages and is also the official language of Spain and most countries of Central and South America. Most of the words in Spanish come from Latin. There are however many that come from other sources including: Greek, Basque, Arabic from the time the Moors (a Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa) occupied Spain, French, Italian and American Indian languages from colonial times.

A look at a few

Mano a mano
A direct or face-to-face confrontation.
Etymology: hand to hand. It basically meant on an equal footing, without advantage to either of two contestants.

Pistolero
A gunman; hired killer.
Etymology: pistol + -ero. The suffix '-ero' is equivalent to the suffix '-ary' in English which has the general sense of “pertaining to, connected with”

Vamoose
To leave hurriedly or quickly; decamp.
Etymology: From vamos ‘let us go’

Peccadillo
A minor offense.
Etymology: "slight sin," from pecado "a sin"

Incommunicado
Without the means or right of communicating with others.
Etymology: From incomunicar, ‘to deny communication’

Vocabulary - German

Words from German populate the English language but surprisingly tend to get overshadowed by words from French, Spanish, Latin etc. But as the list below shows German loanwords are quite interesting. Check out the last one. ;-)

Leitmotif (lahyt-moh-teef)
A theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.
Etymology: Leiten = to lead + Motive

Putsch (pooch)
A secretly plotted, sudden attempt to overthrow a government.
Etymology: Putsch = thrust, blow

Ersatz (ER-zahts, er-ZATS)
Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial.
Etymology: Ersetzen = to replace

Zeitgeist (tsahyt-gahyst)
The spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.
Etymology: Zeit = time + Geist = spirit

Schadenfreude (shahd-n-froi-duh)
Delight at the misfortune of others
Etymology: Schaden = harm + Freude = joy

Vocabulary - Yiddish

Yiddish is the language of Jews of eastern and central Europe and their descendants. It is conventionally written in the Hebrew alphabet. I know it is not relevant but still; among my favourite words is the word Chutzpah which has a Yiddish origin. For some reason, I feel that it depicts what it means in a wonderful manner. And for those of you who have watched the movie 'Haider' - Shahid Kapoor got the pronunciation conveniently wrong.

Here are a few words from Yiddish.

Chutzpah (khoot-spuh)
Audacity; nerve
Etymology: Khutspa = to be insolent

Glitch
A defect or malfunction in a machine or plan.
Etymology: Glitsh = Slip, skate or nosedive; slippery area.

Klutz
Clumsy or awkward person
Etymology: Klots = A block of wood

Schmooze
Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular.
Etymology: Schmues = reports, gossip

Maven
an expert or connoisseur.
Etymology: Meyvn = Connoisseur

Vocabulary - Latin

I intend to run through all the European languages that have contributed to English and cherry pick some interesting words. I will start off with Latin.

As you know Latin is a source language for many words in English. Some of these words have mutated when they have entered English but a lot of words are used in English the way they were in original Latin. A look at a few of them,

ab origine
From the very beginning; from the source or origin.
This is the source word for aboriginal/aborigine.

caveat emptor
Let the buyer beware
It is the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty.

in camera:
In secret; privately

lapsus linguae
A slip of the tongue

fac simile
an exact copy, as of a book, painting, or manuscript. It means “make the like”
This is the source word for fax.

Nicknames - Places

1. The Land of the Thousand Lakes – Finland

2. The mother-in-law of Europe – Denmark

3. The Roof of the World – Tibet

4. Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal

5. Robinson Crusoe’s Island – Juan Fernandez. Tobago

6. The Golden State – California

7. Silver State – Nevada

8. Copper State – Arizona

9. The Queen of the Adriatic – Venice

10.The Barbary States – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya

Nicknames - People

1. The Bard of Avon – William Shakespeare

2. The Blind Poet – John Milton

3. The Light of Asia – Buddha

4. The Iron Chancellor – Prince Otto Von Bismarck

5. Little Corporal – Napoleon

6. The Mad Monk – Rasputin
He was a Russian peasant who grew to wield enormous influence over the Tsarina of Russia. He proved to be one very difficult guy to kill. Read this if you are interested in these kinds of things. ;)

7. The Sage of Concord – Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. The Lady of the Lamp – Florence Nightingale

9. Father of Biography – Plutarch

10. Father of History – Herodotus

Sports Terminology - Golf

Handicap
The number of strokes a player is given to adjust his score to that of standard scratch. It allows golfers of different abilities to compete on equal terms.

Fore
To cry "Fore" is to warn other players that your ball may hit them.

Par
The number of shots a low handicapper should take for a hole or round. The hole par is measured by the number of shots needed to reach the green plus two for the putting. The round par is calculated by adding all the hole par's together.

Hole In One
The ball goes straight into the hole from your tee shot.

Birdie
One under par for the hole.

Yardage Chart
A printed card detailing the layout and yardage of each hole on the course.

Yardage Rating
The stroke index of the hole, Index 18 being the easiest on the course, 1 the most difficult.

Wedge
A metal club designed to give loft rather than distance. Used for high shots into the green.

Wood
Clubs used for long range shots. Traditionally made with wooden head they are now mostly made with metal alloy heads.

Tee
A small peg stuck into the ground on which a golf ball is placed. Also area where golfers play first stroke of any given hole.