So, this happened: An old golfing-poker buddy from the UK, Neil, called last night and asked if I could go a round with him this morning at the Oxford Golf Resort. He said it was his treat. Now, given that I had not swung a club in anger for over 4 years at the very least (though my golfing gear is in ship shape), I thought I should warn him that I may not really be very good company.
Surprisingly, he said he didn’t care, and also said he’d buy me a bucket of balls to hit on the range to get my muscles to remember the swing. I said, I will disappoint him. He said I should shut up and come.
OK, then. This morning, I woke up at the usual time, finished my entirely pleasurable fatherly duties of running and working out with my daughter, put on my golf togs, picked up my golf kit (ok, strictly speaking, my driver did), and made my way to Oxford, where true to his word, Neil arranged for the use of the range as well as a tee off with him.
Turns out a golf swing is like cycling. Can’t really forget it. Soon, I had my mojo back (well, almost), and we played 9 most enjoyable holes and then had some really nice and cold lemonade at the club overlooking the first fairway. A shower and change later, I find myself thinking of the game and wondering about the difference between how the same game is remembered by a golfer who shoots 3 over the course (he cannot stop thinking or talking of the 3 bad shots he hit) while I, who played 16 over cannot stop thinking of the 3 good shots I hit, where I hit them, where they landed, and how it felt. Maybe that’s why I am a bogie player at best and he is a scratch handicap.
All in all, a wonderful beginning to a glorious morning. And golf, here I come. Again.
P.S: Thanks, Neil. You brought back some memories, made my morning a beautiful one, and reminded me of the small joys I miss, and can still have should I want them. You are a star!
Did you like what you read? Share it with friends.
This is my space. To ramble, rant, or ruminate. You are welcome to join me. You can see more of me here. I am an IAF+Air India brat (my father and my kid brother, both have donned the wings of the Indian Air Force) growing up in cantonments across the nation, and attending 12 schools before graduating as an Electrical Engineer from Pune University in 1994.
I speak, read, and write English, Hindi, and Marathi (in that order of proficiency), and am very active on social media (mainly Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and lately, Threads and YouTube too), though I do not engage beyond first or at most second level comments. My philosophy for writing can be found here.
Professionally, I am consulting with young people heading their own startups. If you are a startup and need an impartial Entrepreneur-in-Residence to bounce your ideas off, get practical advice from, and basically have around for the 33 years of hard-earned experience in starting up, running, and even shutting down companies, then I am your man. To start a conversation, mail me here.
Personally, I am deeply and passionately engaged in educating (and learning with) my daughter (who was born on my 42nd birthday!) in a non-formal setting and chronicling her (and my) journey. Indeed, unlike most kids who want to become pilots and firemen, actors and doctors, and so on, during my childhood, when I was asked what I’d want to be when I grew up, I’d always answer, ‘Father.’ So, in a way, I am living my dream. I consider myself the luckiest man on Earth (until life is discovered on other planets).
In my spare time, I love to ride/drive, travel, try different foods, watch movies (I love murder mysteries, war movies, and heists), read (mostly non-fiction), debate, and sometimes play golf or squash, or if it’s low enough stakes, poker.
I am politically promiscuous, in the sense that I do not follow a specific political or social party or leader but, from instance-to-instance, choose the argument (and hence, the side making that argument) that best suits my ideological stance of secular humanism. You can find my posts about politics here.
I love dogs and horses (though it’s been a rather long time since I rode one) and am an avid biker with a Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor, who I call BattleCat III. Follow my travels and travails on the bike here.
About my opinions, they are how I like my morning tea: extra strong, piping hot, somewhat dark, grounded in earthy aromas and spices, something that instantly wakes you up, and served without standing on ceremony.
Try me. Start a conversation! What have you got to lose?
Modi's lasting success has been the creation of a powerful 24x7 propaganda machine that creates an "overpowering illusion of achievements", and not actual achievements on ground. That illusion is what silences a majority of citizenry into believing the lies, against their…
Harish Khare warns of the "demonstration effect" of CJI Chandrachud's appeal to God. "Every district judge will now feel emboldened to weave his or her religiosity into judicial pronouncements. As it is, very many members of lower judiciary any way feel inclined to anchor their…
I always ask kids what they'd do with unlimited power (wealth, fame, etc.). And I receive different answers, some of them very different from the idealistic ones I would have answered at their age. I asked some friends to parse them. This is the result.