The rain-washed driveway invited the keen golfers that day in July 2000. They shaded their eyes from the glint of the sun hitting the gleaming tin roof of Chulsa Polo Club after the showers. The fragrance of the soil lingered in the heavy air as pleasant remnants of the humid monsoon afternoon.
Tengre noticed the cars come to a standstill under a row of trees. He had been a golf caddy for as long as he could remember. He had trained many saabs and memsaabs in the years gone by and had watched them with awe; satisfied whenever they took trophies home. He was thankful to the saabs who had been kind enough to gift him a few golf clubs. But his most prized possession was a wooden golf driver that he had skillfully fashioned himself. He would never exchange it for any of the branded clubs he had seen the golfers use. This wooden driver had helped him win many prizes in the tournament held in various clubs of Dooars for the caddies.
He thought about his winning shots and practised his swing in the air. With a smile on his face, he went to join the other caddies who had grabbed the golf sets and placed them on the trolleys. He reached out to pull one of the trolleys but retrieved his hand as he realized that he no longer had this power. He followed the other caddies who joined the saabs who were ready for their round of golf after having tea and biscuits meticulously served by the bearer.
The four players walked towards the first tee box and teed off with perfect shots, though taking mulligans. Their game began to warm up. The fairways stretched as far as the eye could see and this golf course was most friendly to these four. Grateful to them for having nurtured its greens with tender love and care. Being in Chulsa TE had its perks, especially for the golfers. They loved enjoying a round of golf, every opportunity they could find.
“Wow! Amazing putt!” exclaimed Anirban, congratulating Vaneet on his birdie. Vaneet celebrated with both his hands towards heaven, feeling the light drizzle and sunshine together on his face. The second hole was a close competition between the two, Anirban having scored a par himself.
They strode onwards to the third tee box. The long hitters, Vaneet and Anirban attempted a tiger line to get birdies whereas Pradeep and Afreen played safe to get pars. With a slow back swing, Vaneet's club came down hitting the sweet spot of the ball. He watched the ball take flight standing still after the follow-through.
Through the rims of their open umbrellas, they could sight the ball soaring over Murtee river. They entered birdies and eagles in their scorecards and moved on to the next holes brimming with confidence.
Afreen was a novice compared to the other three seasoned golfers. His tee shot got hooked into a rough on the fourth hole. A frantic search broke out but the ball was nowhere to be found.
“Sir, yeh goli Tengre ko dena padega,” Naresh stated matter-of-factly. (This ball has been taken by Tengre.)
The four of them were aware of Tengre’s technique of shoving the goli into the damp ground with his heel. “Goli hera gaya saab,” he would declare. (The ball is lost.) But how could he possibly manage something like this now that he was no longer here?!
“Jee saab, he is here,” Naresh pointed towards the rough, “Tengre is buried right here.” With a sad smile, he added that it was his last wish to rest here. "Many peculiar things happen on this fairway", each of the caddies quipped their agreement.
With jagged emotions the four golfing friends looked at each other and then each of them placed a ball next to Tengre's grave thanking him. “These are for you Tengre,” they said as they walked away towards tee box 5.
Glossary:
Mulligans: Practice swing
Birdie: Score one below par
Eagle: Score two below par
Par: The standard score for a hole
Goli: Golf Ball
Jee saab: Yes sir