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“Golf and the Royal became so close to my heart that I could not bear to see
the Club in any difficulty. I would see that that any problem was dealt with,
through the Secretary,without telling anyone. I will fight for the preservation
of the Royal for as long as required,”
says Mr Khaitan, showing clearly
how much the Club means to him. It is only natural, as his father,
uncles, cousins and sons have been, or still are,
members.At
one time,
there were twenty members of the Khaitan family playing golf at the
Royal! Mr Khaitan is a member of many other golf Clubs in the
country and abroad, but maintains that,
“Nothing can compare to the
Royal. Even today, the Royal is an oasis in Kolkata.”
Now an Honorary Life
Member, he continues,
“The present management team has done a
wonderful job and the golf course is as good as it was in the 1950s. The
standard is still there, the serenity is there, the calmness is there. I frankly feel that if the Royal wasn’t there,
Kolkata wouldn’t be a happy place.”
Mr Khaitan’s loyalty and deep fondness for the Club earns him much respect from his fellow members.
He accepts this humbly and is truly touched by it.
“I started playing golf as a young man and am still carrying on.The reason for my mental alertness is all due to
golf. It makes you think.You concentrate only on the game and forget everything else till the next Monday.
Every other sport comes to an end at a
particular age but golf you can play till the day
you die. It can go with you to the crematorium.
Today, my advice to anyone is, take up golf. I
enjoyed racing and polo but golf is closest to my
heart. Where health is concerned, golf has
kept me going. Of course, I need the buggy
after playing a few holes, but at 86, I’m still
active, moving around.”
It is clear that Mr Khaitan would heartily
agree with Arnold Palmer’s assertion:
“Golf is without a doubt the greatest game
mankind has ever invented.”
~
Sarita Dasgupta
45
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The Foursome (L to R) - Mr J. Lall, Mr B.M. Khaitan, Mr Raghu Modi & Mr Vijai Singh