OPPORTUNITY AND THE GAME OF GOLF
The conflict between ability and opportunity , inheritance and achievement is very old. Countries who have shunned such misconceptions have moved ahead and have benefitted socially others are still struggling to shed their outdated mould. Still we have conservatives lamenting the loss of purity of blood whilst the progressives consider such theories as regressive.
It is proven in democratic and fledgling societies that DNA is only a means of identification and not a certificate of greatness, in our busy lives we fail to witness the abundance of existence of the truth that opportunity is indeed necessary for achievement and ability is present in all of us in variety of manner. Nowhere, it is so visible as in the game of golf( I must confess though that my interest in golf is recent). Even though it is said that the game of golf is a great leveller it is more referred to the unpredictability of the players’ performance and form, the classic case of Tiger woods’ dwindling status is an example. My reference is to caddies who assist in play. Most; at least in India are from poor economic and social background, they work to survive and are in their teens and twenties , but soon pickup the fineness of the game by observing and being on play and advise the novices as well as the established club players. Their advice may not always result in success but their confidence is to be admired.
Many caddies become great players if given opportunity, Vijay Singh of Fiji is one such example. Studying their talent and knowledge of the game one wonders as to how they understand in such detail which we learn after much coaching , reading, watching videos whereas they have been just on the course helping and watching and listening to the established players and thereby learning from them. Indeed, each class has its unique way of learning, some merely afford simple methods others the luxurious ways! Though the game is for the elite it displays that what people need is opportunity and talent does not belong to a certain class but is widely prevalent in society waiting for the chance!
Their status is similar to that of a respected adviser, a ‘Staff’; a modern day ‘Saarthi’: what ‘Krishna’ was to Arjun . Yes; many may not acknowledge my assessment, it may appear to be far fetched, but it is indeed true. We must remember that Tenzing Norgay the first man to climb the Everest was a ‘porter’ in mountaineering expeditions, but rose to be a ‘climbing partner’ of Sir Edmund Hillary.
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