'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A day in the life of a caddie
Every morning, the wrought iron gates of Delhi's expansive Qutab Golf Course opens to loads of hope and despair. With the rising sun, scores of caddies, dressed in patchy shorts, faded tees and worn-out sneakers wait impatiently for the city's first golfer to walk in with his leather bag that carries the sticks.
And then, almost suddenly, there is a maddening rush.
All want the attention of the golfer, tagging annoyingly at his sleeves: "Sir, will you play? Sir, can I carry your bag?" The peace of the golf course, where a game costs Rs 600, gets disturbed for a while. There are an estimated 200 caddies, eventually one emerges lucky. He will earn Rs 200 which is the cash a caddie earns per day. Sometimes, he can double his earnings if he gets 2 golfers.
Santosh Pandey, a caddie, smiles at his luck, slings the bag and gets ready for a walk that could stretch almost 14 kilometers. For an ordinary person, it is almost like walking to Connaught Place from South Delhi's Defence Colony.
They report to the course at 0500 hours and wait till the sundown. But luck doesn’t favour him every day. There are days when he waits hours for a player to choose him. If that doesn’t happen, he goes back home empty handed to his wife and kids.
Like him, others wait their turn. “It is a see-saw game every day,” laughs Pandey.
Struggles of a cabbie
Caddies here come from poverty-stricken families and find it difficult to make ends meet. For some extra bucks, they resort to other means of income like betting and petty businesses. Unlike Jaypee Greens, DLF Golf Course and Delhi Golf Club which started a Caddie Welfare Trust, caddies here are not given salaries and are totally dependent on the payment received from players.
“No plan is concrete yet about salaries to caddies. They are not currently under the DDA payroll, but it is in the pipeline,” said Col. Chaudhary, Secretary Qutub Golf Course. The young caddies in the club, aged 17-18 years have an ambition of playing the game but are bounded by family commitments.
Imran, who is just 17 years of age, came to Delhi from Mathura’s Strike One Golf Club to be a golfer, but eventually remained a caddie.
"I had a dream of playing golf in the capital but now I have to make money for my family. We have a shortage of money and I cannot afford to spend my income on other things. Golf is still my dream but money is a big problem,” said Imran who sends more than half his income to his parents in Mathura.
For him Rashid Khan, winner of SAIL-SBI Open 2014, who earlier accompanied caddies, is an instant inspiration. So is Shiv Chowrasia who made it big after carrying bags for players at the Royal Calcutta Golf Course. Imran has just two requests from the authorities - Salaries for his efforts and more caddie tournaments. Selection is at players’ will. Only during the weekends all 200 caddies get a chance to accompany players and earn some cash. On weekdays, only 120-130 get a chance to earn cash.
Added woes
Things take a turn for the worse on rainy and hot summer days when too many players don’t turn up to play and caddies go back home empty handed. “We work hard every day for players who are generally from well to do backgrounds. Yet, our pay has not been increased,” said a caddie.
Their caddie master, Karam Veer can only empathize. Mondays and Fridays are dry days when golfers are busy in offices and only 90-110 caddies get the chance, he says. To add to their woes, they are not even allowed to play golf at the club and are sometimes abused by players for minor errors.
The golf dream
Still, the caddie crowd swells, everyday. What prompts the push? They want to be associated with an elite game. Golf means cash, in India, and across the world.
“We are here because we can’t do anything else and also because we love golf. It is a rich man’s game, we don’t have the money to play it, but want to be close to the game,” said a 31-year old caddie.
“Golf will grow in our country only when players from all sections of the society are given equal opportunities. We want to play. Let us play,” he added.
He has been waiting the whole day without a chance. He is not worried. Like others, he lives on hope.
