The once motorcycle riding, adventure sports practicing Sadhguru now only plays golf, but has more than bragging rights up his beard
Malay Desai
It takes an un-Guru to uncomplicate the sport of golf. You might not feel so when you witness yogi and philanthropist Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, biologically 58 but mentally much younger, take to the courses, complete in attire, but you must wait till he reflects on the game.
At the Willingdon Club of South Mumbai on Friday, Vasudev, fondly called just Sadhguru by followers, hosted his Isha Foundation’s annual golf jaunt. That he did so in the company of some loftily placed corporate honchos did not make his namaskaram any less humble when he agreed for a chat.
“I used to play almost every game until about eight years ago,” Sadhguru says, his accent revealing traces of Telugu and perhaps Texas. “But then after a serious knee injury, I had to stop. Once I was having dinner with friends and someone brought me a stick and said, ‘You’re too old for other games now, it’s time to play golf!’ and I agreed!”
Also Read: Golf Lessons from Warren Buffett
The man probably has more speeches at peace summits and economic forums under his belt than golfing rounds, but that makes him refreshing to discuss the sport with. “There is too much overdo about golf – it’s simple, really, because the ball is stationary! In any other game, the ball comes at you at various velocities. Say if you play football with Messi, chances are you won’t even get to touch it. But if I play golf even with a top player today, I may beat him in at least one or two holes. Which other game gives you that privilege?” he cuts through the jargon, adding, “People fuss too much about golf, maybe because there’s nobody to blame if you play badly!”
Also Read: Cricketers bat for Golf
Sadhguru’s trysts with ‘the sitting ball’ have been irregular but pleasurable. “I’ve never trained, never been on a range, but I’ve managed… look, I believe 70 per cent of the game is (about) the mind – so I just play that. I leave out all the training and stuff,” he explains, quipping, “It gives me a good walk! If I finish around 8 to 10, that’s pretty good, right?”
His white-collar friends at Willingdon, playing for charity, might rate him higher, because Sadhguru has to his name a hole-in-one in one of the toughest holes. “It’s my second hole-in-one here!” he corrects us, speaking of his feat last fortnight. “Hole number 8, a first in the history of this course! Do I feel fantastic about it? Can’t say, because I’m always feeling fantastic …I don’t know how to top it further!”
The term pragmatic is often tagged to this urban sage and his views on golf’s elitism and future are just that. “Golf is not for the masses – not only in India, but anywhere. So what? It’s wrong to think we must play mass-oriented games – there are some for individuals, there are some for leaders. Unfortunately, Indian masses aren’t playing any other game. It’s important that we make India a playful nation, I feel we are getting dead serious!” he laughs, pointing out that none of the Foundation’s social programmes are sans any games.
Amidst social upliftment programmes in Tamil Nadu and meetings with elite personalities, Sadhguru squeezes in a round of golf or two, sometimes to seek commitment and support for his initiatives. His muse, however, remains football and he doesn’t miss a chance to catch a European team or club whenever he is in the UK, he shares.
Sadhguru’s ‘See ball – hit ball’ philosophy at golf may be an oversimplification for some, but it’s no surprise coming from a man who neither adheres to nor preaches any ‘paths’ to spirituality. In fact, his attitude of ‘Just play with your mind’ may just be the difference between a struggling golfer and a happy golfer.
Group pic: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (centre) with corporate heads at his foundation’s annual event in Mumbai
