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Corporates tee off for a cause
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The Rotary Club of Madras and Alchemy jointly organise a golf challenge for corporates
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Photo: V. Ganesan
Calling corporates Members of the Rotary Golf Committee (from left) Nalini Radhakrishnan, Indra Subramanyam, M. Krishna Suresh, Ravi Katari, Alok Bhargava at a discussion
Come March and the golf links in Guindy will witness the enthusiasm of amateur golfers from the corporate sector. One of the oldest clubs in the South, the Rotary Club of Madras (RCM), and Alchemy have come together to organise the “Rotary-Alch
emy Corporate Golf Challenge” on March 15, which will see the involvement of corporates in the city in a big way. The Hindu is associated with it as the media partner.
“It is an event which helps corporates indulge in a popular sport and at the same time raise funds for the Rotary Club’s community plans,” said Ravi Katari, a key member in the golf committee that has drawn up the plan for A tournament, which has attracted some big names from the city corporate sector.
An ardent golfer himself and immediate past president of RCM, Katari said they got the idea of launching an event of this nature after seeing the huge success the Merchant Cup, a similar event in Kolkata, has been enjoying over the years.
“It is a question of providing an opportunity for the golfers and this sport has its roots in Chennai thanks to the big tournaments that happen each year,” he said. Besides such tournaments help promote camaraderie among corporates is well known worldwide.
Katari said what the Rotary would like to project is through playing golf they could do something for society.
“It is one thing to raise funds from the corporates directly and yet another to have their involvement for a social cause through the medium of sport,” said Indra Subramanyam, RCM’s newly elected president, while underscoring the theme of this March event. Chennai had the Merchant and Bankers Tournament which became dormant a decade ago. More than a resurrection, the present exercise, Katari hoped, would be a replacement and bring back the enthusiasm of yore.
“It will be a serious one-day golf over 18 holes and we have for advice Dilip Thomas, IGU member and Secretary General, Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Federation, Ishwar Achanta, leading International Golf Referee as also experienced golfers Dhananjaya Das and Jayanan Sadagopan of Media Mix,” he said. There are incentives and attractive prizes too. “The Hyundai Company, in fact, has lined up a car as one of the prizes,” he said.
Another committee member and a keen golfer, Alok Bhargava, looks forward to the competition. “Unusually this time around, the greens in March look great and this could mean some wonderful times,” he said.
Over 100 golfers are expected to participate in the event, which the golf committee felt would become an annual exercise. Nalini Radhakrishnan, another regular at the golf course, spoke of making the event an inspiration for more people to take to the sport. At the moment, she said the effort of the Rotary was to establish the event more than setting a target for raising funds.
“Being the inaugural year, we may spend more but surely it will be a great success if the novelty of it reaches all,” said Katari.
M. Krishna Suresh, Alchemy’s Business Head (South), said his company was happy to be associated with this venture.
S.R. SURYANARAYAN
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