The whisper on the greens says he is Calcutta’s second-highest taxpayer among sports personalities, after a certain Sourav Ganguly. And yet, SSP Chawrasia remains as simple as ever. The Calcutta boy successfully defended his Indian Open title in Gurgaon last week and is back in the city for the Kolkata Classic Golf Championship. t2 caught up with a calm and candid SSP on Monday at RCGC.

This is the most relaxed we’ve ever seen you. What’s the secret? 
I played in five tournaments before the Indian Open and I was all over the place. I missed the cut in three back-to-back tournaments. I would play one round well and mess it up in the next. I realised that I was losing out mentally. Recently, a friend’s wife went to Bihar School of Yoga and qualified as a coach. So before the Indian Open, she helped me out a lot with yoga and meditation. I used to do it before as well, but now I’m doing it regularly. It’s not just helping my game, but also my personal life. 

Also, ever since you changed your second name from ‘Chowrasia’ to ‘Chawrasia’, you seem to be winning everything! Was it really because of administrative reasons or was it superstition?
(Laughs) No, seriously! It’s nothing like that. All my documents had ‘Chawrasia’ by mistake and changing it is a very complicated process. So, I just decided to start using Chawrasia. My family members still use ‘Chowrasia’!

Jokes apart, back-to-back Indian Open triumphs, a win at the Manila Masters last year, representing India at the Rio Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Golf.... Are you doing anything different?
I always practised hard, but system-e kortaam na. Now I’m practising less, but practising smart. I’ve also been doing regular yoga and gym. I guess it’s a result of all of these things put together.

Coming to your most recent triumph, you didn’t have the greatest of starts at the Indian Open and you ended up winning by a huge margin of seven shots! 
Yeah, after the first two days I never imagined I would win it by that margin! It was shocking for me as well (smiles). 
The course (DLF Golf Course, Gurgaon) was really tough. Everyone was driving, so there was a point I thought of doing the same. But then I realised that wasn’t the way of going about it. So after the second day, I decided to play slightly differently. I stuck to my plan. I used drivers less and kept things simple — keep the ball straight and in the fairways. And it worked!

And what did Simantini, your wife and good luck charm, tell you after your win?
She was like ‘I never thought you had so much confidence to win it (Indian Open) back-to-back’ (laughs). I told her, ‘In that case, you still don’t know me! Ekhono time achhe, chiney nao!’ 

Usually, she’s always very nervous when I’m playing, but this time she was very relaxed for a change. As the defending champion, I was under a lot of pressure, but whenever I looked at her, she would be laughing and joking with everyone! I was like ‘Amar tension-e maatha kharap hochhe, aar tumi hanshchho?’ (Laughs)

How were the celebrations?
It was great. I came back to Calcutta and partied with my friends. It went on for almost two days! 

You have this sense of gratitude towards the city, almost like you want to give something back to Calcutta… 
Absolutely. I’ve been brought up here. Calcutta is my home. No matter where I go, I miss this place. I want to start my own foundation here at the club. I’ve already spoken to my chartered accountant as well as RCGC. The club has backed so many great players in the past and I want to take that forward. I’ll hire coaches and train the players myself whenever I can. Calcutta has so many naturally talented players. I really want to help them as much as I can.

How’s your life outside golf? What would we find you doing outside RCGC?
I love gossiping. I’m a gossip master. My wife tells me that I gossip more than women! My friends are also like me. We come and sit together whenever I’m in Calcutta. It’s harmless fun and it really relaxes me. When I come back to the city after a tournament, my friends update me about who’s done what! (Laughs) 

Do you like watching movies?
I usually only watch movies when I’m travelling. But I never miss Aamir Khan’s movies. He  makes one or two every year and I really love them. 

You have a couple of weeks off after the Kolkata Classic. What plans do you have? 
I will not do anything for a week! I’ll just rest. I’ll come to the club and relax. I love coming and watching others play. I love the early mornings at the club, with Gaurav Ghosh and all my other friends.