Lakshman Singh (left) with Brandon de Souza at RCGC. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Brandon: Tell us about your early years…

Bunny: I was born in Jodhpur, to a family with royal connections. My father’s from Jodhpur, my mother was born in Cooch Behar — they got married and lived in Jodhpur. My father was initially an army officer when he got married but he left early when they started a family business (gelatin) in Jodhpur. So that happened for the first 16 years of my life and then there was a break-up in the family.

Before that, a little something about your dad — he is one of our well-known polo players!

My father, Bijai Singh, was a fine polo player with a 7 handicap. But who was even greater than him was my grandfather, Hanut. In his time, he was one of the best in the world. I played too but I was over 6ft tall so I was put onto golf!

You’re just being very modest! In Doon School, you had colours of excellence in how many sports?

Seven. Football and squash were closest to my heart in school. I played squash for a while, till 1982. But I was never really good enough to get past the quarter-finals, nationally. I found golf easier, competitively.

You moved out of Jodhpur to Mumbai in 1966. What was your first job?

My first job was at Mahindra’s in 1974. I worked with them for three years and in October 1976 I came to Calcutta.

Back in Mumbai, you started winning all amateur and junior titles…

Yes, I played the National Junior tournament in 1968 and I finished runners-up with a friend of mine called Kripa Khanna. After that, I never played again because I found it ridiculously easy. Then I cut my teeth on the senior ranks.

When was your first big win?

The Western India Championship in 1971 and it was a big win for me because I beat Rajkumar Pitamber. Then I won the Ceylon Championship (now the Sri Lanka Golf Championship) in ’72 and ’73 and then the Eastern India in 1974.

And the National Championship?

In 1978, ’82 and ’87. Then again in 1982 I won the Asian Games individual gold medal and the Team Gold. But what was a very important win, I think for Indian golfers, was the 1973 Nomura Cup (Asia Pacific Golf Championship) with Pitamber as the captain and with Billoo Sethi, probably one of the finest amateur golfers India has ever seen, and Vikramjit Singh.

Going back to Mumbai, you were working in Mahindra’s, living in Kemps Corner and travelling to Chembur. One often hears that you can’t get to a golf course in Mumbai!

(Smiles) Yes, we had friends so if we didn’t get a lift, we’d just jump into a bus and go all the way there. We’d find a way to beat the system.

Bunny with wife Sharan at the post-tournament party at the Oberoi Grand. Picture by Rashbehari Das

You moved here in ’76. That’s... 35 years. You’ve played the Merchants Cup ever since?

I’ve played the Merchants Cup for 31 years, of which four years I didn’t play because I tried my hand at professional golf but I never got too far because this bugger [pointing at Brandon] was always better than us!

Ha-ha, yeah we used to play together... we played pro golf for a while... so how many times did you win the Merchants Cup?

I can’t remember, but several times. The important win was in ’78 when we got past TISCO.

Coming back to your peer group... there was Alan Singh, Vikramjit Singh, to some extent Manjit Singh...

…and then Rajiv Mohta. I continued playing golf competitively till about ’89 after which I sort of eased off and got more involved in work and a project in Assam... the company was setting up the Assam Valley School. But I did okay till about ’96 and then the juniors were much stronger.

Also, by 1995-96, the entire structure of the selection procedure for amateur golf had changed. We were required to play a lot more golf and I couldn’t keep that schedule — it was too much so I kind of backed off. I worked and played Saturday-Sunday golf and I enjoyed it. Life was good.

Your most memorable moment in professional golf?

The 1982 Asian Games gold.

It was a defining moment in Indian golf...

I mean, to start off with, I don’t think anybody expected us to do that well. We were expected to do well but not win. Because there were a lot of other great teams like Japan, Philippines and South Korea. We beat them all — by 14 shots, which was quite a lot.

Equally memorable was when I won the Nomura Cup. I was only 21. That was a really big thing for me because I was like a kid, the baby of the team, and to win that was big.

Then I also tried my hand at amateur golf in the UK. I played the British Amateur twice and I had success in ’79 when I got into the quarter-final, which was good. People wondered who this Indian was who got to the quarter-finals because all the American and British Walker Cup players were there and then one little brown face walked into the quarter-final! I lost to the Number 2 seed, Doug Roxburgh from Cananda, and he eventually lost to the champion Jay Sigel from America, who turned pro later.

When were you at your lowest?

I’ll tell you. The time that I was most disappointed was when I started my yips [a movement disorder also referred to as twitches or jitters] in ’81 in Calcutta for the Asia Pacific. It was an eight-round trail, I remember, and after four rounds I was leading and in the second part I played so badly. I got my first touch of yips, I’ll never forget that and ever since I’ve always had the yips. It was at the second hole of the first round.

Yes, yips is the only thing that went against you. It was the one thing that hurt you — you just couldn’t hit out of the bunker.

And also my putting… and ever since, I’ve kind of struggled.

It’s more like you were not on the same level. But coming to Indian golf, what do you think is lacking?

Indian golf requires more support from sponsors or from companies. Take a country like Sweden, which was a small golfing nation in the ’80s and now they’re huge. Unfortunately, we don’t even have good teaching staff here. The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has made an effort but it’s not good enough. There seems to be too much of politics. I mean, they’ve got a lovely academy in Chandigarh today and I understand there’s a whole lot of politics going on. But efforts have been made by the IGU — I just don’t think it’s progressed fast enough.

I think we need to take a lesson from Korea and Sweden. What needs to come out here, what’s critical, is that there’s a lot more that can be done. We must have a plan in place that’s backed by sponsorship, where it’s very scientific, very accountable.

You mentioned Korea, South Korea. That’s the perfect example in Asia. Men golfers, women golfers…. They’re dominating world golf.

Who do you see as the next big thing here? Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban (Lahiri), Rashid (Khan)...

I haven’t seen too much of these guys. I’ve seen a little bit of Gaganjeet and he’s good. I saw a little bit of Rashid playing and I thought he was immensely talented and he has just turned professional. I hope he does well. Shiv Kapur is a name that again, should do well in the future. He hasn’t actually made a mark on the European Tour but I think he has the ability to do it. These things, you need one little break and you go through. Jeev (Milkha Singh) struggled for a while and then he just broke through. Most importantly, you’ve got to keep yourself physically fit.

How do you keep yourself fit? What’s your take on mind doctors, positive thinking, yoga…

I’m not a great believer in any of that. I’ve never done it. I think your entire strength and motivation comes from within. You can have someone helping you, like it’s happening today, but if you don’t have it inside you, it’s never going to come out.

The only person who was my motivator was my father. He was a sportsman so he talked to me from the mental side of it. So did my grandfather. They kept themselves fit through the sport. And I’ve played other sports like squash to keep myself fit. I exercise and stretch. And Leander’s father (Vece Paes) is also someone who put me on to some exercises. He said, ‘You know after a certain age, you can’t try and lift weights to be stronger because you’re going to have muscle burns’.

As for diet, I just ate and enjoyed everything. But everything in moderation. I have a few drinks, again in moderation.

Have you ever prayed before a game?

In ’82, my mother-in-law, a believer in Auroville, introduced me to someone who asked me to chant something. I’ve never been a believer of these things but whenever you’re in trouble, you always think of God. And I remember I chanted that before the Asian Games so if that had anything to do with it, I got to give it credit! (Laughs.)

The first person you called on winning the Asian Games?

My father — he was in Jaipur at the time. He’s been a great motivator in my life. I think my lows were ’79 and ’81. When I didn’t make the team in ’81 and I was a reserve, I still remember my father telling me, ‘Looks like you’re a has-been.’ And I said, ‘Dad, I’m going to prove you wrong.’

And how! Going back to the more flippant side of life — how do you balance sport, work and having a good time? You got married in…?

I’ve married twice. My first wife is Lata — we married in ’77 and I’ve got two boys. The elder boy, Arjun, tried golf but decided it wasn’t for him. He became an investment banker. The younger one Ranjit, is still playing professional golf. I came from a sporting family and one of the things I was instilled with is that if you want to become a good player, discipline is very important. And whatever you do, you do in moderation. Everything depends on timing. If you want to play golf and you’re working, you just get up a few hours earlier and play and go back to office. Fortunately, I worked with a company like McLeod Russel where my chairman, B.M. Khaitan, was very supportive. He allowed me time off to practise. I probably would never have won the Asian Games if I didn’t have the support of my company.

Have you ever bunked work for golf?

Yes I did! But I always asked, and my boss never said no. Fortunately, my wife also allowed me to play a little bit of golf. But then I did get a bit of success which I think she enjoyed too. And the family enjoyed it too.

Now I’m married to Sharan — and she’s enjoying some of my fun in senior golf and has been a great support

Who are your friends?

I’ve got separate groups of golfing, work and social friends. Here and in Mumbai, where I also have my college friends. I’ve been comfortable everywhere.

When do you plan to move to Jodhpur and why?

January 2012. To start off, I’ll reach retirement age, 60, in October and so I think it’s time I move on. My father’s also getting on, my mother died a few years back, and I’d like to spend some time with him. We have an ancestral home there.

And there’s a very nice golf course there (called the Sardar Golf Course) and I think it needs a little bit of attention. It’s actually run by the Maharaja so hopefully I’ll try and get him to give me some support — and make a golf course out of it.

So you’ve made enough money, you’re saying?

Who, me? Well, I think I’ve got enough money to be comfortable! (Laughs) I’m not rich but I’m comfortable.

Sharan will be there with you?

Ya, she’ll be there. Sharan has a daughter, Tara, from her earlier marriage. She’s just finished her Class XII. She lives with us and she’s a very important part of the family.

What are your thoughts about leaving Calcutta?

I’m going to miss my friends — and RCGC.

What’s that line: You can take a person out of Calcutta but you can’t take Calcutta out of a person…

But I will try and come back, perhaps, in the winter months when they play the East India Championship. I’ve got a dear golfing friend, Gaurav Ghosh, who’s offered me a room so I’m going to take that up! So, I’ll keep coming back.

Your favourite golf course?

The Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Truly, it is — I think it’s got a fantastic layout. And specially the way it’s playing today — because the committee and the captain have been able to work on the maintenance which we always lack. It’s playing absolutely fantastic.

And abroad?

You know it’s funny, the golf course I enjoyed most was the one in Malaysia called Tiara Melaka. I thought it’s a lovely golf course, most challenging.

Your favourite timepass?

TV serials like Frasier, Friends, Two and a Half Men...

Your favourite hangout in Calcutta?

The (social) clubs, generally. And if I eat out, Pan Asian at ITC Sonar Calcutta.