[Reader-list] the political sociology of indian golf -- posting

[Mario Rodrigues]

The political sociology of golf in India--posting

Golf was institutionalised as the sport of royalty
after James IV of Scotland reversed the ban on the
sport imposed by his grandfather in 1502 and stamped
his royal seal of approval by swinging his clubs.
Since then, golf has become known as the sport of
kings, presidents, world leaders, celebrities et al.
It has further been embraced by royalty of the present
– the corporate chiefs, the movers and shakers of the
globalised economy.

What is not so well known is that golf is also the
favourite sport of the generals. Like cricket, golf
also has a hoary connection with colonialism,
considering that the game came to South Asia on the
sails of British imperialism. Not surprisingly, many
of the golf courses initially built in India/South
Asia, beginning from the early nineteenth century
onwards, were set in or around military cantonments.
These were controlled by the colonial military
establishment of those times. Control of these courses
in turn passed on to the military authorities of India
and Pakistan after independence.

As a result, about 75 per cent of the 210-odd golf
courses in India are controlled by the military even
today. For example, out of the five golf courses in
the cantonment town of Pune, four are military ones,
where civilians have restricted access. Thus, in
India, the game has been largely appropriated by the
military (and that too only by its top brass) simply
by virtue of the fact that they own a brute majority
of the courses. The Indian Army even advertises golf
as one of its attractions in its recruitment drives
for the officer cadre. It seems that our generals and
military top brass enjoy the luxury of playing golf,
at considerable public expense, while the jawans at
the lower end of the pecking order, who are pitched on
the frontline in times of war, have to settle for
lesser pursuits!

But golf’s connection with the generals has acquired
even more sinister connotations in South Asia and
South-East Asia. The generals of Pakistan and those in
Myanmar belonging to the junta re-christened as the
State Peace and Development Council have monopolised
the game in their own insidious ways, grabbing land to
build new courses, and have become pioneers of golf
tourism and golf development in the region. They also
cut some sweet deals pertaining to other subjects on
the courses. The generals, past and present, not only
own or control several of the new golf courses in
Pakistan, Myanmar, as well as in the fledgling
democracies of the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia
that were once ruled by brutal military dictatorships,
but several other vital sectors of the economy as
well.

For example, General-turned-President Pervez Musharraf
of Pakistan is a keen golfer and so are the successors
of the original dictator General Ne Win, who seized
power in a coup d’etat in 1962, in Myanmar. The
notorious Myanmar junta uses golf to entertain foreign
VIPs and in turn are accorded similar facilities when
they visit neighbouring or foreign countries. In July
2000, when the Indian army chief and supreme commander
of the Indian armed forces General V P Malik visited
Burma, he played golf with his Burmese counterpart,
General Maung Aye, deputy commander-in-chief of the
defence services and vice-chairman of the SPDC at the
Thiriyadana Golf Club at Konmyintlha. Similarly, when
General Musharraf visited Sri Lanka some time ago, he
played a round of golf during his state visit!

Another point. If one looks up the list of office
bearers of the national golf associations or
federations of these countries, do not be surprised to
find generals and military types prominent in the list
of past and current officials. It is quite possible
that many of these generals may be quite respectable
and law-abiding citizens though!!!

Perhaps the biggest promoter of golf is the US
military, which owns around 200 courses all across the
world for the use of its four wings – Army, Navy, Air
Force and Marines (see www.usforcesgolf.com for a list
of US military golf courses). Now the US forces, which
are engaged in bringing ‘democracy’ to Iraq for the
last couple of years, are also engaged in promoting
golf closer to home. US soldiers have reopened and are
running a golf course in Afghanistan and preaching the
gospel of golf to the redeemed natives! 
Ends






		
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