It was a hot and humid day, something typical to Calcutta. You can’t get from one point to another, however short without breaking into sweat. Sweat is something that I have to live with, in my profession which takes me outdoors and to buildings where ventilation is a poor cousin of light and sound. So encountering sweat was not my idea of a Sunday as well. But I wanted to get out. I was facing tough times, my mind wasn’t working as well as it should and I needed some inspiration.
So, one early Sunday morning, I came to this splendid 18-holer in the city. Sweat be damned! Must thank the Scots for creating this one and the colonials for bringing it here. The previous night was one of revelry and festival in this part of the world and as expected, the course wore a deserted look.
As I walked to the opening tee, all geared up with my golf-styled t-shirt, pants, gloves, shoes and my caddy toeing my bunch of clubs, I noticed a gentleman who was not as weighed down by the paraphernalia as I was. He had no caddy. All he had was a putter. But you need a driver, I mean, you need other clubs too. And you definitely need a caddy. Else it is sweat multiplied! He had none. Just the putter.
The golf course was such that the first hole tee off and 18th hole were alongside each other. As I was getting to tee off, I saw him put the final ball in the hole and head off to the 19th to get him a cold one. His demeanor was one of nonchalance, as though he was oblivious to the goings on around him. And nobody seemed to notice him as he moved about. I couldn’t resist the temptation, paid my caddy his fee and headed in the direction of the 19th.
He sat by himself in the corner of the lounge, nursing a good looking drink, one with many colors in it. Perhaps he was a regular here and people left him alone. I walked up to him gingerly, deliberately getting in his line of sight, so that I could get noticed. He did, smiled and asked me to join him. I called the waiter and asked him to bring me what the gentleman was drinking. The waiter looked at me puzzled. I asked the gentleman what he was drinking, and he said “Punch. I always drink punch”. I asked the waiter to get me some punch and he nodded, with the puzzle intact.
“I like concoctions”, he continued, “punch blends in different fruits, mixes them with milk and water and creates a rich taste. Perhaps these fruits would not co-exist otherwise”. I had not heard punch drinkers dissect the drink so. I looked at his putter and he seemed to guess my next question. He said, “putting is the more refined and complex aspect of golf. Putting is something that needs you to read the smooth and rough patches and undulations of the land and calculate your ball speed and placement so much more precisely as compared to driving or chipping. It is the end-game of golf. It is to golf, what imperfections, ups, downs, shades of grey, blend and balance is to life. It is quite sublime”.
I was quite flummoxed with this explanation, for it seemed to go beyond the putter and punch. I asked him his name and he replied “Ali”. “Ali?” I gestured to know his full name. He smiled and said, “Putter Punch Ali”. Before I could react in my bewilderment, “What do you do?” he asked. “I make..”, as I was saying this, I was momentarily distracted by a group of golfers entering the bar. It was sunrise and people were getting into the course. I turned back to face the gentleman. He was gone.
“I make films”, I said to myself, wondering where he went. I never saw Putter Punch Ali again.