An unusual audience

Kurmitola Golf Club is not quite the place where you would expect to see a group of very young children, and surely not ones from the lower reaches of the society, as we all know the game is mostly confined to the elite and played by grown-up men and women.

But yesterday there was a bunch of kids, young and underprivileged, who were trying to absorb the excitement of an Asian Tour event or at least trying to understand what the game was all about. It was not any open invitation or free-entry on a weekend; rather it happened due to the collaboration and goodwill between a charity organisation and golfer Siddikur Rahman.

The children spent a wonderful time at a place 'they had never come before' and cheered on 'Siddikur bhai', who had a few days earlier visited their shelter abode of Ekmatra Society in Mirpur and asked them to come and see him play.

Siddkur himself was seemingly very happy, both with his performance on the day and for being among children he could so readily identify with, as the ace golfer himself comes from a very disadvantaged section of society. Before becoming Bangladesh's leading exponent with golf club in hand, the 32-year-old's passion for the game was stoked during his time in Kurmitola as a ball-boy and later as a caddie.

"I visited them a few days ago. They had asked me a lot of things. They had probably heard my story from someone and they said they were inspired by me," Siddikur told reporters after having a photo session with the kids at the end of the day's play. "It is a different experience for me and a very refreshing one. I'm very happy that they are here."