When silverscreen diva Vyjayanthimala Bali queened over the greens

CHENNAI: Someone forgot to tell Vyjayanthimala Bali that she is 89 years old. She has been itching to try out the new Hole 1 at the Cosmo TNGF, and only a bad back has kept her at home, where she is prepping for Bharatanatyam lecdems in the upcoming December season.

Mention Andal, the Vaishnavite saint, and everyone in the dancing circle will immediately say Vyjayanthimala. However, very few among the younger generation know that the star of iconic films such as Sangam, Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna among others, has played golf for years, in most courses in the country and abroad. In fact, I met her a few years ago at the TNGF golf course where she presided over a mixed doubles awards ceremony and handed over the winner’s trophy to me and my partner.

We connected recently again when she and Malini Srinivasan, the legendary lady captain, wanted to know all the details of playing the new Hole 1 at the Cosmo TNGF. While we chatted, I eyed her collection of books, many of them rare ones on golf, belonging to her late husband Dr. Bali, an excellent golfer.

It is common knowledge that she and Dr. Bali dated each other when she was a reigning star, but what is not widely known is the fact that she picked up golf after sniggering at it. Dr. Bali was a passionate golfer at the Bombay Presidency Gymkhana Club (BPGC) and she accompanied him as the only way to be with him. She says, “I said, ‘such a small ball and funny looking long clubs, even a child can play this game’.” “Try it,” said a deadpan Dr. Bali and after hitting everything but the ball, she was completely shaken. “I had never failed in anything and this was a disaster. I decided I will play and win and enrolled for coaching.”

Dilli Chalo

She started playing competitively in 1970. Her first Ladies Open was in Delhi and as a 32 handicapper, she only wanted to avoid making a hack job of it, but she won. She brought down her handicap to 18 and served as the Lady Captain as well. She made friends wherever she went and Delhi became a happy place for golf for her. Equally famed for her diamond nose pin, a couple of Delhi ladies good-naturedly asked her to stop wearing it, claiming it caught the sunlight and dazzled them blind.

Those were the good old days when golf was really slow-paced and lady golfers frequently played tournaments in other courses. Playing often in Delhi and Mumbai, it was inevitable that people would stare at her or follow the Madhumati heroine. It was an added pressure – to play good shots in front of spectators.

She vividly recalls losing a match at the last hole when she was docked a two-stroke penalty, for an inadvertent lapse in the bunker, which cost her the match. No golfer can ever forget such an incident. Incidentally, her prized possession is the memento given to her for her hole in one at the BPGC, a feat she is extremely proud of.

Photo gallery

If you are a photography enthusiast, you will love her wall of black and white photos, even more than the colourful ones of her looking exquisite while greeting Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the city.

Focus, timing

Both golf and the performing arts call for focus, concentration and timing. Training helps a lot, but she was one of those to whom putting came naturally. And she was a non-fussy golfer: did not worry about getting tanned or ruining her complexion. She just wore those huge hats. There were not many clothing options in those days. Apart from trousers, lady golfers wore salwar kameez or sarees. It was trousers or skirts for her. “I really have to try the Hole 1,” she says. I do not doubt she will.

(The writer is the Lady Captain, Cosmo TNGF)