For Anil Bajrang Mane, golf a means of overcoming grief
After his six-year-old son’s death last month, Mane got back to golf to get on with life.
Anil Bajrang Mane had hoped his son would better him in golf. It wasn’t as if the journeyman was seeking to live his dream through Yashwant. The six-year-old’s affinity was intrinsic. Watching the father practice at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club and play on the Professional Golf Tour of India, Yashwant had come to love the sport and even had a few clubs, which he used to carry to practice at a nearby park.
The golf set now rests in a corner of the Mane residence in Chembur, and will never be used again till it is here. Yashwant’s brief tryst with golf came to an end on September 15 as dengue claimed another victim.
The family is in shock, especially the mother, Laxmi. It was up to Mane to pick up the pieces and get on with life. The best way was to get back to golf. Arriving at this remote part of Haryana for the PGTI Masters wasn’t fruitful financially, as he missed cut by a shot, but then it was also about getting away.
“Had I stayed at home, I’d have been miserable as well, someone had to take the lead. Even now when I call my wife, we talk little as she keeps breaking down,” said Mane.
In fact, the week Yashwant fell sick, Mane was away playing the Ahmedabad Masters. It was a blessing in disguise that he missed cut there as well, and got back just in time.
The 35-year-old has aged in a short span, but knows he has to be steadfast. He owes it to his parents and three daughters. The resolve is to play the remaining season, and the firmness in the voice gives it away. “If I don’t play, survival will be tough.”
Right now, it’s Laxmi’s well-being that concerns him. He tees up in Chennai next week and plans to have her come down. “Perhaps the change of place will help,” said Mane.