The heady mix of fun and business has caught the fancy of top business houses in the city, thanks to the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s initiative to have a golf tournament for corporates with the support of Andrew Yule and JIS Group.

Running into the third year, the golfing extravaganza at the Tollygunge Club has attracted over top 200 corporate honchos to try and conquer the magnificent course that has humbled many famous golfers, both foreign and Indian, over the years.

“The idea is to help develop camaraderie among the participants,” says Kallol Dutta, President of the Bengal Chamber. “It has really caught on. It was 25 in the inaugural year in 2010. It is over 200 this year. Interestingly, the BCCI is the only chamber in the country to come up with such an idea,” he says with great pride.

It used to be a one-day affair. This year it is a two-day show, thanks to large number of entries. The tournament offers three trophies: best score, best corporate and best gross. One of city’s well-known golfer and a leading coach, Indrajit Bhalotia, is looking after the technical conduct of the event.

Among the top executives who will be seen in action are B.B. Chatterjee and T.V. Ramaswamy of ITC, Amit Seeth of HSBC, Viresh Oberai of M-Junction, Alok Ray of Medica Synergy, Kallol Dutta of Andew Yule.

As many as 54 companies have joined the fray sending in a four-member team each. Among the new comers are Goodricke Tea, Amalgamated, Tata Global, BPCL and HHI. The teams will be vying for the IDEAL Bengal Chamber Trophy.

BOC, Tatas and defending champion Williams & Magor are the leading sides with their sights firmly set on the trophies.

The BCCI made the closing function even more imaginative ensuring the presence of Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee and Sports and Transport Minister Madam Mitra. The heady mix of business and sport is unmistakable!

> Sabanayakan.s@thehindu.co.in

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