Aimed at bringing together the who’s who of apparel industry from India and Bangladesh, the Golf Day at the Dhaka’s famed Kurmitola Golf Club would present a unique opportunity to garmenting and textile professionals. Apparel Resources acts as one of its kind sourcing platform for the entire textile value chain which believes that business deals can also happen outside the boardrooms… while playing a game of Golf. “This is the first time we are organizing the golf event in Dhaka and the response received so far has been overwhelming. We are looking forward to a great day of entertainment and fun on the Golf Day,” says Mayank Mohindra, Director of Apparel Resources, the man behind the Golf Day, and a passionate young golfer. He also expressed his gratitude to A&E-Bangladesh, Shima Seiki and Le Méridien Dhaka, for coming forward and partnering with the golf event.
Sharing his golfing experience, Angelo Leanage, Managing Director, A&E Bangladesh says, “I play golf over the weekends with a cross section of expats, high commissioners, ambassadors of various countries and some of the top businessmen of garment and other industries. These interactions have made me experience various flavours of different cultures.”
The most preferred corporate entertainment activity – GOLF, as in life, is a true leveller. Someone very well said, “Play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies.” Essentially thus, all players are faced with the same challenges but the variation of play is what determines the winner.
Tadanori Ueno, (Area Sales Manager – Flat Knitting Business, Overseas Sales, Division, Shima Seiki, being a keen golfer himself feels that life is to balance success and failure and golf does teach that extremely well. “The prospect of being able to come back to the course again and card your best round or hit the best shot of the day, is nothing less than what I experience in office everyday but in a very relaxed and entertaining environment,” avers Ueno.
For Ashwani Nayar, General Manager, Le Méridien Dhaka, it has been less than a year that he began playing golf, after coming to Bangladesh and it took even lesser time for him to become addicted to this sport. “I think what got me hooked is realising that every tee-off is a new learning, even when playing on the same course day after day – the conditions are never the same and you need to adapt and adopt, while still maintaining consistency in your game and strategy. You compete against yourself every time and hope to improve your score in each match. It puts you on the path to selfactualisation. And if that is not enough – you can always make some great friends on the greens!”
Praising the move, Towhid Samad, Chairman, Savar Textiles Ltd. says, “I am an avid golfer and I must say it’s a brilliant initiative by Apparel Resources to organize golf tournament just for the garmenting sector. I would love to be a part of it,” while Bipin Sehgal, General Manager (Indian Sub-Continent), Tesco International Sourcing, expressed his happiness saying, “I am looking forward to this one of its kind tournament, which is just for the garmenting sector; though I am based in India but Bangladesh is one of Tesco’s key sourcing destinations and this is indeed a great opportunity for me to putt with Bangladeshi exporters.” Equally excited is Rob Jarvis, Country Manager, Poeticgem International Ltd., Bangladesh, whose ‘handicap’ is 19. “I am very flexible in terms of whom I play, and I am really looking forward to the G-Day,” observes Rob.
So far over 60 golfers from the garment industry have registered themselves for the Golf Day and majority of them are members of the Kurmitola Golf Club, which traces its origin to the mid-fifties. It was only in mid-sixties that it was shifted to its current location with magnificently manicured greens and well-placed hazards to become a veritable golfer’s paradise. Tanvir Ahmed, Managing Director, Fardin Group/Elegant Group shares, “I am playing golf since last couple of years and I have won few trophies also. My favourite golf course abroad is Golf Height in New York and back home of course my favourite golf course is Kurmitola as I play there frequently and it’s just opposite my house.”
