Chennai, 16th March - It is that time of the season when India celebrates golf, even in the midst of the fever pitched fiesta of a cricket world cup. The TAKE Solutions India Golf Awards are a celebration of everything golf, a bold acknowledgement of the growing influence of the game in India.
The awards are unique in the sense that they celebrate not just professional accomplishment, but salute the men and women that promote the game in our country. The awards recognise people on and off the course – from awarding young talent to the corporate honchos that redefine the boundaries of the game by extending their financial muscle to support the growth of the game.
Amitabh Kant, the civil services official who has been the driving force behind the immensely successful Incredible India campaign will be the chief guest. Kant is currently the CEO of NITI Ayog and also founded the very important Make in India campaign. The 1980 IAS officer is also playing a key role in connecting with young entrepreneurs through the Startup India movement.
The event is set to be graced by a glittering collection of golfers, including Swedish-Indian Daniel Chopra, Anirban Lahiri, S Chikkarangappa, Shubhankar Sharma, Rashid Khan, Rahil Gangjee, SSP Chawrasia and a host of other golfers from national and international tours.
Daniel Chopra was the first golfer of Indian origin to have won on the PGA TOUR. Chopra learnt his craft in India before migrating to Sweden and is scheduled to speak about the evolution of the game in India over the years.
Lahiri has been the flag bearer for Indian golf, capping a great year with a T5 finish at the PGA Championship in August last year. He has since earned his full PGA TOUR membership and is back in India this week to defend his Hero Indian Open crown.
Women have a special place in golf and the Take Solutions India Golf Awards 2016 are set to celebrate their success by giving them a prominent space at the ceremony. Several women golfers will be in attendance to receive their due recognition and applaud their peers – Neha Tripathi, Vani Kapoor, Gursimar Badwal, Priya Puri and Ankita Tiwana and more will all decorate the evening with their presence.
A grand ceremony has been planned on March 18 to give away the awards in a glittering ceremony on the side lines of the Hero Indian Open 2016.
The awards are a brainchild of Shaili Chopra who has been at the forefront of this digital initiative www.GolfingIndian.com to narrate everything golf to a growing number of Indian golf fans. GolfingIndian.com is the primary source of everything golf in India. “ There is a need to give back to the game. These awards set new global benchmarks with every passing edition. The very best in the game get the recognition they deserve. It’s really unique because it’s here that golfing corporate honchos, celebrities, bureaucrats, national leaders all are rewarded for their game on the same stage as golf's professional maestros from India and the world in a bespoke and stylized ceremony.”
TAKE Solutions has been the main supporter of the awards since inception and continue their relationship as they play their hand in strengthening golf in India through their unflinching commitment to the game. The Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Srinivasan HR, who is prolific golfer himself says, “We are proud to be associated with India’s foremost award ceremony recognizing excellence in golf. It is exciting to witness all of golf’s brightest stars as well as corporate supporters of the sport on a single platform. The TAKE Solutions India Golf Awards is truly an emphatic step towards placing Indian golf on the global map.”
