Tata Steel’s Farzan Heerjee elected vice-president of Indian Golf Union

Jamshedpur, Dec 28: The man who brought Jamshedpur golf to the international arena, Farzan R Heerjee, chief, protocol and sports, Tata Steel, has been elected vice-president in the Indian Golf Union (IGU), the apex body of golf in the country and responsible for the promotion and development of golf in India.

The elections of the coveted body were held at the Qutab Golf Club, in New Delhi. In the election, Maharashtra State Golf Association’s Brijinder Singh defeated former IGU chief Lt. Gen. (retired) Devraj Anbu for the post of president. Heerjee, representing Jharkhand Golf Society, was elected vice-president, Golf Karnataka’s Harish Kumar Shetty was elected as secretary, and UP Golf Society’s Sanjeev Rattan won as the treasurer. SK Sharma, Simar Jeet Singh, Jayant Tagore, Shashank Sandu, Navita Mansingh, R Shyam Sundar, Nagesh Singh, Gaurav Bajaj, and Sundeep Verma are the other members of the new 13-member governing council.

Heerjee, who embodied the true qualities of a wonderful human being — the integrity of a gentleman, the self-sacrifice of a compassionate man, the discipline and quest for knowledge of a sportsman, has served Tata Steel for 37 years. Known for his steely resolve has served for the last 40 years in various capacities in the Jamshedpur committee of golf. He was also the Chairman of the East Zone Council of the Indian Golf Union.

Talking to newsmen about his recent achievement, Heerjee thanked his mentor at Tata Steel. He said that it was B Muthuraman, the then managing director of Tata Steel, who inducted him to the Indian Golf Union in 2007. “ Right from Muthuraman to HM Nerurkar, to present CEO & managing director, Tata Steel, TV Narendran, my mentors in Tata Steel have supported me wholeheartedly. I feel proud to be a Tata man. Wherever I go, I want to keep the Tata Steel flag flying high,” said the chief, with a smile on his face.

Heerjee came to Jamshedpur in 1983 after completing his hotel management course in Mumbai. He joined Tata Steel in 1985 and has been serving the company in various capacities.

“The reason I mention Tata Steel at this juncture is that without the support of the steel major, in providing support and making golf the most sought-after game in the city, I would have not reached this juncture. Well, in 40 years I have met and made some of my best friends on the golf course, travelled, and played on some of the finest courses in the world. Have been to the Masters and rubbed shoulders with the greatest golfer who has ever played the game — Jack Nicklaus — and this list is endless. So, I am not just passionate but truly blessed that I got the chance to play this wonderful game,” said Heerjee, who is one of the 15 Indian members inducted into the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Heerjee also played a key role to develop two immaculately kept golf courses, the Beldih and the Golmuri courses and promote golfing culture in the city.

When questioned about his future plans, Heerjee said as the new vice president of IGU his immediate task will be to bring the golf union team together and work for the betterment of the sports. “It is an Olympic sport now and we want golf to grow in India. I feel like there are so many things that can be done. I feel that we have so much untouched potential in India and we can really produce a lot of good players. The game needs to be supported and we just need more public ranges,” noted Heerjee.