V N Ramamoorthy
Ladies and Gentlemen
To begin with, where shall I begin?
I will begin with the time when I was a beginner. 50 years ago, when I waded into the world of Bridge, there were no coaching classes, no trainers, no nothing.
To start with, one was not even allowed on the table 🙃. You were a kibitzer with no rights to speak, for weeks or months!
Then your prayers are answered when they are one short at the table. You get lucky to hold the cards - and your unlucky bridge journey begins 😢
Then you get abused, scolded, reprimanded, pooh-poohed... And your learning begins!
If you are lucky, a knowledgeable kind soul helps you to bridge the gaps. Somewhere in between the scoldings,caustic comments and derisive laughter, you begin to get nuggets of knowledge 🙂
In the old "Gurukulam" Style, you had to do the biddings of the Master before he shares his wisdom. And you begin!
Books were rare and costly. Even if you begged, borrowed or stole, they were no better than Greek and Latin 😢
You are thrown into deep waters, without a paddle and the sharks swimming around you! You begin to learn - to survive first, nuances later please 🙏
When you are told (commanded?) to play "Second hand low, third hand high " , you meekly follow! Then you "Begin" to ask questions, risking your self respect and esteem!
Then you begin to learn the ropes, at last!
Today I envy you, Beginners! You are invited with folded hands, warmth and camaraderie. Trainers and coaches galore, training notes, Blue book, Red book, exercises, examples and what not!
It is just the start of the beginning and not the end of beginning. So begin your bridge journey, in right earnest🙂
Kudos to Madras Gymkhana for embarking on a right mission with a team event, exclusively for the Beginners 👏👏👏
Let the festivities begin with the Beginners. One can see the bright future for this wonderful game right around the corner✌👌
Happy bridging,
Cheers
VNR
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.