Anju Bobby George at the relaxation-cum-podcast room at the Tata Steel Trailblazers conclave in Kolkata. Someone asked if 6.81 metres was still the national record. India’s first world athletics championship medal-winner gave a cold stare. “It’s 6.83,” she said.
It was not an engaging conversation, but a glimpse nonetheless of how seriously athletes value what they do. Ask India’s long jump legend about her protégé Shaili Singh, and the answer comes as soon as the question is asked. “She has done 6.76. She’s doing okay.”
This conclave organised by RevSportz was certainly a spectacle on the stage. The who’s who of Indian sports and para-sports and a host of backstage influencers like administrators, sponsors, investors and academic scholars offering a different perspective, along with the captains of industry who enlightened the gathering over three days.
Truth be told, this conglomeration of stars was also about what happened off the stage. People from diverse walks of life — connected to sport either directly or spiritually — interacting with each other was a rare sight. You don’t see Pullela Gopichand having an informal chat with Sakshi Malik, or Adille Sumariwalla deep in conversation with sports-event organisers, or Cheteshwar Pujara listening with rapt attention to what Dibyendu Barua was saying from close quarters under one roof.
This conclave is unique also because it lets these persons interact freely, off the stage. This fosters understanding of a different kind. They do sometimes meet in boardrooms or virtually online, but how often in the lounge of a hotel beyond the public glare, or in a dining room or in the loitering space where this conclave took place. Providing this rare opportunity to meet and share ideas on and off the stage is an inherent feature of this RevSportz initiative.
This applies to the media as well. There were occasions when print reporters, TV journalists and online personnel caught up with each other during smoke and tea/coffee breaks. Some of them were meeting each for the first time and some others were catching up with one another after a long while. The chats were mostly on the conclave, not the Champions Trophy or sports politics. A differently positive vibe was palpable all around.
Inclusivity on and off the stage and involving all the stakeholders, including the fans of course, is a motto of this conclave. There were a number of persons from the spectator fraternity who walked up to their stars and asked questions. The security kept an eye on the proceedings certainly, but that did not hinder the odd interaction. This spontaneous discussion between strangers was the biggest takeaway of this gathering which promises more.
Also Read: What It Takes to Pull Off India’s Biggest Sports Conclave
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