Boria Majumdar in Paris
We wanted to do something different today and, after much brainstorming, failed to come up with something interesting. That was when Sumit Antil called to say he was coming out for the interview. Just when Sumit asked me where I was waiting, Nishad Kumar came on the line. He had met me at a certain location outside the village and knew the spot where I was waiting. “Sir, coming to the same spot,” he said.
That’s when the idea struck me. How about asking Nishad to interview Sumit? It could be an interesting one for sure. When they both arrived in the next few minutes, I mentioned the idea to Nishad and was ready for him to say no. Had he said he was uncomfortable, I would have done it myself. Nishad, however, seemed eager and said “Arre, sir, this is a new one. Had you told me, I would have prepared some questions.” Sumit too found the idea interesting, and all I did was start the conversation and hand over to Nishad.
That was when I was pleasantly surprised. Nishad started the interview like a full-blown anchor, introducing himself and his guest. Thereafter, for the next five minutes, it was my turn to be amazed as Nishad held his own brilliantly. From asking Sumit what he does to win gold, while Nishad had twice faltered at the final hurdle, to getting Sumit to open up and tell us about his favourite holiday destinations.
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Nishad also pushed Sumit to speak on issues of mental health and what takes to be a champion, and develop that mindset. Finally, Nishad ended the show asking Sumit about his favourite food. By then, we were all hungry and wanting to feast on some Indian desert.
It was an excellent interview between two friends, one a double-silver medallist and the other a double-gold medallist and world-record holder.
When we congratulated Nishad for a job well done, here’s what he said: “Sir, abhi bhi payer knaap raha hai? Main na ek bhi answer nahi suna [Sir, my legs are still shaking. I didn’t hear a single answer]! The moment he started to answer, I had started planning the next question in my mind. Your job isn’t easy, Sir ji.”
Sumit too was ecstatic and said to me, “Iska back up career pakka hai sir. If you need a journalist, isko le lo [His back-up career is sorted. If you need a journalist, take him].”
With so much respect and camaraderie between them, it was a wonderful show in the end, one that was refreshing and different.
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