On the other side of the phone, Saurav Ghosal sounded excited. At the RevSportz’s Trailblazers 2.0 Conclave, the two-time Asian Games gold medallist will be attending a session – Sourav Calling Saurav — with cricket icon Sourav Ganguly. The squash champion termed the concept as interesting.
“It’s a cool concept. For any kid growing up in Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly is a huge icon. He took over India’s captaincy in a kind of turbulent period and he set the stage. He is one of the best captains India have ever had. So, I have some curiosity to know a few things; how he looks at life, how he approaches things and the 2003 World Cup final, where we fell short,” Ghosal told RevSportz.
Some questions will come from the other side as well and Ghosal is aware of it. “I’m sure he is also curious about a few things about me and it would be interesting.”
The Trailblazers 2.0 has created a buzz among its panellists. The Conclave on March 7 and 8 at the ITC Royal Bengal hosts the champions and the finest sporting minds in the country.
Indeed, it is going to be a trendsetter in cross-sport dialogue.
“There are so many eminent sports people, and the opportunity to hear from them first-hand about sport in the country would be a great experience. Great things have been happening in sport in our country and hopefully India is going to reach the next level very soon,” said Ghosal.
The two-day Conclave will be a celebration of sport and will seriously contribute to the sporting narrative and ecosystem of the country. Little wonder, Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac has high expectations. “Seriously looking forward to this Conclave. It will be important for the society and the future generation,” he told RevSportz.
He added: “A platform like this is badly needed in India. Such conclaves should be held across different places, for listening first-hand from elite sports people could be a game-changing experience for the young generation.”
Stimac, along with PR Sreejesh, Manasi Joshi, Savita Punia and Viren Rasquinha, will be a part of the panel that will offer an insight into “Dealing with Pressure.”
Beyond its star-cast, a sports conclave should look at the bigger picture, which is to constructively contribute to the growth of sports in the country. And from that perspective, Trailblazers 2.0 is India’s biggest sporting conclave yet.
Inclusivity is its bedrock, a reason why Para Sports forms a big part of the show. On March 8, the Conclave will also celebrate the International Women’s Day.
Para badminton world champion Manasi Joshi will be a star at the Conclave and she spoke about how the whole thing is adhering to the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity) principle. “According to me, this is a Conclave which is very inclusive. And because this Conclave is happening around Women’s Day, I think this is setting up a new conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion in India,” Manasi said.
For the audience, the experience is going to be one of a kind, with the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Niccolo Campriani and Pullela Gopichand talking about Changing Lives with Sport, and MC Mary Kom, Anju Bobby George, Sanjiv Navangul and Dr Rohit Gutgutiya Celebrating Women’s Empowerment. In between, there will be many more riveting sessions, from Breaking Ground to The New Generation.