When I write the story of RevSportz at 4, I have to write about something I have not done in the past. I have to write about Sharmistha. Each one of us at RevSportz owes it to her.
I was negotiating a ban, and all of a sudden, the future was uncertain. We did not know if the sponsors would stay or walk out on us. It was very possible that they would. Paying salaries would be difficult, for twenty-four months is a very long time. I couldn’t go out and ask for support, for I was trending for all the wrong reasons. If the company had to survive, we had to dig into family savings.
As professionals, and with a daughter growing up in Kolkata, we needed to make sure she wasn’t deprived. My mother, 75, will always remain a priority. In such a scenario, RevSportz was something I was prepared to give up. It was my dream to start with, and I was ready to sacrifice it. In fact, I asked Sharmistha if it was the right call. And her words ring in my ears even today: “But you had said this was your ultimate dream. For an unfair ban, you want to give it up and leave journalism? Let’s sustain it with whatever we have. I will not let you give up on yourself.”
For two years, we hardly had a meal out. We hardly ever went anywhere. We hardly bought anything except when Aisha needed something. It was our way of keeping RevSportz going. Sharmistha never complained. Each time I drifted into depression or felt frustrated, she would sit me down and remind me that there is a world beyond cricket, and that I needed to step out of my comfort zone and open up.
Not once did salaries get delayed. In fact, some time into the ban, we started hiring again. Sharmistha would cut down on family expenses and keep putting whatever she could into the RevSportz pie. The top floor of the house was turned into the studio – we needed to save on rent and real estate. Our flat in central Kolkata was turned into the company guest house because we couldn’t spend on hotels. Jugaad became the norm, and Sharmistha kept managing everything.
And then, things did pass. When Mukesh Ambani said to her in Paris during the Olympics that he loves my work, it felt good. He called RevSportz a breath of fresh air. Gradually, we started breaking new ground. I had my mojo back. And then, the ban ended. Cricket opened up again, and by then we had Olympic and Paralympic sport with us as well. Sponsors were back, and new brands wanted to associate with and support us. Investors were seeing potential, and all the sacrifice was worth it.
Never did she say that she gave up two years of her life for me – that she served the ban with me, lived it, and went through it. Deep down, I know she did it for me. For my dream. And as RevSportz turns 4 and is doing extremely well, I have to acknowledge what she has done. Our team of 50-plus owes her one, and I will indeed make it up with hard work and more effort. The dream lives on, and is now a reality.
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