The RevSportz conclave had just ended and each one of us had started to take selfies in celebration. We had all worked tirelessly for months and it was much deserved. That’s when two of our leading athletes came up to me and said, “Hope you are doing the the same time next year. This is now part of our annual calendar. It is an opportunity to meet fellow athletes and legends and learn so much. Let us know the date and we will surely want to come again”.
The words took time to sink in. All of Saturday we have seen athletes posting about the Conclave and saying how much they enjoyed it. That’s what you work for. The satisfaction of having tried to make a difference. When you see athletes themselves getting together and making plans of chatting over food, sitting in the lounge and catching up over coffee, the laughter and the banter, – you know the Conclave is a success.
The moot point is very simple, we are all in sync. It is about empowering each other. Backing each other. When Sift Samra shoots in the Olympic final, to be there for her all the way. When Sreeshankar jumps in the qualifiers to be there for him and document his story. Not just if he wins. Win or loss, the story is still one of inspiration. We are committed to documenting stories. And that’s how you make a difference.
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Harmilan Bains asked us if she would have been invited had she not won multiple Asian Games medals. Very fair question and the reality is stark. We celebrate winners and only invite winners. They are the ones people want to watch. At the Hangzhou Asian Games we won 107 medals. But then in a contingent of 300, it means 200 athletes did not win medals. What about them? Aren’t they part of the story? What about their mental health? Don’t we need to document such stories? Aren’t they champions of the future?
Yes they are. As much as anyone else: and that’s what we tried to do at the conclave. Celebrate sport in totality. Make a difference. When the audience stood up for Sourav Ganguly, we stopped for a minute and reminded them that a panel was on and each speaker is a hero. They are all equal. Each as important as the other. The very same thing happened when Sania Mirza came in and you know what- Sourav and Sania appreciated it the most. They are part of the same team, the same ecosystem.
But then let me take you back to the start, we had a band of handicapped kids starting the Conclave. It was a very conscious call. We wanted to make a difference to them. And we could see the joy in their eyes and as they went on stage in front of legends like Abhinav and Sreejesh and corporate leaders like Chanakya Chaudhary. As the performance finished we invited our legends to come on stage for a photo. And yes they all insisted the kids would be in front and they were standing at the back row applauding. The moment of the Conclave. The legacy. We are committed to making it bigger and better. We don’t know how. But we will.
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