Reverse Sweep: Behind The Scenes Gautam Bhimani, the witty cricket presenter who won the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, talks to Divya Arya about his dream job and why he cannot imagine working anywhere else |
 Most cricket lovers claim that Gautam Bhimani, commentator and anchor with ESPN STAR Sports, is someone with a difference. His deep knowedge about the pitch may have something to do with his birth date. He was born on 25th June, the date India played its first-ever Test match in 1932, and also the date India won the World Cup in 1983. Mr. Bhimani completed schooling from St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta, after which he went to the US to study Mass Communication. His first job was that of a copywriter in J. Walter Thompson (now JWT), alongwith which he also became a radio jockey on Times FM. The Human Factor had an opportunity speak to him recently, where he shared with us some of his whackiest experiences in life; on and off the cricket pitch.Q. You have been an anchor, copywriter, commentator, actor and author. What’s next in the basket? A. Actually, I never thought I would become a commentator or even a presenter; I just loved the game a lot. It was a dream that actually came true one day and I happy about it! I guess I am already doing most of what I wanted to do, but I would love to get involved in theatre too. Q. You won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award 2006-2007 for Sports Journalism. What was that like? A. It was extremely satisfying to have won the award, especially because I won it for something unconventional. People who usually get this award are the ones who do stories on wars, and other controversial topics. So when it was given to me for consistently reporting on sports and looking at the lighter side of things, I felt very pleased. It is very gratifying when the audience likes your work. While people tend to be polite most of the time, it sure is exciting if I overhear someone complimenting my work! Q. Tell us about your book ‘Reverse Sweep: Confessions of a Cricket Junkie’. A. Well, people used to ask me a lot of questions about what happens when we go tour, how we spend time, etc. So instead of answering the same questions again and again, I decided to pen my thoughts down in a book covering on-air misadventures! I have spoken about my experiences since the first day on the job. Q. Are you planning to write another book soon? A. Not yet, as my priority is for this book to reach more people. Q. How was the experience commentating from a helicopter in the West Indies? A. It was my first time on a helicopter and there was no door attached! It was scary but also a lot of fun. Another time, I went diving with sharks in Australia. I had never even done scuba-diving earlier, leave aside carrying an oxygen cylinder into the sea and swimming alongside 10 to 20 sharks. That was truely an amazing experience. |
Q. What role does HR play at ESPN STAR Sports? A. HR plays an important role everywhere. People are the biggest resources in any organisation. They need to be taken care of. They are the ones who handle every function whether it is operations, marketing, sales, or management. Everyone turns to HR for help. Q. What has been the proudest moment of your career? A. It has to be the Ramnath Goenka Award. I received this honour from the then President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who is someone I have always looked up to. Interestingly, this was the last award he gave out before he handing over the presidentship. Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your work? A. My work is very different and that makes it challenging. People think it is about having fun, but such a job requires a lot of hard work. If we are covering a cricket match, we have to be at the venue 3 hours before match time, and for 2 hours after the game is over. We are on our feet the whole day. Back at office, the day is not over as we start editing stories. Once that is done, we board planes and travel to other destinations. Even though it is tiring, it is satisfying because we are constantly on the road, meeting new people, exploring new cultures, and yet just doing our jobs! Q. What people management lessons have you learnt interacting with so many sporting greats? A. It is pretty challenging working with stars because you have to deal with their egos and understand each individual’s needs. People may be perceived differently than who they actually are. For example, Geoffrey Boycott does not get along well with too many people. But I think he is a nice person; he just needs some pampering as an individual. Once he wanted ice cream in a flavour that was not available at the ground. I overheard his request and bought him a cup from outside the ground. After this gesture, he was a completely different person. Things changed in those five minutes. Time and personal touch are the biggest resources and gifts you can give to someone. One should try to address others by their names and get to know them a little better. This quality is extremely important for those in the field of HR. Q. What was the best advice you received and who was it from? A. Rather than a piece of advice, I will share my greatest lesson from the field of television media, and that is punctuality. This field is in no way a party; you cannot reach at 9:01 am when you are supposed to be on air at 9:00 am! Q. How do you spend your free time? A. Family, family, family; especially everytime I get a break after 3 to 4 months of travelling. I love doing everything with my family; watching movies, going out to places or just listening to music. Q. Which field would you would be in if not sports? A. I consider this my dream job so I do not know what else I would be doing! When I was in advertising, I told people I wanted to do something related to cricket. And now that I am here, I cannot imagine being anywhere else! |
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