‘Aisa Mauka Fir Kahan Milega’
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What according to you your job should be like? Is it loving what you do or is it work being full of glamour? Is it having flexible work hours and great pay cheques or is it partying after every successful venture? Is it the perks & benefits you get or is it the location you work in? Is it the recognition you get or is it the fun you have on your job? Well if you combine all of this, what would that be? A complete package? A dream job?
This was my internship, two golden months of my life. It was more of a dream come true. I was one of the lucky students along with Jai( class mate and a great friend) who got picked up from my campus (SIBM, Bangalore) and got selected for a two month internship with Kings XI Punjab in Mohali and Dharamshala. There are a lot of interesting experiences that I had during this IPL season which I will take you through this article.
1st Day (23rd Mar,12)[/b]
First time in my life entered a real cricket stadium-the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, Mohali. Everywhere there were pictures of cricketers and cricket moments. Each picture narrating the story of a great victory and there was Jai by my side to explain it all with great enthusiasm. Dressed up in all formals, me and Jai were asked to meet the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the organisation-Colonel Arvinder Singh[/b] the very 1st day itself. A man of his stature is hard to find. The command he has over the people and the way he does things is commendable. The first conversation went like this:
Me and Jai: Good Morning Sir
Colonel: Good Morning. Why are you guys in formals?
Me and Jai: Sir we thought we should look our best on the first day.
Colonel: No more formals from tomorrow.
Me and Jai: Looked at each other and exchanged the WOW expression !
Later during the day we got acquainted with a lot of marketing and operational activities.
The very 1st day we learned the KXIP way and it was-‘Method in madness’.
Meeting Adam Gilchrist[/b]
It was a sunny afternoon. The players had just arrived and were changing in the dressing room when I was waiting outside in the long room for Gilchrist a.k.a Gilli to come out. One by one the players started coming to the field and my eyes were stuck to the door waiting for Gilli to turn up. After around 10-11 players Gilli finally came out and there he was, the captain of our team. A tall fair guy with an impressive built and a calm demeanour.
Me: *shaking hand* Hi
Gilchrist: Hey how you doing
Me: I am good. How are you
Gilchrist: Good. You with Kings XI?
Me: *proudly* Yes I am a marketing intern
Gilchrist: Cool. See you around.
And there he went to the field towards his team to play a practice match leaving me all shocked and elated with the small conversation that I had with him. Did it just happened?
1st Home Game (12th April,12)[/b]
Kings XI Punjab v/s Pune Warriors[/b]
Time for some real action, our first home game. There was a lot of chaos.Everybody was busy making the stadium up and running as the match was to start in just 4 hours. This was the first time I was witnessing any match in the stadium and not on T.V and the fact that I wasn’t a spectator but the organizer gave me jitters. We were handed over our Kings XI jerseys and walkie talkies to communicate during the match. I was made in-charge of hospitality in the corporate boxes. My job was to take care of all the VVIPS, media, owners and the general public in those boxes.
There was a small briefing before the match to explain us our duties. The GM( General Manager) of the organisation, Mr Anant Sarkaria[/b] headed the briefing and he summed it up in one single line- ‘This is your stadium and you have to take care of it’.
A KXIP jersey with a walkie talkie in hand and the accreditation on your neck really gives you some power. I had access to all the gates in the stadium. The bouncers were under my instructions. The stadium was my kingdom. My one hand gesture and the bouncers used to throw misbehaving people out of the boxes. For a girl my size this power this feeling was unbelievable. We also had the chance to invite our family to watch most of the matches in the KXIP box where they could sit with the other players, enjoy JW Marriott’s food and have a panoramic view of the playground. I still remember the pride on my Dad’s face and how later on he boasted about it in front of his relatives and colleagues. I was his ‘Honhar Beti’.
Meeting Sachin[/b]
24th April,12[/b]
Sachin was in town for the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI to be held on 25th Apr,12. It was his birthday and everybody including me was excited to see him. I saw him practicing in the nets for around two hours and waited for him to finish just to wish him on his big day. Despite of the day being his birthday and him being a legend, watching him practice for long hours before the match day actually made me realize that why people call him God. He creates this aura that just being around him makes you feel special.
Me: *shakes hand* Happy Birthday Sir
Sachin: Thank you so much
That was the moment when the world actually stood still for me. Yes I met him. I met Sachin on his birthday and shook hands with him. I was a happy bird. My purpose for coming to Kings XI was served then and there.
There was a huge rush of people outside the stadium dying to catch a glimpse of the legend. The policemen were trying their best to escort the god of Indian cricket to the team bus but Sachin stopped and said something that just raised my regards for him forever.
Sachin: Tell the people outside the gate that I want to meet each and every one of them but in an organised way.
The crowd outside was ready to crush him but he was humble enough to meet them all.
Respect for the Man India loves so much. Well Deserved.
IPL Nights[/b]
Talk about IPL and not the parties will be a sin. All the parties were held in JW Marriott, Chandigarh. There used to be fashion shows, cheer leaders dance shows, celebrities, cricketers, music, dance, drinks everything.The parties were full of glamour and full of fun. I met many cricketers, clicked snaps with them and posted them on facebook to show the world what kind of internship I had. The parties were a great chance to see the other side of the players. The same teams who played against each other on the field with team spirit, rivalry and sportsmanship were there in front of my eyes partying and dancing to the DJ beats together.
Divided by IPL, United by Celebrations.
Dharamshala[/b]
After a 8 hour long bus journey when I finally reached the HPCA Stadium( Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association), I was curious to enter and see the view as I had heard a lot about it from my colleagues. I got down from the bus and rushed inside to take a look and there I was standing in one of the stands amidst the snow-capped mountains and cool breeze blowing by. It was breath taking and the only thought that crossed my mind was- “I am going to work here for a week. Oh God! I love my job”. A hill station with an enthralling cricket stadium, cool weather and lots of friends around, it was more of a paid holiday.
Learnings for lifetime[/b]
The two month stay with the Kings gave me a plethora of experience along with the friends I made and the memories I lived. Working at each and every vertical gave me a taste of everything preparing me to manage any event of its kind. IPL is the 4th largest Sporting event in the world and working with the Kings gave me a chance to see what all goes behind the scenes and how last minute changes are implemented. The players play on the field but there are lot many people working on the backend who makes things possible. The lessons I took away with me were:
- There is a method in madness
- Work is work no matter how big or small until and unless we are working towards a common goal
- If you want something done, do it yourself without depending on others
- Working with a diverse workforce enriches your thinking capabilities
- If you love what yo