Former cricketer Javagal Srinath pushed for the need for transparency in sports administration in India, in a candid talk on Sunday on day two at IIMBue 2016, the IIM Bangalore annual alumni meet. The two-day alumni meet was a star-studded affair on the theme 'Start, Scale and Disrupt'.
Mr. Srinath, who was former secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, said he took up administration because he wanted to know if he could make a difference to sport in the country. "As a player, you travel around the would and see the infrastructure, the transperancy and the facilities out there and you want the same for your country," he said, according to an IIMB release. He felt thay by investing in sports and the fitness industry, corporates could change the landscape of sports administration. "Corporates need to get involved not just in branding but in other creative ways," said Mr. Srinath.
Joining Mr. Srinath on the dais was Joy Bhattacharya, director, FIFA U17 World Cup, which will be hosted for the first time in India. Mr. Bhattacharya spoke about the need for innovative approaches to change the perception that sport was a hobby, and not a career. Mr. Bhattacharya, who was the former director of Team KKR, regaled the audience with stories from the KKR dressing room. "If I ever write my memoir, I will have three chapters on Shoaib Akhtar," he said.
'Wealth wallahs'
Earlier in the day, a panel discussion on entrepreneurship had Kunal Shah, founder of FreeCharge; Aprameya Radhakrishna, CEO of TaxiForSure; and Karan Bhagat, CEO of IIFLW, discuss the temperament needed to run successful startups, with both founders concurring that start ups should be launched to solve a problem, and not just to make money.
Deepika talks about what success means to her on opening day
"Success to me is being at peace with myself. It’s not about roles in films, or money or material things. It is about feeling happy with myself as a good human being," was how Bengaluru lass and Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone defined success on the opening day of the alumni meet on Satruday. Giving an example for how happiness lay in the small things, she said that nothing made her happier than eating the "world's best benne masala dosa at CTR in Malleshwaram".
