Mascots in sports arenas are, by design, near-ubiquitous. They have to run around, jump, fall, dance, clap, throw T-shirts — do whatever it takes to keep dullness from creeping into the spectators. The in-stadium high jinks apart, they also become de facto symbols of their teams — appearing in official merchandise, fan posters et al.
On many occasions, however, the human within the costume remains, intentionally or otherwise, obscure.
Vishal Gavlee, 22, is one such person. If you have been to a Pro Kabaddi game, he is the guy who dresses up as the home team’s mascot — a tiger (Bengal Warriors), a bull (Bengaluru Bulls), a green pirate (Patna Pirates), a mace-wielding, blue-mustachioed warrior (Tamil Thalaivas) and eight other characters for the remaining eight teams.
BENGALURU - KARNATAKA - 06/09/2019 : Vishal, man behind the Bengaluru Bulls - Mascot, at Pro Kabaddi, in Bengaluru on September 06, 2019. Photo: K Murali Kumar / THE HINDU
Pursuing a career in professional dancing, Vishal, when offered the role of Pro Kabaddi’s official mascot, wasn’t sure if he would be the right fit. He told the organisers, “I am not sure if I can be successful or not but I can give it a try.”
Vishal couldn’t deny the job, too, for his family was staring at financial peril after his father suffered a big loss in business. “I was thinking a lot about the direction my life was taking. I had signed up for all these dance reality shows. And, being a mascot was completely different. But when I looked at my family, I just told myself that I should take this up,” he says.
The fifth season of the league, which introduced mascots, was a revelation for Vishal. He was surprised that he, the players and the spectators loved what he did. He recalls the most cherished moment of his Pro Kabaddi journey: “I was the mascot of Patna Pirates during the final. After they won, I was running around, cheering. Then, something unexpected happened. The players lifted me on their shoulders. They were doing to me what they usually do for the star players of the team. It was a beautiful experience.”’
BENGALURU - KARNATAKA - 06/09/2019 : Vishal, Bengaluru Bulls - Mascot, at Pro Kabaddi, in Bengaluru on September 06, 2019. Photo: K Murali Kumar / THE HINDU
Labour behind the laughter
Physiological and psychological challenges are aplenty when Vishal wears the costume. “Sixty percent of your breathing gets cut off. If you aren’t fit, you can’t do it. With some costumes, it is not even very easy to see,” he explains, “Sometimes you just want to step out a bit and take a breather. But on the rare occasions when you can relax during the game, children might come to you for pictures. And, you you can’t say no to them. So, you take a deep breath and try to make them laugh despite what you are going through inside.”
Vishal, though, is baffled how easily he, a usually soft-spoken person, abandons all restraint and surrenders to impulse. He has shaken hands with Virat Kohli, made Dinesh Karthik mime-bat and mock-proposed to Twinkle Khanna. “I don’t know how I manage to do all these, it’s like I have split personality,” he laughs.
Spectators adore him. For many children, he is a bigger attraction than kabaddi itself. Like a masked superhero, though, Vishal loses public admiration once he slips out of his costume. “Yes, I do feel that I am recognised at times. Very few people know me,” he says.
He says, “It’s really challenging but I can say there are seven players from a team who are on the field. And, I am the eighth.”
