Tag: Sachin Tendulkar

India Today Group presents Salaam Sachin – The biggest Farewell to Sachin Tendulkar

MUMBAI: As Sachin Tendulkar readies to retire after his 200th test, an extraordinary farewell is getting planned at the India today group- “Salaam Sachin Conclave. The conclave is scheduled to take place in a city hotel in Mumbai on November 12, 2013.

After 24 years, there are few records the Little Master hasn’t broken. In his journey, there are a few people who’ve seen him grow from the young curly haired promising batsman to the time he became the first man to score 100 international centuries. Salaam Sachin Conclave will witness enthralling, informative & entertaining sessions with noted Sports personalities ranging from people like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar and Anshuman Gaekwad who have seen Sachin grow through the years …. As well as his fierce rival Waqar Younis and close friends – Brian Lara and Saurav Ganguly.

The high point of the conclave will be Brian Lara sharing his opinion on Lara vs. Sachin in a never before session. Sachin is rated as the best batsman in his generation by many contemporaries, Indian audiences have always been curious on what Lara thinks about this comparison.

The viewers will get a glimpse of the learnings players like Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir drew from the legend. Sports personalities such as Sania Mirza, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh will also share their views on how Sachin has been an inspiration to them and how he has handled unrivalled pressure for a long 24 years. Apart from the world of sports, the conclave will also have presence of Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan who will talk about Sachin being a Hero for every Indian. Sachin’s brother Ajit Tendulkar will share an account of how he encouraged Sachin to play cricket and how Sachin dealt with his most painful moments in life.

The conclave will include various sessions on Sachin’s life, his journey, his childhood, his achievements and his family. The first session on Sachin’s formative years will be delivered by his own sporting idol, Sunil Gavaskar, followed by a discussion between Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan together talking on how Sachin Tendulkar is an inspiration for younger generation.

A special session will also see the prominent names from corporate India talking on how Sachin has been the biggest brand in Indian Sporting history.

The day will also have predictions from the cricketing greats in the session, “the Sachin era and the future” addressed by former Indian cricketers Ajit Wadekar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Anshuman Gaekwad and Kiran More. “Mumbai versus Bowral: The mantle of the Greatest” will be a subject of debate among cricketing greats Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Brian Lara.
The conclave will also feature an exhibition of rare Sachin memorabilia by the well known British memorabilia expert Hamilton Bland.

Expressing his thoughts on the Salaam Sachin conclave, Aroon Purie, Chairman & Editor in Chief, India Today Group said, “The life of a legend cannot be better captured but by those who’ve shared rare moments with him. India’s imagination has been dominated for over 24 years by the finest batsman the world’s ever seen. From his younger days and to the ultimate match of a brilliant career – he stood for Indian hope and pride. Salaam Sachin should be and will be a fitting salute to the all time greatest ambassador of the game.”

Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, India Today Group, added “As the Man at the centre of India’s biggest passion signs out, it is important to express our gratitude to the legend. It has been an honour for many like us to watch him play and a few of us have also had the opportunity of interacting with him. With Salaam Sachin, we bring the world of Sachin fans closer to the Sachin they haven’t seen and the Sachin they are going to miss.”

The high points of the session will be telecast LIVE on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today along with over a 25 hour programming churned out of the conclave over the weeks.

November 11, 2013
Kolkata advertisement industry cashes in on Sachin frenzy

KOLKATA: As Sachin Tendulakar got ready to draw the curtains on his glorious international Test cricket career of 24-years, the fervor started building up. And the people who gained the most from this fan frenzy are the advertisers in the City of Joy, who have increased the ad rates by approximately 30 per cent according to analysts.

Interestingly, companies like Allahabad Bank, Century Ply, Exide, Hero, Rupa, Pincon, Ultra Tech Cement among others didn’t have an issue to cough up extra for the cricketer’s 199th match that kicked off at the Eden Garden on Wednesday.
According to sources, Kolkata-based advertising company Sporting Frontier has charged around Rs 30 lakh for a package that includes two billboards and site-screen.

“Advertisers did not mind in coughing up the extra amount being demanded,” said analysts, who think that the interest of the advertising fraternity around the event has been really high.

Arun Sign Service director Ashif Kumar Biswas, said that it may be not be a very good time for the advertising industry but since the viewership has shot up drastically, companies are ready to spend extra. “However, ad rates are generally higher for cricket matches,” he added.

And it’s not just the advertisers, many others too have benefitted from this interest-driven event. Arun Sign Service signed a deal with the Kolkata Police and the Cricket Association of Bengal to put up directional and way-finding signage and road direction campaign in and around Eden Gardens.

Sources have confirmed that for the 50 signage that the company has put up, they have charged Rs 20 lakhs.

Since the analysts believe that Sachin’s last competitive Test match in Kolkata has the same appeal as a world cup match with India in the finals, advertisers in Kolkata have not negotiated much. It seems when it comes to Sachin, money isn’t a big concern

Biswas recalls the condition of Out of Home advertising in Kolkata a few months ago. Most of the billboards were just white spaces with telephone numbers, he said. “The advertising industry suffered because of the subdued economy. Usually, with the onset of the festive season, Kolkata’s advertising business awaits new opportunities. But it wasn’t the same this year,” said Biswas, also bringing to fore how as compared to last year, the clients this time reduced their ad spends by more than 40 per cent because of weak economy.

November 8, 2013
The Citizen Journalist Show: Sachin Tendulkar Special

MUMBAI: As the ‘God of Cricket’ bids adieu to his 24-year-long career with his 200th test match, The Citizen Journalist Show dedicates this week’s episode to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. On the show, two die-hard fans hold the CJ mike to express their love and obsession for their favourite cricketer. Abhishek, a young aspiring cricketer, meets the CJ team and talks about how Sachin has been his inspiration. Also, the CJ team meets cricketer Anjum Chopra, who talks about how cricket would be without Sachin Tendulkar. The show also picks up voices of people proclaiming their love for Sachin.

November 9th, Sat @ 9:30 PM
Only on CNN-IBN
&
November 10th, Sun @ 9.30 AM & 5:30 PM
Only on IBN7

November 8, 2013
BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

MUMBAI: The BCCI today announced a new integration with Twitter, one which allows fans worldwide to connect and say thank you to Sachin Tendulkar, like never before.

During the ongoing Test series between India and the West Indies, all Twitter users who send an appreciative message for Sachin to the @BCCI handle with the #ThankYouSachin hashtag will instantaneously receive a Tweet from @BCCI with a momentous picture of Sachin, including a personalised message and signature in his handwriting.

Since @BCCI announced the integration in a series of Tweets this morning, thousands of fans have participated, including several cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, to receive their own personal picture of Sachin.

@BCCI is encouraging its audiences to connect and tweet multiple times – via the web, TV and more – as there are many different images and messages that fans can avail of. The integration will be live, while the Kolkata and Mumbai Tests are being played. The service is supported by Twitter India and Digigraph.me. Twitter India applauded the service in a blog post this morning.

BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Patel said: “Twitter has changed the way our fans, here and everywhere, stay connected to our sport and its personalities. We at the BCCI have always believed and invested in the power of mobile, digital and social. On the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, we’re delighted to work with Twitter and Digigraph and offer our fans this opportunity to thank Sachin and take home a piece of history.”

Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter has brought cricket fans closer to the sport and to cricketers directly and in real time. We applaud the BCCI for harnessing the power of our platform and launching this #ThankYouSachin campaign with Digigraph.”

Digigraph founder and CEO Barry Berkowitz said: “Digigraph.me is humbled and proud to help the BCCI and Twitter honour legendary Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, on the eve of his historic 200th Test for India. Cricket fans around the world can now celebrate this moment by requesting, claiming and sharing personalised, autographed, collectable digital photos from Sachin, instantly from their Twitter newsfeeds.”

November 6, 2013
BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

MUMBAI: The BCCI today announced a new integration with Twitter, one which allows fans worldwide to connect and say thank you to Sachin Tendulkar, like never before.

During the ongoing Test series between India and the West Indies, all Twitter users who send an appreciative message for Sachin to the @BCCI handle with the #ThankYouSachin hashtag will instantaneously receive a Tweet from @BCCI with a momentous picture of Sachin, including a personalised message and signature in his handwriting.

Since @BCCI announced the integration in a series of Tweets this morning, thousands of fans have participated, including several cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, to receive their own personal picture of Sachin.

@BCCI is encouraging its audiences to connect and tweet multiple times – via the web, TV and more – as there are many different images and messages that fans can avail of. The integration will be live, while the Kolkata and Mumbai Tests are being played. The service is supported by Twitter India and Digigraph.me. Twitter India applauded the service in a blog post this morning.

BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Patel said: “Twitter has changed the way our fans, here and everywhere, stay connected to our sport and its personalities. We at the BCCI have always believed and invested in the power of mobile, digital and social. On the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, we’re delighted to work with Twitter and Digigraph and offer our fans this opportunity to thank Sachin and take home a piece of history.”

Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter has brought cricket fans closer to the sport and to cricketers directly and in real time. We applaud the BCCI for harnessing the power of our platform and launching this #ThankYouSachin campaign with Digigraph.”

Digigraph founder and CEO Barry Berkowitz said: “Digigraph.me is humbled and proud to help the BCCI and Twitter honour legendary Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, on the eve of his historic 200th Test for India. Cricket fans around the world can now celebrate this moment by requesting, claiming and sharing personalised, autographed, collectable digital photos from Sachin, instantly from their Twitter newsfeeds.”

November 6, 2013
FameBox launches Exclusive Video Blog with Harsha Bhogle

MUMBAI: FameBox, a multi-channel talent platform for digital media, has launched a new video blog in collaboration with Harsha Bhogle. Renowned cricket commentator and public speaker, Harsha Bhogle will share his views and insights on cricket and its legends on ‘Out of the Box with Harsha’. To begin with, the blog pays tribute to iconic Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar who recently announced his retirement from international cricket. In the Sachin Tendulkar series of videos Harsha Bhogle talks about interesting moments and anecdotes about the cricketer starting from his early playing years.

The video blog will be hosted on the FameBox Cricket channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/FameboxCricket). Harsha will post a new video every week and will also regularly interact with his fans over social media to create conversations around the blog.

“The video blog is an interesting new media form. It captures the essence of television without losing the easy informality of a conversation. Through these video blogs I will be hoping, effectively, to have informal conversations with you. These are new emerging mediums and they present fresh challenges. I do hope you like them.” said Harsha Bhogle. The video blog is part of a larger effort at developing Harsha Bhogle’s digital presence and the soon to be launched www.harshabhogle.com.

FameBox provides a platform for established and emerging talentto develop an active and engaged community around their digital video content. ‘Out of the Box with Harsha’ is the first of such initiatives where FameBox will collaborate with popular and industry leading personalities to launch digital video properties.

“We are elated that Harsha Bhogle has chosen FameBox to share his insights of cricket and give viewers an up close view of its legends with his fans. The video blog is an absolute delight for any cricket fan and presents a unique opportunity for fans to directly interact with Harsha as well as join the ongoing conversation around cricket,” said Dhruvank Vaidya, Head – Business Development and Finance, Four Cross Media, who will also head the FameBox business.“Digital video is being increasingly seen as a powerful medium for advertisers to connect and interact with their audiences.At FameBox, we are passionate about developing a wide range of content across genres, cultivating talent and taking existing talent to new heights.We will continue to provide more such opportunities to advertisers and audiences,” he added.

October 30, 2013
Star readies for Sachin mania; hopes to create world record

MUMBAI: Come 14 November and that will be the time when Cricket fans world over will be glued to their TV sets to witness “the little master” wield his bat for the Indian cricket team one last time at his home ground in Mumbai – Wankhede stadium.

This will mark the end of Sachin Tendulkar’s 24 year long career in the great sport of Cricket. Once Tendulkar had requested the BCCI to play his last competitive game at his home ground, the decision with regard to his farewell Test – also his 200th – was a mere formality earlier this month. As a result, the Cricket Association of Bengal, which had been promised Tendulkar’s 200th before he announced his decision to retire after the Test, was awarded with Tendulkar’s penultimate Test.

Star India has launched a unique campaign ‘Cheer for Sachin’ to pay tribute to arguably the best cricketer in the world as he gets ready to play the series against the West Indies early next month. The broadcaster is targeting to break the world record for maximum ‘Cheers’ garnered by any campaign ever across the world. Star India has invited Sachin’s fans to cheer “Sachin-Sachin” and break the world record for a hero who has always broken records for India! And the cheer will be played on the broadcast network (Star Sports) as a tribute for the hero.

The Participants may register his/her telephone number to participate in the activity by calling the number, 505782717, which is valid on Vodafone (Rs 6.00/min), Airtel (Rs 6.00/min), Tata Indicom (Rs 6.00/min), Idea (Rs 6.99/min), Reliance (Rs 6.00/min), BSNL (Mobiles) (Rs 5.00/min) and BSNL (Landline) (Rs 2.40/min) telephone networks only.

According to the terms and conditions given on starsports.com – The activity opened from 25 October 2013 at 00:00 hours (IST) and will end on 19 November 2013 at 00:00 hours (IST), or on such other dates and times as shall be indicated by ESPN Star Sports India. No entries from before or after the activity period will be accepted.

The response has been very encouraging with stars from Bollywood, Cricket as well as TV recording their cheers. Stars like Priyanka Chopra, Prosenjit Chaterjee, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram, Rameez Raza and protagonists from the leading serials on Star Plus like Diya Aur Baati Hum and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai have already recorded their cheers. The broadcaster has also reached out to Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary (The guy who is often seen in the stadiums in body paint cheering for Sachin) – regarded by many as the biggest Sachin fan to record a special cheer for this campaign.

Speaking on the occasion, Star India EVP – marketing and communications Gayatri Yadav says: “For 24 years, the legend has stood for a billion…and now it’s time for a billion to stand for one. It’s our time to cheer for the little master. We are honoured that Sachin’s farewell series will be played on our network. Our philosophy has been to take fans closer to their heroes because as the official broadcasters we play the critical role of an enabler. We are extending the invitation to all Sachin fans through this campaign to come out and thank the little master for a wonderful career in which he took Indian cricket to newer heights.”

Yadav adds: “We are aiming for the World Record. Sachin has made innumerable records during his memorable career; it’s time that his fans make this record as a grand tribute. We believe there cannot be a bigger opportunity for Sachin fans to show support and be a part of history in making as he gets ready for one last time to play for India.”

The campaign will run across the Star Sports network as well as Star India network of channels. There will be huge focus on the digital media as well to aggregate all fans for the campaign. The official Facebook and Twitter pages of Star Sports has been buzzing with fans commenting and posting nostalgic moments from the “little master’s past”. The Star Sports website has also created a separate section dedicated to Sachin on his 24 year long journey in Cricket for India.

Star India will donate its share of proceeds from the incoming call revenues to an NGO for sports development amongst youth. (As a norm the telcos in India normally share revenues with their partners in a 60:40 or 70:30 ratios. The estimated figure for the donations going towards the NGO could well be running into a few million rupees)

Star India is pulling out all the stops to make the India West Indies series memorable. Additionally, the broadcaster will use a special FanCam enabling fans to say “I was there” as they enjoy the historic moment.

The Fan Cam is capable of generating 360 degree extremely high resolution photo of the stadium therefore each and every fan who will be fortunate to be at the stadium on any of the Test match days will be able to zoom into his picture and keep this memory with him for posterity.

On the programming front, a 10 part documentary series will be dedicated to Sachin – Sachin Ka Safar and The Sachin Journey in Hindi and English language respectively which will be telecast in the month of November. There will be a live show on Sachin – Sachiiiiiiin… Sachin – that will be telecast during the series. A special 24 segment series Sachin Years will also be showcased in the run-up to the historic series. A segment will be dedicated to each of Sachin’s 24 years of international cricket.

October 30, 2013
Musafir.com set to ‘ghoomao’ Indians along with Sachin

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar may be all set to hang his boots, but there’s no dearth of opportunities for him. Now, the master blaster is on-board with Musafir.com – a new travel portal that has just made an entry in the Indian market. The cricketer has a 7.5 per cent stake in the company.

Founded in the UAE by Sachin Gadoya, Albert Dias and Mohammed Al Thani in August 2007, the site has roped in Sachin Tendulkar as its face. The portal chose the cricketer for the fact that he is a champion and a global citizen.

We understand the travel market well, says Manu Monga

“One doesn’t associate Sachin to a particular state or a region but to India. He is a global citizen and a champion and that’s what we want to establish here.” says Musafir’s marketing vice president & head Manu Monga empahsing that they have enough experience about the sector and despite of being new in India, they are not scared of the already established names in the market. “We understand the travel market well,” says Musafir’s marketing vice president & head Manu Monga empahsing that they have enough experience about the sector.

The UAE based travel portal launched in the country recently wants to be seen on the top of the hospitality sector. Universal Travels, which is the parent company of the portal, has been around for a long time in the middle-East and believes that the travel industry has boomed in India in the last seven years. “We don’t think any market can mature in such a short period of time and there is more than enough space for growth,” says Monga.

The USP of the portal will be its ability to help people plan their holidays. It wants to be known for complete travel solutions provided to the Indian travellers with exceptional customer service and several product innovations.

The site has already allotted its various duties – Publicis will handle creative duties, while Maxus will be in charge of the media planning and buying.

The company has spent around Rs 20-25 crore during its launch period. In the first leg of their promotion, Musafir.com has branded all the charging points at all major airports in the country. Apart from this, Tendulkar will be seen showing the travellers “a new way to go ghoomne” wherein Musafir.com is a new enabler encouraging “people to stop dreaming and start travelling”.

It plans to have a 360 degree marketing campaign that includes radio, television and outdoor media and will soon be launching a second phase of marketing campaign with festival and holiday season approaching.

The company plans to invest Rs 100 crore in the first year of its launch. By 2018, it aspires to be among the top five OTAs (Online Travel Agent) in India leveraging on its strong investment capability and expertise in the travel sector.

October 25, 2013
Will Brand Sachin take a beating?

Sachin Tendulkar has had his way with the BCCI after all. His legions of fans and his family will be able to watch the Master Blaster bat one last time on his home ground as he plays his 200th and final match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium next month.

While this is a small compensation for millions of cricket-crazy Indians who look up to him as almost God, one might argue that they can continue to watch him on television, post retirement, as the face of the many brands he endorses. And, others might question if advertisers will continue to cough up astronomical sums to have Sachin advertise their brands even after he retires from all form of international cricket.

Watch the video: Boost pays tribute to Sachin’s 23 years of stamina!

GroupM national director of sports and live events Vinit Karnik feels Sachin’s retirement will make no difference to his brand value. “Sachin appeals emotionally to at least four generations if not more. These are the people who have grown up watching him play and do not mind more of him. Post retirement, if he is seen endorsing a brand, these people would love ‘catching up’ on him, even if it is in the ‘brand’ space,” he says.

Harish Bijoor feels post retirement Sachin’s brand value will diminish

On the same thoughts, CAA Kwan’s COO Indranil Das Blah, thinks that though there will be a decrease in number of brands he endorses, his brand value won’t get affected. “Brands will continue to associate with him, especially the ones with older target audience. Post retirement, they will be known for stability, loyalty etc.”

Having said that he adds that there can be a marginal decrease, around 10-15 per cent, on the brand value. However, this will and shouldn’t impact the price he charges for endorsing a brand.

Brand consultant Harish Bijoor says: “Sachin’s retirement means a setback to Sachin’s brand endorsement money value for sure. Sport stars are always evaluated on the basis of the last three matches they have played. Add to that the heritage value of the bat that has been wielded.

Despite it all and despite Sachin being the God of Cricket, endorsement money is bound to go just one way… south.”

Indranil Das Blah feels that though there will be a decrease in number of brands he endorses but his brand value won’t get affected

Whichever direction Sachin’s brand endorsements may be headed, most of the industry agrees that it doesn’t get any better than the cricketing legend’s current brand value. “Statistically speaking, with earnings in the range of $18 million, solely from endorsements across categories, even at the age of 40, he is ranked 51 on the Forbes World’s Highest Paid Athletes List for 2013. This places him ahead of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Serena Williams, Neymar, Sebastian Vettel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Gerrard – all of whom are younger than him,” emphasises Karnik.

Independent communication consultant Ganapathy Viswanathan, says: “Boost, the beverage drink, is one of the early brands that he endorsed which was followed by several other brands as he grew popular. One of his longest associations has been with MRF Tyres. Sachin almost had a 10-year long relationship with MRF, which proves the trust the brand reposed in him. Besides, there are several other brands he has endorsed that just went well with his personality and fit the brand well.”

Ganapathy Viswanathan points out that after Boost he endorsed several other brands as he grew popular

Collectabillia.com that sells Sachin Tendulkar’s memorabilia, informs that post his retirement announcement, the sale of Sachin merchandise and personally autographed products has increased significantly. “Sachin autographed products are selling like hotcakes. A personally signed cap by Sachin which costs Rs 7,500 provides a great investment opportunity for avid collectors and lovers of the game. Besides, Sachin branded T-shirts which starts from Rs 699 onwards are selling very fast,” adds a spokesperson from the portal.

The overall view is a brand ambassador must fit the bill as he/she is the best way to put a human face to a product or service. Hence, brands must be careful about choosing their ambassadors rather than just going for famous faces to advertise their products. For instance, Virat Kohli is the hottest name right now and most brands want to cash in on him, feel many.
In Sachin’s case, brands have just about a month to cash in on the phenomenon. Only time will tell which brands choose to stay in action and which try to get away from the clutter…

Brands endornsed

Boost (1990–present)
Fiat Palio (2001–03)
G-Hanz (2005–07)
Pepsi (1992–2009)
TVS (2002–05)
Sanyo BPL (2007–present)
Action Shoes (1995–2000)
ESPN Star Sports (2002–present)
Toshiba (2010–present)
MRF (1999–2009), Adidas (2000–10)
Sunfeast (2007–13), Canon (2006–09)
Colgate-Palmolive, Philips, VISA, Castrol India (2011–12)
Britannia (2001–07)
Airtel (2004–06), Reynolds (2007–present)
Ujala Techno Bright and Coca-Cola (2011–13)
He has also been a spokesperson for National Egg Coordination Committee (2003–05), AIDS Awareness Campaign (2005) and Luminous India (2010–present)

October 18, 2013
Starsports.coms Sachin Redux

He didn’t just play cricket, he wrote history. And, legions of fans watched Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as he broke record after record, bringing India glory after glory…

Fittingly, the website selling 6,000-odd tickets to the master blaster’s 200th and final test match starting today at the Wankhede Stadium, garnered a staggering 20 million hits. Whereas the stadium saw a snaking queue outside, with some people even managing to catch a few winks before they got to the ticket counters.

Indeed, all the excitement around Sachin’s retirement is but a testimony to the love and adulation he has earned after 24 long and hard years in the game. But for the many cricket buffs out there who can’t seem to get enough of the master blaster, the Starsports.com team has come up with a special feature called #SachinMemoryProject on social media platforms.

The project gives Sachin aficionados an opportunity to recollect all the great moments in his life. It tracks chronologically not only what happened in the cricketing legend’s life over the past 24 years but world events that unfolded even as his career was taking shape.

The #SachinMemoryProject brings back almost all Sachin moments in a slide show format, with each anecdote also on the timeline of the Star Sports official facebook page as well as twitter handle. It is rich in content and clubbed with text and videos of eminent people holding forth on the cricketer as well as Sachin talking about his life and times.

“With the project, we wanted to give fans something special. Almost everybody in the media industry is running a special series on the cricketer but we wanted to create a memorabilia of sorts. Something that is easy to consume and something with which everyone can relate,” says Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan.

The #SachinMemoryProject ‘begins from the beginning’, with the first slide of Sachin as a 14-year-old, along with Vinod Kambli, putting up 664 runs for Shardashram, the highest scoring partnership in school cricket. In less than two years, he would go on to make his test debut for India.

The latter slides reveal lesser known facts about the stalwart. For instance, the ‘main khelega’ slide highlights that moment in 1989 when Sachin had just started his international innings and his contemporaries were yet to get an idea about his patience levels. “With Pakistan pressing for victory, Sachin is hit on the nose by a rising Waqar delivery. As doctors try to stop the blood gushing from his nose and get him off the field, his batting partner Sidhu hears a squeaky voice say ‘main khelega’. Sachin continued batting in a blood soaked shirt, scoring 50 and saving the match for India,” reads the slide.

Another slide brings to the fore Sachin’s competitive streak even as a 16-year-old. “During the Pakistan tour, Sachin lost a game of table tennis to Sanjay Manjrekar. Sachin challenged Manjrekar to another game, beat him. Beat him again before calling it quits. Even as a 16-year-old, he didn’t like losing,” it says.

According to Mohan, a separate team of 15 people was designated to work on the project three months ago. “All the members of this team are passionate Sachin fans and are aware of the many nitty-gritties of his life. While working on the project, we also discovered many unknown facts about him. Those were the moments of serendipity,” he says cheerfully.

Interestingly, the Sachin moments are juxtaposed with important events happening across the globe around the same time. For example, things like who took charge as India’s PM or which actor became a phenomenon while the cricketer was busy adding another century to his portfolio, etc.

A slide titled ‘The American President(s)’ reads: “George Bush Sr. is elected President of the United States. Sachin’s career ran alongside that of four US Presidents, and seven terms, including two terms of George Bush Jr.”

Mohan says the idea was to chart the 24-glorious years in the best possible way. “He has stayed in action for a very long time. By mentioning the other consequential events during the period in the project, we have just tried to bring to the fore the fact that the world changed in the long period that he has played and maintained his stature as one of the best cricketers in the world,” he says.

Not surprisingly, #SachinMemoryProject, which was uploaded on Tuesday, has already grabbed a lot of eyeballs. “We are witnessing almost 25 to 30 thousand views in a day and each viewer is spending at least 30 minutes on it,” says Mohan, adding, “After watching the slide show, most viewers become very emotional and nostalgic while commenting. Viewers are writing about their personal memories associated with particular matches.”

Mohan points out that the team working on the project didn’t get new quotes from industry for the videos included in the slide show preferring instead to utilize their time packing the project with information. “Over the years, we have built a bank of such videos that have matter on Sachin. We just utilised our resources well and aggregated all those to create this unmatchable show,” he rounds off.

October 14, 2013