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In conversation with Pawan Kumar Patodia – Co-founder of Kolkata Thunderbolts
The stage is all set for the inaugural season of the Rupay Prime Volleyball league which will kick off on Saturday, 5th February 2022 in Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The Kolkata Thunderbolts are looking forward to having a good season in the league and have recruited some of the finest players in Volleyball with the likes of Ashwal Rai captaining the squad. Amid all the buzz and excitement for the tournament, Chairman and Managing Director of Pulkit Veneer Mills Private Limited Mr. Pawan Kumar Patodia, who is also the Chairman and Co-Owner of the Kolkata Thunderbolts franchise has a passionate goal of making Volleyball, one of the most-watched and played sports in the country. He spoke to Sports Trumpet in the exclusive interview with Neelam Sharma about how he changed his career path from becoming a Chartered Accountant to investing in a volleyball team that is competing in the league for the first time.
Ques – How it all started?
“I’m a Chartered Accountant. And I’m proud to say that nowadays Chartered Accountants are seen everywhere as a physio, as a practitioner as an advisor as well. Coming to the second part of the question, as to how I got into Volleyball. I was born in Kolkata but most of my schooling was done in Assam.”
“I had been hearing a lot about the sport since my childhood and people in Assam play a lot of volleyball as well. 14-18 years kid plays the sport with a lot of passion. I also did my research on the sport and realized that volleyball is the 2nd most popular sport played in the world and the 3rd most popular sport played in India. It built a desire in me to contribute something to the sport that I have admired all my life, so as soon as I found out about the Prime Volleyball League, I jumped on the opportunity to invest in the team because my aim is to bring glory to volleyball”
Ques – Are you planning anything same for any other sport in the near future?
“Actually, it takes at least 4-5 years for a sport to come into the people’s eyes and that is when they get to know about it. So, as far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to get distracted and just want to focus on this sport and try to change the people’s perception about it.”
“I’m making this up as a career now and will try to first change Bengal’s perception towards the game and make it a household name. The motto is ‘Bengal will create, Bengal will win’. So that is the only sport, for now, otherwise, it won’t be justified.
Ques – Can you tell me more about the key players of the team and about the coach?
“My key players are Ashwal Rai who is the captain and is probably the best player on our team. Vineet Kumar who has represented India in the Olympics and many others who are coming from all across India and some of them were playing in America. I’m very excited about my players. All the players are important for me, but some of them who are already proven champions will get a chance to show their caliber in this team.”
Ques – What are your expectations for this league?
“I don’t want to boast about the team especially at this moment but, our team definitely has an edge over the other teams in terms of recruitment as out of the top 6 players in the country, we have three of them on our side. Both of our foreign players that are bought are for positions other than attackers. So, you can say that we have a well-balanced squad and have a good chance to go through to at least the semi-final”
Ques – About Kolkata, how the mentality will change of the people who worship football from the very beginning?
“That is a good question, to promote any game, you have to take some measures. For that, we are setting up academies in Assam and Kolkata where players around the age group of 14-15 will be trained. Our goal is that till the year 2026, at least two of our academy players will be representing the U-21 national team and by the year 2028, the Indian team should look at Kolkata Thunderbolts for the future players. We are also looking to reach out to approximately 200 schools and around 400 localities and will be conducting lucky draws where free team jerseys and official team merchandise will be given out to them.”
Ques – How difficult is it to prepare a team in these pandemic-stricken times?
“It was a commendable work by the organizers who shifted from Kochi to Hyderabad in a small period of time. All our players have been training and living in a bio-bubble which also put a halt to all of our planned workshops with the team and any fan interactions”
Ques – About Ashwal Rai saying that the coaches have given them the freedom to express themselves?
“Yes, the coaches and the technical staff have given the players the freedom to express themselves on the pitch and have told them that there is absolutely no pressure on them to play in a certain way. They can play their natural game and show the world their talent and genius.”