'It's about college days. Was in graduation. Since childhood, I was very interested in sports. Once a sports event took place in the college. Before the game started, it seemed that everything would be very good, it would be fun.
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But when the game started, I started thinking – it would be better if I had planned the entire game. The entire management was bad. After that, I started organizing all the sports events held in college.
However, at that time it was not thought that one day it would become a company and would start doing an annual business of more than Rs 5 crore.
In an office in Noida, Abhidev Chakraborty is retelling these things of those days while rotating the football in his palms. Abhidev is the founder of 'AAA Sports' company.
Abhidev Chakraborty, founder of AAA Sports Creation Company, is a resident of Kolkata.
Posters of hockey players are hanging on the walls of Abhidev's office. However, till now I have not been able to directly understand the work of his company. I am thinking in my mind, what does Abhidev do in sports that he is doing business worth crores annually.
Abhidev shows a video on his laptop, which has shots of every single moment of the game. From putting up banners in the playground, to iron cutting machines….
Abhidev says, 'This is what we do. What would any playground look like? What will be its shine? From which gate will the people who come to watch the game enter?
After watching the game, the spectators will go from which gate? What music will play on six-four? What kind of lights will be installed? What will be the positioning of the sponsor's banners which are displayed on the ground?
An entire sports management team works for this. Our company does some of this work. Nowadays, our sports management business is similar to the way there are event management companies for weddings.
From installing banners in the stadium to light-sound… Abhidev's company does all these things.
Abhidev's entire team has currently gone to prepare for a game to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. There are some staff in the office. He is also talking in Bengali.
He says, 'I am from Kolkata. Completed my entire studies till graduation from there. No one in the family had ever done any business before me. There is an interesting story about my beginning also.
It is about 2004-05. At that time keypad mobiles had come in the market. I used to save a few rupees every day from the money that my father gave me for expenses. About one thousand rupees were collected.
I started buying and selling mobile phone straps and covers in bulk. The family members did not know these things for many months. One day mother came to know. The family members started getting angry that he was doing all this at the age of studying. No one will believe, with this one thousand I had done a business worth Rs 6.5 lakh. The profit was around Rs 1.5 lakh.
Some old pictures of Abhidev. Initially he used to do printing and designing work.
Then how from Kolkata to Delhi…?
'Meanwhile, father got transferred to Delhi and I somehow completed my graduation. Now I felt that I should get out of Kolkata. I came to Delhi. Took admission in Master from a private university.
Middle class family. I always had this thought in my mind that I have to do a job after studying, but I kept trying different types of businesses. Let me tell you an incident. CD-DVD cassettes were in vogue. I used to buy it and give it on rent to people.
Abhidev laughs while saying this. He said, 'As soon as I passed out from college, I thought that I will do some marketing and designing work. Hadn't even thought about sports. When I told my father, he got angry. Said- First bring three job offer letters, then start your own business.
I got 3 offer letters within a month or two. My friends used to make fun of me when I talked about business. Used to say – He is ruining his career. Don't know who kicks such good three jobs.
Abhidev's team makes complete preparations for any event taking place in the sports stadium.
…So you started a business?
'It was the year 2009. I started my own design company. You won't believe. I didn't even have money to register the company. One lakh rupees were needed. Had to borrow from friends.
Initially, someone used to give some samples to get printed or for design. Used to do similar work. In barely a year a business of Rs 1.5 lakh was done.
After 2012-13, the sports industry started emerging more. There was a tournament. I had done management work in college. Filled the tender for this tournament. The light was to be installed on the pole as a sample. I put it. The team liked things. He gave me this job.
This work was worth around lakh, 1.25 lakh rupees. It was a big deal for me at that time. After that I started getting management work in the sports industry. I had studied branding and marketing, so there was no problem in understanding the things of the playground.
Abhidev is accompanied by his co-founder Wasim. Wasim is a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Abhidev says, 'The biggest challenge in this is the deadline. Suppose a match is to start at 4 pm. If there is to be a telecast, it will happen at this time. Not a second here or there.
We have to do all the things before this. If there are any flaws in a game, then you will not get any work in the industry from now on. I have been in this industry for almost 10 years, but till date I have not failed the deadline in any project.
Once there was a game of 'Khelo India' in Assam. The project was to be completed in a week, but the area was increased. Now this entire area also had to be completed in the same week.
Suddenly two dozen workers from Delhi had to be called to Assam by flight because there was a question of deadline. This is how work is available in this industry. By mouth publicity. By doing good work in one event, one gets a chance to participate in 4 events and fill the tender.
Abhedev is accompanied in the picture by his wife Manjira Chakraborty. Both of them got married in 2016 after their mother was diagnosed with cancer.
In the middle of the conversation, Abhidev's phone rings. His wife is calling. Hanging up the phone after some time, Abhidev says, 'We got married in 2016. This year my mother was diagnosed with stage-4 cancer. On one hand, we gradually started getting projects in sports and on the other hand, cancer….
In between the projects, I had to take my mother for chemo. It was also known that he would not be among us for much longer. She told me that she wanted to see my marriage.
We had to plan everything in a hurry. After marriage people go for honeymoon. The next day I was in the hospital with my mother. Call it a coincidence that she left on the tenth day. On the same day we also had to complete a project on a sports event. Whatever happens here, the game will happen as per schedule.
Currently more than 250 people are working with Abhidev. Abhidev says, 'My business is not just about making money. It is also to provide work to the people. I remember – there are some people who once worked with me on a daily wage of Rs 200. Today he is doing work worth Rs 10-20 lakh.
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1. Positive story – Made a company worth Rs 50 crore by setting up a stall in the fair: Made a study kit while playing, once used to make sandwiches in London
2. Positive Story- 100 crore company from chikankari kurti: Mother and daughter started from the basement; Delivery of 400 orders every day today
'I used to see my mother doing chikankari embroidery on kurtis as a hobby in her free time. Once a tailor bought him a chikankari kurti. When I asked my mother its price, I was surprised to hear the answer she gave.
Graphics Source: NavJivanIndia | VaskarAssets | NavBharatTimes
