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Always on the ball
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Novy Kapadia and Ghaus Mohammed have been able to score as football commentators
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PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY
THE DUO (From left) Novy Kapadia and Ghaus Mohammed
India may be ranked 117 in world football but the frenzy for the game matched the passion generated elsewhere, when the FIFA World Cup 2006 came visiting. Besides providing a big business opportunity, it had a unique implication in the arena of sports, the debut made by Hindi commentators. Launched as an experimental venture during the Confederations Cup 2005, ESPN was ready with an expert panel of Hindi commentators for the World Cup comprising Ghaus Mohammed and Novy Kapadia.
Ghaus and Novy are popular football commentators in India. Novy has covered five World Cups, two Asian Games and countless tournaments in the country while Ghaus, who began commentating in 1986, has covered prestigious events like the Confederation Cup (Germany), the 2004 Islamabad SAF Games, the first Afro-Asian Games in 2004 in Hyderabad, the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the last 20 finals of the Subroto Cup.
Learning experience
"This was a great learning experience for me. The atmosphere was extremely professional and exciting," says Ghaus, a former national footballer. Novy, who teaches English at the Khalsa College, too terms it "a nice experience".
Sitting at a studio in Singapore, miles away from Germany, the duo who complement each other well, do not regard this as a disadvantage. "A commentator is dictated by the producer and what appears on the monitor. And then you have to create the atmosphere of the match," opines Ghaus, whose style came in for praise from the authorities.
Football commentary in India, despite the good efforts of Doordarshan, is yet to attain the recognition it deserves. The opportunities have also been rare since the game is not televised widely even though football is the most popular sports in the country. Veteran commentators like B.P. Ojha and the late Abhay Chaturvedi, being footballers themselves, stood out in their effort to popularise the game, an aspect that Ghaus remembers every time he takes his spot behind the mike.
Recalling his stint with Mark Lynn in the Kargil Benefit match between film stars and cricketers at the Nehru Stadium in 1999, Ghaus observes, "A commentator is an actor who has to add a lot of punch to attract the viewer. You have to come up with new phrases and the description has to be succinct. For us or the audience, the studio location doesn't matter. The essence is on popularising the game with crisp comments."
The responsibility on Ghaus and Novy was enormous, to relate to an audience that knew it was not going to watch Indians in action. It meant double work for the team. "Our work involved not only reporting a match but also educating the people," says Ghaus.
"It was required of us to explain a particular incident, the rules regarding it and the history," stresses Novy.
Accused of unwarranted digressions into cricket both defend they were necessary to make people understand the gravity of an incident or the greatness of a player.
"We must remember that it is Sachin (Tendulkar) who is a god here, not (Zinedin) Zidane," declares Ghaus, who works at the Andhra Bhawan in New Delhi.
Even as Novy acknowledges the support from his college management, Ghaus too is indebted to his office staff for constant encouragement. The pair was thrilled when it received compliments from the All India Football Federation for its good work.
The feedback from the football fraternity was more positive than negative. "We surpassed the feedback received by the English commentators. The response from western and central India was phenomenal," notes Novy.
So, next time football season is here, be on the ball with Novy and Ghaus.
MANVI SHARMA
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