HYDERABAD: Not many are aware of the fact that well-known commentator CCharu Sharma was an international diver. He was even selected for the Edmonton Commonwealth Games in 1978, but was unfortunate to miss the bus as Swimming Federation of India (SFI) did not have the funds to sponsor the young swimmer. “It was one of the big regrets of my life as I could not take part in the CWG. I had topped the selections and had won many nationals,’’ said the tall 57-year-old, the pioneer of the highly successful pro-kabaddi league.
But there was something in store for Sharma, who has a strong connection to this city. Having not made the trip to Edmonton, he quit diving and entered professional life as a marketing executive in New Delhi. It was during the 1982 Asian Games that the diving event helped him become a commentator. “It was all by accident. One of my friends, without my knowledge, had given the application for a commentators job for the Doordarshan. I was surprised when the renowned broadcaster Surajit Sen straightaway liked my voice and since I was a diver, it helped me to do the aquatics events,’’ recalls Sharma.
“Those days television was at an infant stage. I had to practice for hours in my car, sometimes perplexing my chauffeur also, sometimes in front of the mirror. I had to find new words and ensure that I would not repeat those words. It was like chalk and cheese when one compared between radio and television commentators,” he recalls.
His new journey began successfully before a new job at the VST brought him to the city. ``Hyderabad was my next destination. It was then that VST was in a big way marketing sports and we had a team of efficient people like late ML Jaisimha, Bobjee, Feroze and Siraj Attari in the eighties. We went into every sport, including cricket, horse racing, motor rally. It was the start of a new era of sports and sponsorship. I too began to make my mark as an anchor in all big events, including the Freedom of Concerts programmes sponsored by VST. I grew in confidence and began to commentate for the India cricket matches.’’
However, destiny took Sharma to Bengaluru but his success story was to take him new heights. That was an Indian game called kabaddi. ``I went to 2006 Doha Asian Games where I was stunned by the crowd response to the kabaddi events. I decided that this is the game I would take it as a challenge. At first, many, including my brother-in-law Anand Mahendra, did not buy my theory. But I was pretty sure that kabaddi would be an instant hit.
Finally, after a lot of convincing, the first edition of pro-kabaddi was launched in 2014, thanks to Stars Sports, who came forward to telecast the event. Today it is history. In its third edition, it has got the highest viewership after cricket. Many players, who could not afford a decent life, have a better living like cricketers.’’