Harsha, how has your experience been so far at the Acumen National B-school challenge?
Excellent! It is my second year at Acumen and I am enjoying being with young, intelligent people. Also, I like the people there, which has been important to me in everything I have done so far. I find people at Business Today very easy to get along with. There is a certain class about them as there is with the Aditya Birla Group which has a very understated elegance. I’ve never been much in favour of shouting from the rooftops and that ‘s what I admire about the Aditya Birla Group and Acumen has such a wonderful concept.
What do you feel is the difference between hosting a B-school-specific Quiz show like Acumen as opposed to other general quiz shows?
I think you expect a certain level of awareness and the desire to be inquisitive. On that front I have been a touch disappointed with the standard of quizzing; the alumni have been sharper. The only other quiz shows I do are sports related and while there is a greater level of comfort there, there is a sense of curiosity within me as well when I do the B-school quiz. Also, having been a B-school student myself, even if many years ago, I can relate to the excitement.
What are you looking forward for most in the National Quiz finals etween IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IMT, Ghaziabad and SIBM, Pune at Mumbai?
I would like them to have a lot of fun and be able to look upon it as an adventure rather than as a contest that must be won at all cost.
What kind of research do you do before a quiz show like Acumen?
To be honest, very little. Anustup Datta, and his colleagues, as quizicians develop the questions and I go through them very closely before I reach the venue to check comfort levels. I do not comment on the quality of questions since they are experts in that category and they know better. We have formed a very good relationship as a result. I am aware that I am not a quizzer and so I think I know where my role begins and where it ends.
What has been your funniest and most awkward moment at Acumen?
The funnier moments have come with the alumni quiz but you rarely get moments that have you rolling on the floor with laughter. But there is nothing like a smile to dilute tension. Luckily, no awkward moments so far.
How do you manage multiple roles – quizzer, commentator, and entrepreneur – at the same time?
I wish I could, I suspect my story is getting a little over-romanticized. Professionally, I fear that I am becoming more of a performer and less of a thinker, which is what I would like to be more of. I am not an entrepreneur; we need to be careful not to assign big words to modest activities. Being a quiz host is quite simple and I have been doing commentary for many years now. There isn’t a huge difference between the two. I think the key to multi-tasking though is to focus on one thing at a time and not let them mingle with each other. I think my strength lies in being able to switch on and off, in believing that every activity that I am involved in is very special and deserves the best I can do. If I don’t do something well enough I can live with it but if I haven’t given it everything I have, I will be disappointed with myself.
Which one of quizzing or commentary do you enjoy doing more of?
Oh, commentary any day. I love hosting live sport, which is where my experience and ability lies. It gives me a huge buzz I am not a quizzer. I don’t have credibility in that area like I think I do in cricket. But live television has taught me to think on my feet and I think that comes in handy in hosting a quiz show.
Coming to your B-school background, how has your journey been so far starting from Hyderabad to IIM Ahmedabad to journalism to becoming a renowned commentator and now a famous quizmaster also?
I could not have asked for more. Interestingly, while we read about so much crime and about the bad people in the world, at every stage I have met really nice people who have generously given me time and allowed me to imbibe their expertise. I think growing up in Hyderabad was excellent, it allowed me soak things in without being under pressure all the time. And working in Mumbai showed me a certain work ethic. Also, working with cricketer commentators made me tougher and more competitive than I ever thought I would be.
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Which was your most memorable day or event at IIM A, when you were a student there?
One event is tough to pinpoint. In retrospect it would be the day I knew I had met the person I would spend the rest of my life with. The first term was devastating and the last day was a bit emotional. While I didn’t yet realise how important
the two years were going to be, there was sadness at the fact that it was over and that is why I tend to go back as often as I can. There was one other event that was crucial for me and that is when the PGP chairman, now director, Prof Bakul Dholakia, allowed me to miss my second term exams to do my first test match as a television commentator. I did my papers after I came back and that kind of academic flexibility is one reason why the IIMs are awesome institutions.
Harsha, how would you say your IIM credentials helped you in getting where you are today?
In one word, confidence. I have always maintained that my IIM A degree (a diploma if you want to be absolutely correct) is like my test cap and it tells me that I belong in this world. It has also ensured that I didn’t benchmark myself too low and being with outstanding talents might have rubbed off a bit on me because it was just an awesome collection of talent – the best I have ever seen. Curiously, it has started meaning a bit more now for the people who I meet because IIM A is a bigger brand than ever before. Doing more than 350 internationals doesn’t quite give me the same reaction as ‘you are from IIM A!’
When and how did you know that you wanted to be a commentator?
I knew I wanted to do commentary after my first match but I did not know that it could be a professional pursuit till much later, till the early nineties.
What is your most favorite match and cricketer and who is your idol in management and in cricket?
My favourite test match is one in which India beat England at Leeds in 2002. They took bold decisions, batted brilliantly in bowler friendly conditions and the spinners won the game on the last day. Whether in sport, or in management, I like people who underplay their abilities, let their performances speak for themselves. People like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman. I admired Ganguly for his spunk but my all-time favourite cricketer is Anil Kumble, big heart, great competitor, very tough, extremely understated and soft-spoken. Like Tendulkar he carries his enormous achievements very lightly. As a child my cricketing idols were Sunil Gavaskar and BS Chandrasekhar, tried to copy their styles quite often. On the corporate front I have always admired the Tata Group for all that they have done and they way they have done it – with great class and without shouting about it. And now I like the big three IT Companies since they have put India on the world map and they have done it very ethically. Being Indian and being honest means a huge amount to me.
Who is your favorite commentator, your role model?
I didn’t have a broadcasting role model to start off since in television, they didn’t exist in India. My earliest heroes were the cameramen, engineers and replay editors. They never went wrong and I thought I had a great responsibility as the front man to live up to their standards. On radio I admired Anant Setalvad and after I got to know him, Tony Cozier, he is awesome. Michael holding was very nice to me and Geoffrey Boycott and Dean Jones were challenges to work with. And I think we have a very fine team at ESPN star.
So what is your company Prosearch about? Are there prospects for MBAs from Indian B-schools there?
For better or worse, no. It is just my wife, Anita, and I. She runs the show, she is the driving force. She is a brilliant talent, great ability to seize a situation and react. She is outstanding at organised thought and that is the real reason why Prosearch has become so successful doing corporate programmes. But we are currently very happy with the level we are at.
Are you planning to write more biographies, books?
Not in the immediate future. I have often talked about writing a book and done nothing about it so I have decided that I will not talk about it again till I have actually done it.
Thanks for the interview Harsha!
You’re welcome and thanks for the opportunity.