Boria Majumdar’s persona thrives on his fluent speech of seamless flow and exceptional cadence, startlingly devoid of any punctuating ‘ahs’ or ‘ohs’, so also his astounding facility for expression, which scores high on both eloquence and elocution. His perspicacity is nonpareil, so also his penchant for innovation which has not surprisingly fuelled his one-of-a-kind entrepreneurial venture RevSportz, a digital first, holistic, and inclusive sports content provider sport for men, women, able-bodied and para athletes, focused on cricket and Olympic sports coverage.
It is imperative that the world reveres Boria da for the striking and enduring elements of his value prop, rather than linking his name to a solo, sad, stray episode that mercilessly ruined the equanimity of his peace-loving and scholarship-driven family for two long years, which he aptly calls his ‘long Covid’ in his detached riposte in book form, “Banned: A Social Media Trial.”
Given Boria da’s honest submission, that he had sent a message in his frustration which was nothing more than an emotional outburst, so also his sporting acknowledgment of the ruling body’s constraint, that it had no mechanism in place to establish the truth of the matter, this was clearly an intimate matter to be sorted out and amicably settled on a personal level between two individuals well known to each other, perhaps over a few spirited rounds of bread, beer, and banter, but the fact that it was abruptly made public made way for a bigoted brazen attack on Boria da and his family, in what was a sickening social media trial, a staple feature of today’s all-pervading collective outrage culture.
It is also a favourite sport of narrow-minded folks with ample spare time to launch a toxic spiral of the worst imaginable mudslinging. A slander of this kind perhaps adds Eastman colour to the humdrum existence of nuisance makers, but more than that, it is also the perennial source of sadistic pleasure for the ne'er-do-well tribe, emanating from the most loved social media sport of belittling an achiever with an established name and worldwide fame.
This thought piece rooted in a freewheeling tete-a-tete, consciously steers clear of focusing on the abominable public court-martial, and instead strives to highlight Boria da’s sterling value prop as a proficient speaker, prolific author, and profound thought leader-practitioner that serves as a beacon of light for aspirants and veterans sharing his passion if not profession.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Not many who know you through the papers or TV are unaware of your illustrious lineage. I guess it would be a good idea to begin with a word on your roots…
My ancestral tree dates back 200 years old. Traditionally, we were a North Kolkata Bhôdrôlok family of physicians and that tradition broke with our generation as we are historians and academicians. (My calling in life is of course the subject of your thought piece and hence needs no separate elaboration, but a word about my sister Rochona Majumdar would be pertinent I guess. She is also academician, professor and department chair at the Division of the Humanities South Asian Languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago, and her incisive writings span histories of gender and sexuality, Indian art cinema and film music, and modern Indian intellectual history, besides postcolonial history and theory.)
My great grand dad played a key role in popularising homeopathy in India. As a matter of fact, he had an L.M.S. degree from Calcutta Medical College and a honorary degree of M.D. from U.S.A but he turned to homeopathy at the behest of his father in law and went on to pioneer many medicines and authored several books on homeopathy. There is a lane named after him in Kolkata, the Pratap Majumdar Sarani. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stayed at our house in Vidhan Sarani in North Kolkata during his last days where he was being treated by my great granddad.
Your father has been a strong influence on you…
Undoubtedly! My father, Prodosh Majumdar, stepped into his father’s footsteps and carved a niche as one of the most revered homeopaths of the city. Full of earthy exuberance, he was a towering personality. The natural organiser and compulsive foodie in me is all thanks to him. Every Sunday, we would drive down about 150 kms across the city’s landscape and relish the sweets and pastries at every renowned local shop.
He always told me, “Simply keep marching, putting your best foot forward, and see to it that you rise above mediocrity of every kind. You will become the best version of yourself only if you chase excellence.”
I miss his dignified presence all the time, especially his passion for people interactions and his penchant for organizing parties and get togethers. He was an impulsive man who played the game on his own terms. He was not always right in his decisions, in fact he was more wrong than right but he had no qualms about it. He taught us to be courageous and resilient at the same time. I hope these qualities keep me and my daughter in good stead going forward. I was completely devastated when the trolls did not spare my father and called him a bastard; it was the worst that could happen to me.
Your academic track record is enviable, but your passion extends to the playground as well. How did the twain meet?
My education chugged along on pretty standard tracks. Schooling at St Anthony’s Public School was followed by higher education at St. Xaviers College and Presidency College. Academically, I was always a decent student. As a matter of fact, I still hold the university topper records for both Bachelor’s and Master’s at Calcutta University as also the recipient of the Gold medal.
Talking of sport, I was always fascinated by this magical game of cricket. I played it as a child and later became an ardent student which inspired me to read and write about its history and nuances. I was also keen to comprehend India and Indianness through the lens of cricket. I have always believed cricket is the best prism to understand the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the country. That is precisely why I pursued a Ph.D in the social history of Indian cricket, which is perhaps the first sports PHD in the history of Oxford University. The Rhodes scholarship was a turning point in my life as it opened the doors and windows to a new world of opportunities, of which I had little idea while in India. I had the pleasure and privilege of interacting with renowned intellectuals from the world over, and that expanded my horizons in all key directions.
What was the motivation for a Ph.D in the social history of Indian cricket?
It was a no brainer choice for me! I don’t think I was capable of doing a PHD in any other subject but cricket. In fact, the calling in my life was clear and evident in my mind. I simply did the smart thing of marrying my passion with my profession. I am glad I did the PHD even though many of my acquaintances doubted it. In fact, my in-laws were anxious for their daughter’s financial future the moment they came to know I was pursuing a PHD in the social history of Indian cricket. But everything worked out in the end and it was serendipity that I was actually riding the globalization wave in Indian cricket which fetched me sunrise opportunities for writing on cricket and doing TV shows.
Any fond memories of your student years that come to mind ahead of other reminiscences?
There are many save for the heart-wrenching reminiscence that marked my initial arrival at Oxford which lasted no more than eight hours. A note was wating at my door the day I reached there, “Father dead, rush back home” I came back to India and had no money for the return journey. Precisely why my life story post that initial blip reads like a Hollywood film. Braving all odds, I completed my doctoral dissertation in less than two and half years and also earned a distinction at Oxford, a feat I am proud of to this day.
About Presidency days, there are heaps of fond memories. My father did not drink but he had a vast collection of the very best of Scotch whisky brands. I did the unthinkable with this vintage collection. Since I was very active on the extra curricular front, I willing took on the responsibility of hosting the college festival, and the whiskies fetched me handsome funds to sponsor the festivals on a grand scale. The rebellious streak in me moved up the value chain throughout the Presidency stint in various forms – elocution, debating, quizzing, organizing events, contesting elections and the like.
On the personal front, my best friend from Presidency Sharmistha Gooptu eventually became my wife, who was one year junior to me, and like me, topped the college and went on to do her PhD in the history of Indian cinema from the University of Chicago.
Among my teachers, my professor at Oxford late Dr. David Washbrook was a towering father figure for me. I gathered tons of actionable insights from the great man and I truly regard him as my mentor in academia.
Could you talk a little about your early strides post Oxford?
Post my Oxford days, I travelled the world and sought to make meaning of sport. I branched out big time into Olympic sports which is now as great a love for me as cricket is. I read and taught cricket and Olympic sport in different universities of the world. So, I would say sport in general became my calling card in life. I have a reasonable understanding of all 28 forms of sport that are covered under the Olympic fold and this obsession keeps me charged just like cricket does.
An academician with an Oxford Ph.D entering the sports journalism scene of India was a rare event…
Yes, indeed it was! This was a typical case of an outsider navigating uncharted territories which opened the whole greenfield spectrum for me. Print, TV or Radio, I was free to do anything, and I did everything!
Of course, it was not hunky dory for me, it never is for anybody.
My entry did cause ripples as I sat on the cusp of academia and journalism, and people from both tribes were sceptical of my escapades. Journalists claimed I was intellectualizing things a tad too much for comfort while the purist academicians thought I was being too journalistic in my analysis. The simple fact is that I never cared for what people thought of me; I simply did my work with integrity and honesty and continue doing so. My work is my defining truth, whether others believe in it or not is their lookout. I have better things to focus on.
Given that approach, the journey must have been a joyride into greener pastures…
I have thoroughly enjoyed the voyage. Save for the last two years where a series of untruths were peddled against me with a malicious agenda, life has been exciting but I have no regrets even for these last two years, which is why I wrote the book which has not been written out of vengeance. Purpose drives it and I have simply set the record straight in the process. I have only done what I know best - how to talk, how to read, and how to write.
The detached quality of your book is very inspiring…
I have no doubt that this book will stand the test of time. Any one who does any work on social media will refer to this book. I will vanish into oblivion but the book will remain as it is not a personal retort on an ugly incident; it is a detached probe into the machinations of a social media trial which is the reality of our age.
In your learned opinion, how will cricket evolve going forward in terms of formats?
20-20 will be the key money spinner with new-age digital media closely following it; test match cricket will survive as the crowning glory like classical music, and any player who’s worth his salt would want to be a test cricketer as that’s a zen zone of undeniable legacy. 50 overs bilateral cricket will become redundant and should die a natural death as it has diminishing value. Only high glamour multinational, marquee events like world cups and Champions Trophy will remain.
Will the IPL-like environs of high stakes, big money, and razzle dazzle pf celebrity status negatively impact the longevity of a budding player’s value prop?
Well, it is all about how you deal with it. When a budding player suddenly finds 15 crores in his bank, of course, there would be lures, pressures and mounting expectations of a billion people affecting him from all sides and could affect his physical and psychological heath. This is a subject for deep sociological analysis.
At the same time, this is very much an individual thing. Stars like Dhoni, Virat, and Rohit have been performing at the highest level without the glamour, glitz and money affecting their core value props. Endorsements, adulation, awards or accolades, nothing ever disturbed their playground equanimity.
Where do you see RevSportz a few years down the line?
RevSportz is like a child to me, it will be India’s first multi-sport, digital first sports media company. We are a 40 plus committed team ‘of sports journalists, by sports journalists and for sports journalists’ and I see it growing to 200 within two years. It will unite the sports journalistic fraternity under one roof. This platform was the need of the hour as sports journalists needed a credible voice which RevSportz provides on a platter, thanks to the genuine support from corporate India, as also from my investors, friends, and well wishers.
Any parting thoughts before we sign off…
I would always be indebted to my mom and my wife for being a pillar of strength en route the trials and tribulations. Thankfully, my daughter was only eight when her dad was being subjected to a nasty, hidebound social media trial, else had she been in her teens, she would have been terminally scarred by the abrasive social media trolls. I hope enough people will understand that all I have done, am doing, and will be doing is unflinchingly focused on serving the larger cause of sport. Hopefully, my example will motivate a few to pursue sport as an intellectual career and if yes, I have good reason to believe that I leave a potent legacy behind.
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We wish Boria da and RevSportz the very best, and we also hope he smiles more as he speaks, especially now when his incidental memoirs have given him a redeeming and resounding closure, as also a fitting conduit to share the larger truths of a detached probe on a disturbing social reality with the community at large.
Pic courtesy: https://www.boriamajumdar.com/images/