I AM A JACK OF ALL TRADES

REMEMBER the 3 Idiots scene where Farhan's father finally breaks down and wants to buy his son a camera to give wings to his dreams? You know why it resonated with children across the nation? It is mainly because situations and conditioning often come in the way of dreams and aspirations.

- AVINASH RAMACHANDRAN

Imagine walking up to your parents and telling them that you are done with the sport of cricket...the sport that ignites a billion passionate Indians. Imagine doing all of this when you are 26. That's exactly what the multi-faceted Ashwath Bobo did one day. "I played my last game in the first week of June 2022," says Ashwath, who has since then completed an MBA, become a competent content creator, a sports broadcaster, an actor, and has been part of the commentary panel on various sporting events, including the recently concluded Indian Premier League.

"I am a Jack of all trades, I guess. I've dabbled in making short films, completed four grades of keyboard from the Trinity College of Music, hosted stage shows, danced on stage, done mimicry, made music, and of course, played cricket. But being the jack of many trades also resulted in people thinking I wasn't focussed on cricket. But, I always gave it my all," says Ashwath, who shares that it wasn't an easy decision to let go of something that meant a lot to him for 18 long years. "Honestly, in the last phase of my career, I knew in my mind that I was done. Soon after quitting, I went to college, and there was a dissonance for a few months. There was a sense of having nothing to show for my time in cricket, especially since I didn't make it to the Ranji Trophy level."