Just Me: The Kratik Malhotra Blog

“I tell you, nothing is going to happen here. I wish we were working for IMG.” ---  My friend’s words while sitting in the parking lot of an Indian soccer stadium, during our marketing stint at an Indian soccer club, having failed to fill the seats with people.

Many of you might remember my blog-post, written about two and a half years ago, ‘A Touch Closer’. It was about how after being rejected by this software company, Tieto, God presented me with an opportunity to work and get paid, for what was a lot of money for me back then, by the largest soccer data and analytics company in Asia, Real Time Sportscast (RTS), as a soccer commentator and analyst.

After RTS, I went on to write for the largest soccer website in the world, market the biggest and the best professionally managed club in India, and in the past five months, I have interned with the largest sport management company in the world. I have come a long way but it's only 1% of where I want to be. Reflecting back, that job with RTS did end up getting me a touch closer.

At RTS, I was taught about stats, how they are needed, their importance, value and most importantly, their use. I started from scratch, did online soccer commentary of games, helped collect statistics and worked as a statistician, helped report the statistics and most importantly, working with technology and data, and analyzed them to aid the teams playing in the Indian Soccer League (I-League). It was a great experience.

When I moved to the United States, I was put on board of the FSU Women’s Soccer Team as a soccer analyst. It was a great year-long experience and it helped me in mastering my dream technology/software, Prozone. Now, I am called a ‘Prozone Expert’ by a few people in the industry and having learned Dartfish, I look to take my analysis to the next levels.

Late September 2012, I had applied for an internship in Sponsorship with the academy of the world’s largest sport management company, International Management Group (IMG), and they came back to me asking me to focus on another area, along with Sponsorship, Performance Technology (PT). I had offers for a marketing internship with NASCAR in Daytona, a marketing (branding) internship with Florida Panthers and a communications internship with the Philadelphia Union, but when IMG came calling with PT, my choice was clear, even though one of the other internships offered to pay me an hourly wage and another would have covered my housing and food.

When I started with IMG, that thing of ‘working for IMG’ had sunk in, completely. With my first week here, I was still caught in the ’IMG awe’. Seeing the work-culture, the professionalism among staff, the facility and infrastructure, the star athletes on campus, my job and responsibilities, the level of technology used, the knowledge to gain…everything…it was just marvelous, and I couldn’t believe that I was there. And to my loss, I, sort of, had started feeling that the organization was too big for me, and I had started undervaluing myself. I wish I had respected myself as much as I had done at any of the places where I worked in the past, but it was a priceless lesson from a learning standpoint. I won’t lie, I had a shaky start, but I improved in my work and partly, it was due to the IMG staff, who me feel like I was a part of the team. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for that. It underlines their professionalism and management skill.

Alright, back to joining IMG. When I was told that I am cleared to join IMG, I remembered my friend’s quote (mentioned at the start of the post). It was all like a dream. I say, “I rely on miracles,” and that is what it was, it was a miracle. From a good old electronics engineer, who only ever sat for one job interview because he was clear that he wanted to get to Manchester United and Sky Sports, to a boy who interviewed players from several top clubs including Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, and is followed by Sky Sports journalists on Twitter, to one who was asked to be the face of the private television of an Indian soccer club that had their best season this year, to a boy who worked every day with the number one collegiate women’s soccer team in America on the number one soccer analysis software in the world used by the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal, and to a boy who was stepping into something that he considered absolutely massive, it was unbelievable how far I had come.

My internship was dual-departmental, and for the sponsorship department, I worked on sponsorship activation, sponsorship representation, inventory management, sponsor events, sponsor-related social media interaction and sponsor-apparel allotment, amongst several things. Working and interacting with some of the top sponsorship professionals at IMG, along with the personnel from sponsors that visited the IMG Academy campus onsite, was a magnificent experience.

For the performance department, I dealt with some of the state-of-the-art technologies that were there to learn. My job in performance revolved around working on Catapult, but later, I also started working on Dartfish and worked on match analysis with IMG’s under-14 soccer team. It was a major challenge but it was terrific. Working with Catapult was a little tough because I did not have the necessary exercise science knowledge needed but I was there to implement the technology, and I was very clear in that aspect.

The Catapult Guy! (Real Time Analysis)

I believe, I did the best job that I possibly could have done and in the process, learned a lot. Dartfish was awesome. Knowing how to use the tagging feature in Dartfish has taught me how to integrate various technologies together maximizing its use. I thought Match Analysis (MA) would be a piece of cake for me, having worked on the best technology that was there to work on, in Prozone. But Match Analysis was different as it required a lot more manual work, but was no big deal for me to adapt. However, with enough on the table to work with, finding time to work with MA was tough, especially because I was not bound to work on when I started. Working with MA and IMG soccer was something that I took up due to my love for soccer and my two-year analysis experience in the sport.

In all, IMG offered me an invaluable experience. In fact, I would have paid to work on some of the things that I worked on and gain the knowledge that I gained. It was very-very special indeed. Every single morning I would wake up, smile and say, “I am living my dream,” and then, leave my apartment for work. I have loved every moment of my time in Bradenton, Florida. I still remember when some of my colleagues brought in a desk and set it up for me; what a moment that was! I was so touched. Five minutes after that happened, I went into the restroom, locked myself in one of the toilets and cried. To me, it showed that I was valued and loved. It was such a touching thing. Even on my final day, gifts and comments like these made me melt. By the way, in the picture is a shakeweight gifted to me by one of the 'crew' members. I will miss the crew; everyone, absolutely everyone.


There are so many memories that I am taking back home with me and holding which in the highest regard, I would cherish these for a lifetime.

My office for the summer - Doak Campbell Stadium

Hey reader, if you are looking for an internship or a job, apply for a position at IMG Academy, it may not only fulfill your expectation, but it may even supersede it.

As for me, it’s time to move on and further enhance my learning. Next stop: Florida State Football. Yes, I am heading back to Tallahassee. As my Tally lads may say, “Back In the hood.” In the hood, yes, but who knows, I may head back to IMG in the future again :)

Yesterday, it was IMG; tomorrow it will be Manchester United. My dreams and aspirations make me a dreamer. Thanks for reading this post from the nib of my pen.

Follow your heart. Have faith. Live your dream.

Love,

Kratik

So, the song that I am doing is 'Not Nineteen Forever'.

She tried to peel me off the pavement

Tried to insinuate sometimes

To underline it, it’s the mind. You see how it works. When you are not doing fine with someone (not necessarily opposite sex), you always feel that it is he/she who is doing all he can to harm you. But you know, it doesn’t always work out like that. Now, obviously, there are nut-heads, but that’s not the case most times. It all may just be a coincidence. As my Guru, Sri Sri Ravishankar (@SriSriSpeaks) says, “Leave it all in the past. Real freedom is freedom from future from past.” Do that. Forget about it and move on.

I am in danger of going too far

Asked me would I like to go for tea and toast

Get your hand off my thigh

In the car she turned to me and said

Now, she had invited him for tea and toast, and he gets closer - puts his hand on her thigh. And then, moans. I mean seriously, ungli do toh hath pakadna chahte hain! Lol. And on top of it, gets frustrated and writes a song. Many of you must have observed this type of a behavior in you or in people around you. It underlines too much expectation. No expectation, no heartbreak. So, chill leave what’s passed in the past and live in this moment.

You're not nineteen forever, pull yourself together.
I know it seems strange but things, they change

Older woman and a younger man

Both of them doing all they can

Now, this is epic! I mean epic! So, now, he is trying to boost his own ego saying…you’re getting old! This happens to so many people. When the things are going well, they say "You are the most beautiful girl," and when things go bad, "You frigging suck! You’re not good enough for me!" If this is happening with you…don’t worry. Chill. Become aware. Accept the situation and know that this will pass. Live in this very moment.

Tried to get your attention all night long,

Asked you once, I asked you twice, asked you four times,

If you'd like to dance to that song,

Front crawled the crowd down the stairs,

And I followed you out in the rain, nowhere to be found,

Never mind, you'll probably never look that pretty again.

This is more self ego boost. He asks this girl for a dance several times; the girl refuses and as it turns out, it hurts his ego. Then, he follows the girl out; the girl doesn’t care and leaves. That's when he goes like, “Chuck that! She’ll never look as pretty as she once looked, so, who cares?” This reminds me of one of my classmates. He would go and try for every girl in a club and when the girl would reject him, he would be like, "She was fat! She didn't look good," and I would be there asking him, "Why on earth did you even try then?" Has it ever happened to you? If so, you’ll know what happens next. You keep thinking about that girl, forever. It affects you. Well, it really affects you because your ego takes such a blow, and you end up writing a song, making your feelings and emotions public. It ends with the girl hating you and you going in depression for a bit, before you find another girl. Some of you who may be going through the situation may think, "What bullshi*", but many of you, who are sitting pretty, past this phase, will be like, “You are a rockstar, boy!”

So, lesson time. Smile, accept the situation. Have faith and believe in God, and know that all the unpleasant situations have always passed and so with this one. Chill. Have fun and live this moment because this moment is the only this that is now!

If you are not going through any emotional drama, keep living it up mate!

Love,

Kratik

In the woods, he learned to breathe,

Crushing the sheath under his gawky feet.

In search of Pride Lands with a gritty breeze,

Outsized by Sherekhan and his latent crease.

A heart too filled but wrapped in gripe,

Pounding for a dream, educing to fight.

Ignoring interdiction, it dances jive,

Hunting hurdles, it will eternally strive.

Time too stagnant in an abyss of silence,

All good fights had come to this.

In the middle of a gantlet cage, he began to reminisce,

Spirit revived, Aladdin smiled, hearing the cobra hiss.

Standing on a hill, past the river,

With ingenuity and diligence in heart so fervor,

Destination in sight, shrugging the quiver of fear,

Captain Planet he was, with his rise, he defined valor.

Into the battlefield, he dared to step on,

Matching the Joker’s grin, a smile he gracefully donned.

To live or die on that day, a skill he honed,

Seeing himself in Goblin’s eyes, he witnessed bourn.

…What happened next? Ask me in a month :)

Do you believe in miracles?

                I rely on them :)

Jai Gurudev :)

Love,

Kratik

Words, they often tell the story,

But they are entwined with feelings so brittle that they change so readily.

Pictures, they often let you relive the moments,

But they pull you into the past ever so easily.

Memory, it never forgets what it has to remember,

But in its own mesmerizing way, it keeps you attached, aimlessly.

Silence, it helps you experience that empty space,

But, it’s that space which makes you come to terms with reality, pleasantly.

How often it happens that you can look back, pat yourself and say, “Yes, I have lived the dream.” If you ask me, I don’t even know the definition of a ‘dream’, but I wouldn’t be shy in saying that I have lived it in this past year.

December 27, 2011 was when I landed in the United States with a heart full of dreams. Who was I? No, I was not Spiderman! I was a small time soccer journalist, who wrote for the largest soccer website in the world, who was told he had ‘fans’ (bullsquat, I say!), who marketed one of the biggest soccer clubs in India, who hosted games in front of a thousand of people in mammoth stadiums, who did a little bit of soccer analysis for Real Time Sportscast and who believed that making a person meditate and spiritual knowledge can transform a person’s life. Kratik, who? Even I didn’t know. In fact, I am still discovering. But irrespective of whoever I was, I wanted to be someone bigger. I had heard about the ‘American dream’ and I wanted to live the American dream.

When I began my journey at the Florida State University, the ‘Seminole feeling’ didn’t take as much time to settle in as within the first couple of weeks, I was on the board, working as a soccer analyst for the university’s soccer team. Having prior experience with soccer obviously helped as I got to work on my dream software, Prozone. Unlike my time with my undergrad degree in engineering, grades at FSU were never a problem. Yes, I worked my socks off but it was all God’s grace that grades panned out better than I had expected them to.

With time, I met some amazing lads. Soccer fans, F1 fans, guys who taught me American football and guys with whom I experienced the FSU life, you know what I mean ;) As time passed, I realized that I was actually doing well. But there was something still missing and my intuition told me that it was my will to make a difference, my will to make people meditate, my will to spread Sri Sri’s message, my will to transform lives. And it was all God’s grace that I managed to do all that. How? He has his own ways.

I got a teaching assistantship for two of my four semesters at FSU! I taught four one-credit hour courses in ‘Stretch and Relaxation’. I taught yoga, meditation, the secret to smile…In all, I basically taught a spirituality course. Lol. Why?

I once asked my spirituality teacher, “Why do you teach all this? Why don’t you feed poor people by the money (that you charge) instead of giving out all this knowledge?” And his reply was one that gave me a path to walk on. He said, “We can, but if I give them food for 2000 bucks, how many meals will I be able to serve? 25 meals for a person? Instead, I give them knowledge, it is priceless and lasts with them for a lifetime. What do you think is better?” I remember pausing and saying, “Wow!” Knowledge like this and people like him have truly helped me shape my life.

So, when I look back, and ask myself, “Did I do the right thing in teaching yoga, meditation and spirituality, and not just not normal stretching?” Absolutely! Spirituality is very different from religion, and I highlighted that. In my courses, I never spoke religion. In fact, I told Christians to believe in Jesus and know that he is taking care of them; I told Muslims to have faith and believe in Allah and know that he is there, and I told Hindus to believe in Ram and Krishna and know that he is ensuring that his/her life leads to perfection. Same implies to Jews and Buddhists as well. I just spoke one language and it was called spirituality, which revolved around the fact that our lives are taken care of and that we do not need to worry.

I also taught few stress relief sessions at the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. It was amazing! The expressions of people after coming out of meditation were priceless. I should have filmed a Mastercard commercial right there. Lol. Those homeless people were so special and under enormous stress, more than what a normal person can even imagine, and making them meditate was an exceptional experience.

Okay, back to FSU. It was the fall semester, the end of August, when I met some of the finest chaps in America. They weren’t the Michael Jordons and the Lionel Messis of this world, but who they were, were truly wonderful people with great hearts, who knew how to celebrate every moment, how to be supportive and how to live their life to perfection, and that’s what made them bigger and better than even Jordon, Ronaldo or Messi. They were about 25 in number, maybe more. They laughed, they enjoyed, they partied, they lived in the present moment, they…just lived every moment as it came and in the process, taught me how life was to be lived at FSU. In fact, when I look back now, I would say that they were the missing link in my time jigsaw (if there is anything like that lol) at FSU. It was them who were the reason that, when I think about all those times of the fall, it lets me believe that I lived my semester to perfection. I am still friends with them and it feels like an absolute blessing.

Meanwhile, I had applied to a number of places for my internship and I got in to my dream company, doing my dream internship: IMG Academy and an internship in Performance Technology and Sponsorship. I still remember sitting, with a friend of mine, as a marketer in the parking lot of our team’s stadium and saying, “How cool would it be to get to IMG?” And here I was, at IMG!

I still have over a month left of my internship at IMG and during my time here, I have not only worked with some of the top American football college athletes, but also, I have got a chance to meet Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, Floyd Sam and Juninho. It’s been awesome and it’s all God’s grace.

Now, why did I write about all this? Well, I don’t know. Maybe because I just wanted to. Actually, no. There was something that has really been biting me. What is it? Not the most heart-warming thing, off course. The thing is, in ten days, I am going back to Tallahassee, and it could be the last time that I see so many people. Why? Because if I don’t get a job, I go back to India. Marketer for a year and a half, journalist for two years and a sports analyst for over two years, am I not worth a job? I don’t know. But as I had taught in my courses, my Guru’s message, my life is taken care of, so, I need not worry. At times, I give myself a lesson. Lol

But if this is the last time that I meet some of my friends, especially those 25 or so fun-loving mates of mine, what I can certainly publish is that I will miss them to extremity.

PPPPSSSSSHHHHHHHH…enough of getting emotional. Bigger picture. As I had said, “I came to America to live the American dream,” and thanks to God’s grace I lived the American dream. Frankly speaking, I don’t even know what the American dream is, but my experience couldn’t have been bettered.

For making my time a truly memorable one, a special ‘thank you’ to Miao, Shuai, Paul Sheffield, Eric Parks, Pamella, Erin, Laura, Ellen, Alicia, Brittany, Katharina, Smay, Justin Garner, Parker, Sarah H, Carlton, Andrew Young, Jim, Steve, Kristen,  Nindiya, Gary Galvez and Jennifer, Matt Cline, Caroline, Amanda G., Max, Christian, Mikey, Lauren B., Sara, Del Toro, Nicky Yang, Ashley, Stephanie, Lance and Tiffany, Joshua Peterson, Nick Downey, Ozi, Neslihan, Kosuke and Yue Ji, and my MBA buddies: Lancer, Claire, Tony, Albert, JR, Justin, Julian and Dan, and my mates who have graduated: Ryan Pekerek, Ryan Pham, Logan Liles, Justin Mason, Sid sir, Javier and Wang Suk, and all the Indians who have always stood by, and all the teachers…all of you are true rockstars and the reason why FSU students rock the world.

Love,

Kratik

It’s crazy how He makes it happen...unconditionally crazy!

At times you just wonder if it’s a dream...unquestionably crazy!

You cannot but experience the adrenalin rush…unambiguously crazy!

When I just stood still…absolutely crazy!

Yes, I have worked as a journalist and I should write my posts in the form of a conventional writing script, but just for this post, let me just express myself, chucking the traditional and predefined ways to write.

December 22, 2012: It was past 1:30 PM and here I was, in New York, walking out of Penn Station to have lunch with my friends from Florida State – Yoko (Yi Lian) and Michael (Zhang Yi). Both, soon to get married, down to earth, extremely caring - in all pretty decent - Chinese fellas, were to meet me at Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

Okay, let me admit it, in spite of a million hoardings, it was difficult finding my way out of the Penn Station; bloody hell, that place is huge! Also, it was my first time to New York…and yes, that really was, literally, going through my head all along. After working my way out of the station, climbing the staircase, I reached the 34^th Street. As I was on the pavement, I smiled, thinking to myself, this is so movie-like!

I stood there for a minute, looking at everything around; right from cars, to yellow taxis, to the Christmas decorations, to the green-vested security guards, to the tall buildings, the way people were dressed…everything, really. It was magical. Okay…c’mon, for a year I was in Tallahassee! This was way too fancy for me!

So, after looking at everything around, having climbed up the Penn Station staircase, I started walking to left in order to discover the way to Grand Central Terminal. I walked for a minute or two and then, looked over the pavement, where I was walking, to see where I exactly was. As I looked up, the structure said, “MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!!” As I read MSG, the time stopped for me. I mean, literally! I just looked on and on and on, in absolute disbelief. NY went numb at that moment.

Why? Well, well, well. I have always been a massive WWF/WWE fan and over the years, time and time again, listening and reading that PPV WWE events – such as Wrestlemania – are often held at MSG, visiting Madison Square Garden was certainly one of my dreams. 'Watching it' be for watching WWE or not, I just wanted to see what it was, and here I was, standing right outside the structure, staring at it aimlessly, wondering if I was in fantasy-land. I stood there for three, four, five, six or maybe even, ten minutes, I have no idea. The only thing that can recollect is standing there,  staring and thinking to myself, "wow!" I remember experiencing multiple adrenalin rushes. In fact,, the whole prana in my body was practicing repeated moonsaults. It was a divine feeling! Absolutely unbelievable! It was like I was struck by an absolute wonder! Like I was touched by an absolute angel! It was absolutely ridiculous, but outrageously beautiful!

As I walked from the 34^th street on to the 42^nd st,making my way on to the Park Avenue, I wore a smile that could possibly not have shed; in fact, it was growing all the time. You know what, even as I am writing this, my smile is so erect!

I, a decade back, use to dream of seeing Madison Square Garden, New York and here I was, in 2012, unknowingly, standing outside it. Frankly speaking, for all the time that I had been planning a trip to NY, until the time I saw MSG, even the thought of visiting MSG hadn’t come into my mind; it had been completely flushed out over the years. It was not until the time that I saw MSG when I realized that I was nothing but living my dream.

A famous dialogue from a Shahrukh Khan movie is so reverberating round my head right now, “Kehte hain, agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, to poori kaaynat use tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.” Translating to: If you love something from your heart, truly, then, the whole universe uses all its energy to unite you and your love. That’s what happened in my case...it was a moment when I just stood still!

(Trying to do a Shahrukh and failing miserably! Let me make this clear, Shahrukh isn't my favourite actor, but Brooklyn Brige pe aa ke Shahrukh ka pose toh banta hai!)

The lesson that I learned was to never get feverish about anything as God is watching every action of ours and monitoring every emotion that has arisen, and knows every feeling that we are or have experienced. He knows what's the best for us and when it needs to be given to us. So, chill and know that whatever you need, will be given to you and whatever you want, if it's good for you, someday, sometime, it will be given to you :)

Keep believing, do not get feverish, have faith and smile :)

Because call him Jesus, Krishna, Allah, Buddha, Universe or even Guru…call him whatever...He is watching us and taking care of us every moment.

Jai Gurudev :)

Love,

Kratik