Connect with us

Alumni Speak

This profession allows you to travel and explore the world

Apeejay alumnus Nikhil Bachhas, a Graphic Operator at Celebrity Cricket League, speaks about his unique and exciting work life

Published

on

This man has been a part of many sports tournaments, from the FIFA 2022 World Cup to the Celebrity Cricket League. He will also be covering the Kabaddi League soon. He is Nikhil Bachhas, a Graphic Operations professional at the Celebrity Cricket League, who is a proud alumnus of Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC). 

In an exclusive interview, the man behind the TV screen gives us a view of what all his job involves as well as shares his experience of being involved in big sports projects. Read edited excerpts:

Graphic operations seems a very cool profession. How did you get into it?

When you work in the sports broadcasting industry it is always cool, because it makes you explore unique places through your work. And nowadays everyone has the craze of exploring exotic places, right?

Back in March 2020, when everyone was stuck at home due to the pandemic, a friend of mine was working and travelling all across India. That simply blew my mind! I asked myself why I was not travelling, working and exploring my skills. I then spoke to my friend and he told me about the sports broadcasting industry. It involves doing a live broadcast feed which enables one to travel and explore the world. I was always interested in sports and travelling. I even loved playing cricket during my school and college years. So, I told him about my interest in this field and he helped me get in. That’s how I got into this sports graphics operations work-profile.

How was it to work on the FIFA 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was not only a remarkable journey but also the ‘bestest’ opportunity in my career so far. 

So, there’s a story behind this. My colleague didn’t tell me that we were going to work on the World Cup.  My colleague just asked me to send my passport and photograph as part of the documents to cover some football league. I didn’t get any idea about it until just one day before the trip. I realized this when I got a letter from FIFA for the studio show. I was surprised beyond measure and had no words to describe my joy.  I remember calling my father and breaking the news to him, telling him that I am about to fulfill this dream! That campaign was indeed a dream come true. When you are working on your dream projects, every mini second feels amazing.

Yes, it was challenging for me because I was working on a really big project for the first time, but everything went well. I got to know a lot about studio and graphic work, both pre and post show.

You have also worked on the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL). Share a memorable moment please?

It was very nice but also very challenging because one had to set up the graphic system and equipment within a day.  Our company also designed a new software for covering CCL.  I had to learn and get used to it very quickly. We did a live broadcast in the CCL without any editing. So, there was room for no error. If any error goes live on TV, then one is in big soup. 

Despite all these challenges, I still loved working on this.  I got to see and even meet so many stars from various Indian movie industries. They were so amiable with us. There was also a good work-life balance while working in the CCL. We travelled on Thursday to the stadium, then by Friday we had to set up the system over the venue. Saturday and Sunday were busy days with four matches to be covered – 2 matches per day.

Then, by Monday I used to be back in Delhi. I got to explore six different cities through this project. One new city every week. That is very memorable for me.  

What steps should a student take to enter graphic operations?

The answer is quite simple. A basic knowledge of operating the computer. Good knowledge about sports and you must know the rules of various sports.

Tell us a bit about the softwares used in the studio?

VIZRT is used the most. Within this, there is Trio, Viz Engine and Viz Artist. Trio is all manual, where you can put all the stats. Viz artist is for designing a gfx for the on air and 2D graphics. Viz Engine is for operating these two softwares. 

What are the next projects in the pipeline?

One of my next projects will be covering the Kabaddi League. There are some more projects, but can’t disclose them as of yet. They are yet to be confirmed. 

A talented correspondent writing special articles, interviews and also doing video coverages. Alongside being a poet, short story writer and football player in the time he finds away from work. You can read Arijit's literary pieces and watch his performances easily on the internet. He can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected]

The Musical Interview with Anamika Jha

Trending