The Sweat & The Smile As ‘Olly’ Bares All With Hockey WC Coming To A Close

Bhubaneswar: One of the major attractions at Kalinga Stadium during Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup concluding today, was the happy and huge ‘Olly ‘- the official mascot of the event.

With a bright smile and jolly moves, Olly has been fans’ favourite at the world cup. Be it the Fan Village or the stadium, the star attraction has always been Olly – the Olive Ridley Turtle of Odisha.

However, beneath the heavy costume are people like us working tirelessly to make others laugh. We caught up with one of them who shared his experiences.

Satyanarayan Srichandan, or Olly, has been donning the costume since Hockey World League. “I was there at the Asian Athletic Championship as well,” he said. A volunteer at Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, he was selected from the institute itself.

“I remember the first person they asked to wear the costume, fell unconscious after some time. The costume is really heavy and carrying it is equally difficult but the love we get from people makes it all bearable. Besides, it is also once in a lifetime opportunity when we become celebrities for other celebrities,” he added.

Satyanarayan is one of the Ollys you see shooting t-shirts or dancing to the beat inside the stadium. There are three other people who wear Olly’s costume inside the stadium while there are several others for the Fan Village.

They work in a tight schedule. “Inside the stadium, we have this timetable. In the half-time, we shoot the t-shirts and dance during the short breaks. Sometimes we go up the stands and click pictures with the spectators,” he said.

While up on the stands with fans, they often crave getting back to the room and taking some rest. “People get so enthusiastic that they do not let us go. We forget the tiredness for sometime actually,” he said.

Drowned in sweat inside, with tired limbs, they still move with equal zeal and enthusiasm to cheer up the fans. “That is our work. I don’t mind saying that I am a joker, who makes people laugh. It feels good at the end of the day,” he added.

Olly’s costume has been carefully crafted in a manner that attracts everyone, which he said, is the reason why people go crazy.

On days when there is no sports event, they get back to their regular life and work. “In fact, the government has promised to get us work to earn a living during those lean days. I am hoping for it to happen soon again as the event wraps up today,” he said.

With only his father back home, Satyanarayan earns enough for two square meals a day. “It is not about money always. My friends who earn well are jealous of me because I get to meet all the celebrities and I travel all the time. Apart from this, I really want to do something worthwhile in life. Everyone gets up and work but barely anyone brings a change. I want to be the change,” he expressed.

Speaking about being Olly, Satyanarayan said it gives him all-time access to the stadium . “The Chief Minister also felicitates us at the secretariat,” he signed off with a tinge of pride.