Offbeat: The important life lessons that table tennis taught Vivek Bhargava

In our constant endeavour to give our readers content that is a little ‘hatke’ from the trade media norm, Adgully has been coming out with Special sections like The W-Suite, Ad Land’s Young Guns, Spirit W and ‘Offbeat’. 

Our newest offering, ‘Offbeat’, seeks to give a glimpse of the lesser known facets of our very well-known industry leaders. We present, in the industry leaders’ own words, an interesting read on areas that are not usually highlighted in regular media coverage – be it about their childhood days, secret skills that they possess, how they unwind from their hectic schedules, and much more. 

Inclined towards technology from an early age, Vivek Bhargava decided to move away from his family business under Bhargava Group and venture out on his own, taking the entrepreneurial road. He has fought his way through the dotcom bust, facing bankruptcy, even having to tweak his business model several times. 

Bhargava founded Communicate 2 in 1997. The agency was acquired by iProspect from Dentsu Aegis Network in 2012, following which Bhargava led iProspect Communicate 2 as the Founder and Managing Director. The company was rebranded as iProspect India at the end of 2015, with Bhargava leading as Chief Executive Officer, till Rubeena Singh took over as CEO of iProspect India in December 2016. Bhargava was then promoted to a larger role of CEO of DAN Performance Group. 

Giving a boost to budding entrepreneurs is not the only passion of Bhargava. He is also a table tennis enthusiast and plays the game competitively. In fact, he won medals in the 40-plus category of the last two national tournaments. Bhargava is taking forward the cause of table tennis with his Kamgar Academy situated in Elphinstone Road, Mumbai. 

How were you as a child and which childhood trait do you still possess?
I was a very persistent child. If I would not succeed at something, I would keep doing it till the time I succeeded at it – a case in point being Table Tennis. Table Tennis is my passion and I’m a state level player. In the initial days, I was the men’s champion in Mussoorie, which meant I didn’t have many players to play with and I had to practice all on my own in order to get better at the sport. While playing sports is fun, the peripheral preparation and practice routines undertaken to make you a better player in the sport can get monotonous. Still, I persisted and kept at it. I realised only when I became an adult that money grows on the tree of persistence. 

I also was and still am a very emotional person, which in a way is an antithesis of persistence. As a child, I could easily cry if my dog would get hurt and even today, if I found a movie touching, I would shed a tear. 

Which superhero did you look up to as a kid and why? Which superhero power you wish you possessed?
Ever since I was a 3-year-old child, I’ve always wanted to fly. I vividly recollect that years back there used to be an ad about a battery with a boy who could fly – as a child I was almost convinced that if I got that battery myself, I could fly too. Though I was plain lucky that I didn’t find a battery, otherwise I would have tried jumping off the balcony in the house in a bid to fly! Mainly owing to this wish to fly, I think Superman would be my favourite superhero. 

In fact, the reason why I became a paragliding pilot was that flying is deeply ingrained in my mind. If I could fly without a vehicle or any kind of support, it would be amazing. It felt wonderful the first time I went paragliding. 

What is your biggest fear and how do you face it?
I’m afraid of sea creatures from my childhood and always thought they were dangerous. Last year, I decided to face my fears and learnt scuba diving. I did a wreck dive in Bali, where a certain section was full of thousands of eels facing vertically to the ground and I had to go above them, which for me was the pinnacle of my fear. I could do that successfully, so I think I have managed to overcome my fear of sea creatures. 

A skill you possess that no one knows about?
I believe that a significant portion of my success can be attributed to likeability. I think people underestimate likeability as a characteristic – it’s a critical trait, which is taken for granted. The ability to be in a position where you are liked by almost every person is a special one. If people like you, they go an extra mile for you, your presence matters to them and you become someone who everyone loves being around. 

What would one find in your playlist?
I am versatile in my taste when it comes to music. For me, it’s more about a particular song or rendition rather than the genre of music. My preferences vary from Justin Bieber, Shakira and Ed Sheeran to Kailash Kher and numbers from the 80’s! I’m not too fond of classical Indian vocals as yet, though I like classical Indian instrumentals. In fact, Beethoven and Mozart at the right time is also lovely! 

Your go-to activity to relax?
Table Tennis! My mother introduced me to table tennis. Table tennis taught me two things – firstly, if you want to become better at something, then you have to work harder at it; and secondly, if you lose today, it’s not the end of the world – there is always tomorrow. 

What is the greatest lesson that you have learnt from life so far?
I learnt an important lesson earlier on in life – that in society, you have to be successful to be liked, accepted and treated well. Somewhere social likability is linked to social success – rarely will you find failures being liked. There is an interesting backstory to this lesson. 

In 1886, we sold our palatial Nepean Sea Road flat in Mumbai and shifted to Mussoorie for a few years. I was a UP state ranking player with many medals and trophies to my name, which bestowed me with an almost demi-God status in the small hill station. I enjoyed a privileged lifestyle and lived a charmed life. I returned to Mumbai when I was in my 9^th standard and joined the Bombay Scottish school. Owing to various health ailments and mishaps, I couldn’t attend school for almost 11 months during which most of the classes were covered. The result was that I stood second last in class at the end of the year. I could see how people began perceiving me differently and judging me negatively during this time. 

This incident made me realise that people treat you in a certain manner not because of who you are as a person, but more because of what you are in status, money, intelligence, etc. And the bitter truth is that if you’re not as successful, you don’t get treated with the same enthusiasm. That’s when I promised myself that I always will strive to be in a position where I can be on top of the ladder, liked and respected. 

A social cause that you are most passionate about?
Table Tennis for sure. I even have a Table Tennis academy. I’m doing this because Table Tennis is my passion and I want the sport to flourish in the country. My dream would be for India to get a medal in Table Tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics and all my efforts are in the quest to contribute to that cause and achieve that dream. 

What’s the one thing you would like to change about yourself?
Procrastination. There are so many things I’ve been meaning to do for a long time now, such as write a book since the past three years – however, I end up procrastinating and they just don’t get done. 

If not CEO, DAN Performance Group, what would you have been?
A happiness guru, teaching a course of happiness! In fact, I recently gave a TEDx talk on ‘Happiness is a muscle’ and have a website on it, called happinessmuscle.in. I plan to undertake various activities on this subject in the future.