After winning hearts, ‘Shera’ readies for job hunt

NEW DELHI - He’s lanky, shy and all of 23. For the last 10 months, Satish Bidla had been transforming himself into Shera every day and now misses the adorable mascot of the Commonwealth Games. With the mega-event now over, he is ready to move on — and look for another job.

“I loved every moment of being Shera. And I miss him now…the last journey during the closing ceremony when Shera bid adieu in a jeep along with singer Shaan, was especially difficult for me,” Bidla told IANS, his eyes downcast.

Regaining his composure, he continued: “Being Shera was just another job for me at the start. I was actually hired for the communications department of the Organising Committee but was later offered the part of Shera because of my easy going nature.”

Having passed his class 12 examination from Chandigarh, Bidla returned home to Delhi two-and-a-half years ago. He was then looking for a job and landed up with the Organising Committee by “sheer luck”.

“My work schedule as Shera was like anybody else’s. But as his popularity grew, my schedule became tighter. Typically, I had to don the costume from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m everyday. I visited schools, colleges, markets and met dignitaries. It was an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Bidla, dressed casually in a jeans and a T-shirt.

The Shera costume - complete with the yellow striped tail - weighed eight kilos. But he had no complaints.

“My most memorable moment was when I was in a tableaux of the Republic Day parade. I will also remember my meeting with President Pratibha Patil and (Congress general Secretary) Rahul Gandhi,” Bidla said.

“The closing ceremony was also good as my parents saw my performance. I had to keep my attire at the office all the time and so my parents had not even seen me in the Shera costume before that,” he added.

While the Oct 3-14 Games have come to an end and Shera said goodbye at the closing ceremony, demands for his special appearance at various events have not yet stopped.

“There was an army function and I had to make a special appearance as Shera. Then, a special party will be organised for the volunteers in another day or two and I will have to be present there,” Bidla said.

And what after that?

“Well, since I am with the communications department, I will be involved with post-production work for the next one-two months. After that, I will have to look for another job,” Bidla said.

An Organising Committee official said: “We will place Satish with some company after his contract ends. We will try and do the same for Manugya, the other guy who had to be brought in as the second Shera because of popular demand.”

Bidla said he is sad that he will not be allowed to keep his costume as a memento, but he hopes that he gets a nice memento to remember the days gone by.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.r@ians.in)