Bhubaneswar: If you have been to Kalinga Stadium during the ongoing Odisha Hockey World Cup, you must have seen the tournament mascot, Olly, the turtle. You might even have taken a selfie or shaken a leg with it. The mascot might also have posed with your family members or become your profile picture on Facebook. But have you ever imagined who it might be inside that colourful costume?Well, there are four men who take turns to become Olly. They are Nikhil Panigrahi from Bhadrak, Satya Narayan Srichandan from Jankia, Upendra Jena from Balianta and local boy Dinesh Rautray.“The mascot was first introduced during Asian Athletics when the mascot was first introduced and I had to run all over the field with the chief minister’s vehicle as he kept greeting the crowd,” said 28-year-old Nikhil.“The idea of a mascot did not exist in Odisha earlier. But after seeing Olly in the athletics meet, it has become very popular and now anywhere we go there would be people gathering all around us,” he added.Although he makes everybody smile wearing the costume now, Nikhil did not have a happy childhood.“My mother passed away when I was seven. From then on, it’s been me and my father,” said Nikhil, who has completed his post graduation and works as a volunteer in NGOs.But it’s not an easy job.“It’s hard work but we get the energy to do it when we see the crowd enjoying our performance,” said Upendra, who stays with his mother, two brothers, uncle and aunt. Like Nikhil, Upendra is also a social volunteer and works for Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan.“Also it’s colder now and wearing the costume isn’t that uncomfortable. But during the athletics meet last year, it was very hot and it used to become very difficult,” added Dinesh, the youngest of the four-member team.Asked how his family feels, Dinesh said, “They feel really good. Although it’s not always me, they feel proud whenever they watch the mascot on TV.”Apart from donning the Olly costume, Nikhil is a decathlete and trains at Kalinga Stadium itself. He has also completed his MBA in hotel management recently.Despite putting in a huge effort to entertain the people and establish Olly, these four men are yet to get any remuneration but are hopeful of getting something at the end of the tournament.“After the Asian Athletics Championship last year the state government paid four of us Rs 25,000 each. So we are sure we would get something this time, too,” said Nikhil as they started walking towards the stadium where the match was about to begin.

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