Most of us tend to be star-struck when we meet celebrities. I recall meeting former Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev at Newark airport, Al Pacino at Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles, and attending a political rally where Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi addressed the crowd. These moments tend to stay with you. But it is rare to get an appointment with a celebrity. Well, we hit a jackpot! A few months ago, we were invited to spend time with cricketing legend, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, at a club in central Jersey. It turned out to be a surreal experience. As Ritesh, Taran, Roshan, and I entered the Metuchen Club, we spotted Dhoni sitting with our common friend. The first sight of Dhoni left us in awe. I was grateful for all my mindfulness meditations.... my heart was fluttering but I had to appear cool and collected. Over drinks and beverages, our 25 minutes with this cricketing legend left us wanting for more. Dhoni came across as one of the humblest and most grounded I have ever met. His humility, even as one of the most successful sportsmen in the world, is unparalleled. We have read about Captain Coo's (as he is widely known) down to earth nature, but meeting him and chatting with him made our respect for him grow manifold.
Here are snippets from our conversation:
Taran asked him how he handles expectations.
Dhoni's advice - "You have to stop looking at the result. Just focus on what you need to do in the moment ..... the process, the steps.... and not on the result." (I beamed 😊.... Dhoni sounded like an ambassador of mindfulness). Dhoni continued "At the same time, be honest to yourself on how much effort you have put in. Your performance is a result of your talent, ability and hard work."
Roshan enquired how Dhoni handles pressure.
Dhoni's response - "Focus on what you can control. Don't focus on the uncontrollable. Control the controllable." Sounds like Lord Krishna's guidance to Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita.
The most important values.
Of the most important values to him, he said he valued honesty the most. "You can lie to others, but you can never lie to yourself." Dhoni also consciously learns from his mistakes. He added, "People learn from their mistakes, but those who learn from others mistakes, learn the fastest."
Dhoni is known to be a patriot. While speaking about India, his face brightened. "India is the only country with 10,000 patriotic songs. We, Indians, are emotional people. Being emotional is our strength." In 2011, Dhoni was conferred with the rank of honorary lieutenant-colonel in the Indian Army for his contribution to cricket. In August 2019 he completed a two-week stint with the Territorial Army in Jammu & Kashmir. We were curious to know what inspired him to serve in the Indian Army. Dhoni commented that he always held the Armed Forces in high regard. He wanted to see firsthand the hardship that our Armed Forces go through as they serve to protect us.
While discussing his career, he mentioned that there wasn't one particular turning point. Instead, he tried to make use of every opportunity he got. His advice - "If you make use of every chance you get, and put your 100% in it, you can say with conviction that you tried."
Towards the end of our meeting, Dhoni spent time giving us autographs and patiently took pictures with us. As is his persona, he did not hurry us, and instead stood as a willing model, who we hovered around and took pictures with. Once the pictures were clicked, he asked us to check if they were ok, or if we needed more. Really? What is he made of?
As he waved us bye, he gave a piece of advice to Taran and Roshan, "Your parents will give you advice. Their parents did the same, and you will do the same with your children. They mean well. Listen respectfully and patiently but remember that you must evaluate their advice."
As we walked back to our car in stunned silence, captivated by Dhoni's humility, simplicity, warmth, and kindness, we took some time to soak in the experience, and then discussed how each one of us felt. Our conclusion - we had come to meet a cricketing legend, but we ended up meeting an icon, a hero, a soul so unique that he dazzled us not just on the field but even more off the field.
Long back I had read Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote "A great man is always willing to be little." But now I finally understand what he truly meant.
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