I would like to take a moment and thank the people who have had a significant impact on me as an individual. The way they have lived their lives and their body of work has had an outsized impact on how I think about life in general and my work, in particular.
Some of these are contemporary thinkers and some of them are just a memory. Some of them are famous in their own rights and some of them are yet to be found by others. Some of them are young and some of them are old. Some of them are business leaders, some thought leaders, some sportsmen and some coaches. Some of them are artists and some spiritual leaders.
However, if we look deeply, all of them are like you and me, ordinary people who’ve had an extra-ordinary impact on me and potentially a lot of others. And once you get to know them, may be they will have a similar impact on you as well or maybe not, only time will tell.
The reason I am putting together this list and share what I have learnt from them, to thank them publicly for being a teacher and teaching me important lessons in life and in the hope that some of you might be inspired by their company and they can impact you and your life as they have impacted mine.
So, let’s get started.
#20: Rajinikanth
If you don’t know who Rajinikanth is, I am afraid you are living in a cocoon. He is the Superstar of Indian film industry. How does an actor find a place in a list of people who are insanely interesting (maybe they can) and who influenced my thinking (that could be a stretch).
However, he did influence my thinking. I grew up watching and loving his films. His dialogues and his theatrics, his stardom had an impact on what I thought success and successful people look like.
Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan sparked an interest in acting within me, which led me to actively participate in theatre while in school and get comfortable being on stage and in front of people.
Of late I have found myself listening to his interviews (old and new), read his biography (The Name is Rajinikanth) and listen to others talk about him and my mind is blown away.
I always liked him as an actor – he is versatile, has an impeccable comic timing and is known for coming up with a different style statement in every one of his films.
His characters would connect with people, irrespective of what kind of characters he played (nice guy roles were loved and his bad boy roles were even more loved). He was the actor for the masses.
Now, when I think of him, read about him, listen to him and to his peers talking about him, what stands out is his love and dedication to his craft. His humility (of course, he did have a detour of allowing success get to his head) but as they say, one who comes back home after being lost, is no longer considered lost.
Here is what I really like about him – he has this uncanny ability to tell a story in a way that reaches and touches the heart of any common man, child, teen, middle aged or seniors, men or women. The simplicity of language plays a big part. And even better is his ability to take complex ideas and share them in easily accessible stories.
He is deeply spiritual, extremely well read, hard working, entertaining, humble, extremely successful and yet in some strange form accessible to all.
I always wonder and hope that I am able to learn from him this ability to strike a chord with people by telling easily accessible stories, albeit with deep meaning.
I always wonder and hope that I am able to develop my spirituality as he has through his life.
I always wonder and hope that I am able to continue to be working and having the same kind of impact that he has even today (he is 74 years old and today is his birthday).
So, here is me wishing my SUPERSTAR A Very happy 74th Birthday today.
