Happy birthday Kapil! You are truly one of a kind.

Its #kapildev's birthday today and since there are so many new followers I wanted to share some stories. I like sharing feel good stories of people who always make me, and others feel good and Kapil Dev is one of them. For millions around the world, he is a living sports legend. For me he is my friend first. He has known me the longest amongst many of my friends. 

Just a couple of days ago we were talking about Dharamendra and Ratan Tata, two legends in cinema and business. Kapil said they were good men who were loved for their generosity and kindness. Ratan Tata, Kapil said was incredibly patient and made you feel he had all the time in the world, to listen to you.

"But you are the same way, Kapil", I said to him. I've been a recipient of that infinite patience and kindness through the years.

When we met the first time, Kapil was already a super star and I a rookie teenager, India’s first woman sports journalist, causing a lot of confusion amongst the world of sports, a male dominated arena. Kapil was busy causing destruction in another arena. That of cricket. And yet the Haryana hurricane, as he was called, was a very deceptive symbol of what I would describe as  still waters running deep.

I was a no nonsense, impatient, hot headed, spoilt army brat. He, the exact opposite. If it had not been for his patience, maybe my career as a sports journalist might have had an untimely end. I had little tolerance for attitude, or arrogance. Kapil was 5 minutes late for his interview. I refused to do it. He found it very funny. Here he was with people falling all over themselves trying to just get a look. And here was I, not impressed. And that by the way was my very first interview. Lol.

It began with a grudging okay, when he gave a valid reason” Ill do the interview tomorrow at 7 am enroute to college, come down to the lobby. If I don’t see you there, I’ll be heading to college and that’ll be it’. He was there on time, the next day and that taught me the first thing about his character. Kapil was very accountable and still is. If he says, he will do something, be somewhere, will be there for you, he will follow through. He does not make fake promises, lie or pretend to be something that he is not. And he was and remains a gentleman.

The second thing I noticed about him was his patience and focus on and off the field. But while he was very competitive on the field, he was, and remains extremely kind and humble off the field and to this day he takes his fame very lightly.

I remember this incident very clearly and it still makes me smile.

I was going to Kapil’s house for dinner on one of my trips to India.

I was at my favorite, clothing store, Fab India the day before.

There was an outfit I liked and which I eventually wore to the dinner, the next day..

Aparna the Fab India agent who always does an impeccable job of helping me whenever I go to this particular store, was assisting me as usual.

I told her I wanted my sister in law Namita to take a look.

"Ma'am this one is very elegant. It would be great for a formal event." Aparna says.

I said "Okay then I'll wear it to Kapil Dev's dinner."

"Kapil Dev!" Aparna exclaims with reverence and then added innocently  "Kapil Dev,  woh municipal committee waley!

Kapil laughed the loudest when I shared this story.

For Aparna, some guy with the same name running some local office, was a bigger name than a cricket legend. 

Thousands of kids born in 1983 and beyond were named after Kapil Dev after the World Cup win and perhaps the committee head was as well.

But for Aparna it didn't matter. Lol

It always reaffirms what I have always believed...life is a great equalizer! And everytime you think you are ALL that..life reminds you, to the contrary!

Success is relative as is fame. And Kapil was raised to be humble. I asked him how was he treated when he reached home after his team won the world cup in 1983? He said his older brother looked at him and said “ aa gaya? Now go fetch me a glass of water!”

Every time I go back home, I invariably find a cab driver who will tell me he met Kapil and  that he is kindness personified. That if he happened to make eye contact, he will stop no matter how many bigwigs he is surrounded  by, and make time to take a selfie with the cab driver. Or ask him how he was.

While small timers in cricket  and other worlds throw an attitude, Kapil, a legend, does kind, generous and thoughtful things.

He was at an Indian restaurant recently in the USA. You can imagine the reaction of the Indian and Pakistani crowd there.

What does Kapil do?

He goes to every table, spends a few minutes and even asks the guests if they needed anything. He arranged my birthday at Vikas Khanna’s amazing restaurant Bungalow and even though he was jet lagging, took selfies with all the fans who ranged from 12 to decades older.

My son asked him if he ever gets agitated at the invasion of privacy and Kapil replied why would he have an issue with so much love coming his way?

In another venue, the hotel he was staying in was understaffed and people were overworked. He asked several times for some ice and it was a no show.

Another celebrity would have thrown a tantrum.

Kapil just walks to the kitchen, kindly says to the people there "Is it okay if I take some ice? I can see you are over worked".

Like me he loves animals as does his wife Romi, who is lovely and his daughter Amiya as well. All his pets are rescues and he moved the Supreme court to improve animal rights. “ I don’t expect a perfect world, but I do expect a kind one.”

Now as President of the Professional Golf tour of India, he ensured equal prize money for men and women at the Kapil Dev-Grant Thorton Invitational tournament, last year.

I didn’t see it in 1983, but I went to Kapil’s office and saw  the bat that was instrumental in helping India win  the 1983 world cup.

Kapil is also among my go to friends when Im upset or need advice. He has a very positive way of looking at stuff. When I lost both my parents within 11 months, he was just a phone call away, no matter what time it was. He also put things in perspective, pointing out that my parents lived a healthy long life, they left quickly on their own terms and are remembered with such love and respect. He lost his father when he was 16. When his mother passed away in her 80s, he told me they celebrated his life, by inviting her favorite singer home, drinking a cup of tea as she would like it and more.

I was telling Kapil about the  Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary and how it helped me tremendously

 

Then I asked him, " So Arnold said in the documentary that he was born with an uncanny ability to see things very clearly. And he thought that whatever he could see clearly meant it was achievable. He was always positive, even seeing his abusive childhood as an opportunity to become even more determined. 

Kapil,  what about you?

He replies candidly "I don't know about that, but I am a more of a" live in the moment" kind of guy, who always wants to be happy.

I always tell people to be grateful and realistic. 

You get caught up in the idea of only hitting 4s and sixes, but don't forget, it's the one runs, if made consistently  that give the stability and the steady success.

Aim high but learn that success is a step by step process of hard work and doing  that work with joy and positivity.

I see too many people chasing success for some greed, some need,  some fear.

I see so many so called "come backs" that fail.

It's hard for people when they are no longer in the limelight. But you replaced someone and someone else will replace you. Accept it gracefully”.

I remind him of a dialogue the great Hrishikesh Mukherjee had the lead actor speak, " It's very simple to be happy, but very difficult to be simple."

He agrees.

I also tell him that what will always remain in my heart is not Kapil Dev the cricket superstar but a genuinely authentic and kind man, who treats everyone the same. Whose thoughts and stories I love to share with his fans and beyond.

These are life lessons.

Kapil responded 

"It is important. I was just telling one of the cricketers( I'm withholding his name) it is very important not to think some one is any less than you. You never know what gifts they may have that you don't. "

Happy birthday Kapil! You are truly one of a kind.💜💜