When a Crowd Ignored Rajni, and He Learnt a Lesson
The superstar recalls ‘reality check’ in self-deprecating speech at Art of Living Centre
Superstar Rajinikanth is widely admired not just for the characters he plays on screen, but also for his humility and wit in real life. His speech at the recent special event celebrating 45 years of the Art of Living Foundation and the 70th birthday of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar eloquently showcased these traits.
Speaking at the event, the iconic actor recalled an earlier visit to the Art of Living International Centre in Bengaluru and said his ego was “crushed” on that occasion. One evening, Gurudev told him he was going to meet the thousands of devotees who had come to see him, Rajinikanth reminisced. “Gurudev asked me, ‘Can you come with me?’” As a Superstar, Rajini was well aware of the difficulties when huge crowds gathered to see him and seek autographs. “I told him it would mean a lot of disturbance for him. But he said, ‘No problem, no disturbance, just come’… I thought naturally people would be there, recognise me, shout my name, ask for a photo and so on,” Rajinikanth went on. “Thousands of people were there. But not a single person looked at me… Forget photos and autographs. I was waving, no one responded,” he said, as the audience burst out laughing. “I have met many politicians and industrialists, but this incident crushed my ego,” he revealed.
“After returning to the villa, Guruji said, ‘No disturbance, right?' I told him with a smile, ‘It disturbed my mind.’ That day I realised the power of spirituality.
Earlier, Rajinikanth shared his love for the ambience of the Art of Living centre. “After the Himalayas, I really enjoy living in this ashram. Lush greenery, everyone is always smiling. It has lakes, an elephant, horses, hundreds of cows... one horse is named Rajini! Initially, I planned to stay for two days but ended up extending it to 15 days”
Rajnikanth’s speech at the recent event celebrating 45 years of the Art of Living Foundation and the 70th birthday of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
When Gurudev asked me to accompany him, when he was going to meet people, I told him it would mean a lot of disturbance for him. But he said, ‘No disturbance, just come’… I thought naturally people would be there, recognise me, shout my name, ask for a photo... Thousands of people were there... many people from Tamil Nadu too. But not a single person looked at me… Forget about photos and autographs. I was waving, but no one responded. This incident crushed my ego”
