Rendezvous with Excellence!

Today was a special day indeed. I had a rare opportunity to meet, listen to and personally interact with somebody who has made India proud at the highest level in his chosen field. Its was a wonderful privilege.

The first impression that Pullela Gopichand leaves on your is the absolute inner peace that reflects from his demeanor. That is just moments before you realize that he is a very quiet man outwardly too. A few minutes into the talk, and he unravels the mystery: "If you have a legal[sic] vent to all the energy inside you, it makes you peaceful at all other times".

What I liked the most about Gopi, as he's fondly called (but apparently dislikes), was that he has struck the fine balance between being humble, but being unapologetically proud of his accomplishments, without trying to play down the price he has paid for them. Being soft-spoken, but at the same time, being able to verbalize his love and commitment towards the sport, in an infectiously passionate manner, that left the whole auditorium awe-struck.

When asked what sacrifices he made on the demanding road to success, he stumped everybody with the elusively obvious, simple reasoning of: "If you love what you are doing, nothing else that you give up feels like a sacrifice" .

And finally, I asked him what he thought about Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 Hour Theory , and if out of his experience as a player and a coach, he could quantify success. He just gave one of his soothing smiles, and as the picture inset above was taken, said the words that will stay with me for the rest of my life: "I know only one number for success. 100. Give it your 100% !".

I Will!
Av

P.S. - A load of thanks to my friend Sayo for the timely snap!