During an interview, Narayana Murthy shared an interesting life experience about an incident he witnessed while traveling from London to India. His co-passenger was none other than Indian film actress Kareena Kapoor. Narayan Murthy observed that whenever fans tried to approach her, hoping for a brief interaction or even just a smile or an autograph, she didn’t bother to acknowledge them. He noted that she lacked basic decency in her behaviour towards others.
Narayan Murthy’s wife, Sudha Murthy, was also present at the event and attempted to justify Kareena’s indifference by suggesting that she might have been tired or preoccupied. However, Narayana Murthy remained firm in his opinion that her behavior was undeniably rude towards her fans, lacking basic humility towards them.
When Dilip Kumar met J.R.D Tata.
This story reminded me of another incident, involving the legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar. He once recounted an experience from the peak of his career, which left a lasting and unforgettable impression on him.
Dilip Kumar shared, “At the height of my fame, I was once traveling by plane. The passenger sitting next to me was an elderly gentleman, he was dressed in a simple shirt and pants. He seemed to be a middle-class person and well-educated. While other passengers seemed to recognize me, this gentleman appeared entirely unconcerned with my presence. He calmly kept on reading his newspaper, gazed out of the window, and when tea was served, he sipped it quietly.
Wanting to strike up a conversation with him, I smiled at him. The man courteously smiled back and said, ‘Hello.’ We then began chatting. While talking to him for some time I brought up the topic of cinema, and anxiously asked him, ‘Do you watch Bollywood films?’ The man replied, ‘Oh, very few. I did see one movie many years ago.’
Then I told him that I worked in the cinema industry. The man responded, ‘Oh, that’s nice. What do you do?’
I replied, ‘I am an actor.’
The man nodded, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful!’ And that was our entire conversation during the flight.
After some time when we landed, I extended my hand towards him and said, ‘It was good to travel with you. By the way, my name is Dilip Kumar!’
The man shook my hand, smiled, and said, ‘Thank you… nice to have met you. I am J. R. D. Tata!’
Dilip Kumar continued, ‘I learned that day that no matter how big or famous you think you are, there is always someone bigger and greater than you. Be humble to everyone, it costs nothing.’
The contrast between these two stories is stark and enlightening. On one hand, we have a celebrity who seemingly forgot the importance of humility and basic courtesy towards her fans. On the other hand, we have a story about two eminent personalities—one from the film industry and the other a titan of industry—engaging in a simple, respectful interaction.
Their interaction, marked by simplicity and mutual respect, stands as a testament to the enduring value of humility. Despite their immense success and recognition, they did not allow their elevated positions to diminish the fundamental human qualities of decency and respect for others. Dilip Kumar’s story serves as a powerful reminder about the importance of humility and the value of treating everyone with respect, regardless of one’s status.
Narayana Murthy’s recollection of Kareena Kapoor’s behavior towards her fans compared with Dilip Kumar’s experience with J. R. D. Tata underscores the significance of choosing role models wisely. It highlights that true greatness within a person lies not just in fame or success one has gathered, but in how we treat others, irrespective of their status or ours. As Dilip Kumar had simply put this experience, humility costs nothing but means everything.
To read more topics, please visit: https://insightfulbharat.com