'I Was Waving But No One Saw': Rajinikanth Recalls First Visit To Art of Living Ashram, Says It 'Crushed My Ego'

 

 

It is perhaps one of the rarest and unexpected things to happen to superstar Rajinikanth, whose arrival usually draws massive crowds and frenzied fans, that he once found himself completely unnoticed during a visit to the Art of Living Foundation ashram in Bengaluru. Recalling the experience, the veteran actor said it "crushed his ego" and changed his understanding of fame and spirituality. Speaking during an event celebrating 45 years of the Art of Living (AOL) and the 70th birthday of its founder and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the superstar shared how the experience became a lesson in humility for him. Rajinikanth said he was mesmerised by the atmosphere at the ashram when he first visited it years ago.

 

"Full greenery, lake, and people, all of them smiling and happy. There was an elephant, horses, hundreds of cows... One of the horses' names was Rajini," he said, drawing laughter from the audience. The actor said he had initially planned to stay at the ashram for only two days, but eventually remained there for 15 days. He then narrated an incident that, according to him, completely changed his perspective. Rajinikanth said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had asked him if he wanted to take a tour around the ashram. Since he was one of the biggest film stars in the country, he expected people to gather around him for photos and autographs.

 

"I thought naturally people would be there and they would recognise me. I also saw many people from Tamil Nadu... There were hundreds of people. I'm not lying, not even a single person looked at me," he said, leaving the audience in splits. "Forget about photos and autographs, not even a single person looked at or spoke to me. I was waving but no one saw. I have met many politicians and industrialists, but this experience crushed my ego actually," Rajinikanth added. The actor said the incident made him realise that spirituality holds far greater value than fame and stardom. "Stardom comes and goes, maybe it stays for a while. But this [spiritual] stardom is supreme stardom. Even after death, that kind of stardom stays forever. In fact, it grows," he said.

 

Rajinikanth also said he felt blessed to be sharing the stage with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during the celebrations. Across four and a half decades, the Art of Living has grown into one of the largest volunteer-driven humanitarian movements reaching more than a billion lives in 182 countries through breath, meditation, education and grassroots service.