“Dream is
not something which you visualize while sleeping, it is something that does not let
you sleep” - Late A.P.J Abdul Kalam.
Wise words from the legendary scientist, who left behind a vision of India being a superpower, by year 2020. Every soul on this earth has a dream that they would want to fulfill. Our childhood is a greatest example of dreams which never saw any limits or boundaries, every single activity was a dream and as one faces the real life, few of us dared to make our dreams come true.
One such person I know is M.S Murali, currently donning the role of Chief Fun Officer, at a MNC with an employee strength of 1,80,000. "Bringing a smile onto a face is one thing, but ensuring that it is replicated for all 1,80,000 folks is altogether a different game. Each day as I wake up, I ask myself, "How can today be different ?" (from what I have done in the past). As I've no set benchmarks to out perform, I am my own competitor, I tend to see things which others have not even imagined.", says Murali.
I personally know Mikey (as most of his friends address him) since the days of
TGIM episode number 200. "TGIM - Thank God Its Monday, is one of kind of
initiative that connects passionate music lovers (Rubber-band) cum
employees across the company every Monday by giving them a platform
to perform and showcase their talent, be it singing or playing instruments.
" says Murali. "The initiative is such a huge success
that, we have been recognized by the Limca book of records, as the only
initiative to be conducted non-stop for over 500 mondays or 10 yrs now. To add to it, we have been able
to fly down our our Rubber-bandits to Paris recently to perform , there by
giving the world a glimpse of what we can achieve if we believe in
something we love", quips Mikey
"Limca records was now achieved and I was back to my old question, "How can today be different ?", answering this at times can be difficult, cos the stakes are too high, but I was the happy mascot, if I am not accountable for setting things right, no one else can be. So , this time we raised the bar of the game. Along with Valerian, my partner in crime and my trustworthy MnS gang, we dared to achieve the impossible, to set a Guinness World record.", he adds. "People wouldn't believe on what we targeted to achieve, some would just laugh at the whole plan , but hey, it isnt a dream, if it does not sound un-realistic. From day one the vision was set for Project-G, to bag the Guinness World record for the World largest Bollywood Dance lesson."
As I look at the certificate & trophy , I can hardly phantom the value of this achievement. It certainly is once in a lifetime high !
As there are always two sides to a coin, there are two journeys of a human being one professional & one personal. Having achieved the name and fame in his professional growth, one can always guess that it would be at the cost of his personal life. Little did I know about the journey though. "All that happens in your life is for a specific reason, more often than not, things are destined. I was in a marriage for 5 yrs until 2010, before we broke apart for personal reasons. life was indeed a mess, going thru a divorce can be a nightmare for any gender. Countless court sessions eating up your time and money, as my case was in a different city too. How can I put a smile on others face , while I am frowning myself. " he remarks
"I am an EmCee by choice and this very passion became my backbone during
the worst times, it helped me overcome the sickness of going thru the divorce ,
at the same time, earning for the alimony . " says Murali. For a person
who has hosted over 1400 shows across 12 countries, which includes hosting the
T20 cricket World cup, being on stage is a definitely a serious business,
yet he is incredibly humble considering that he has carved himself a niche of the Brand Mike Murali, in the
events circuit .
"T20 World cup anchoring was indeed a dream come true, it was a platform which one would always want to associate himself with, at the same time, I was not just sharing my interest but almost a religion in a country like India", he quips.
As we got along talking so much about his life, he was eager to share abt the bond he shared with his friends what was acheived through it.
"Almighty has been very generous to me while allocating friends in my journey of Life. In one of the recent catastrophic incidents, which include earthquake at Nepal or floods in Chennai, I was moved within to see the pain and agony of the affected people. Sucn incident gave birth to EFGH - Every Friend Gives Help, an NGO that I run, where in we pool in assistance across the world, for a noble cause.
Every single time I reach out seeking for assistance during critical times, I see overwhelming response restoring my faith in humanity, the power of friendship. During the Chennai floods, we send out 5 truck loads relief materials and over 7 lakhs rupees buying bed sheets and under garments for the needy, which was hand delivered to the affected people by EFGH members in Chennai. EFGH is just the starting point of what I can foresee, a social revolution, that is in the making through this", adds Mikey
**
Wise words from the legendary scientist, who left behind a vision of India being a superpower, by year 2020. Every soul on this earth has a dream that they would want to fulfill. Our childhood is a greatest example of dreams which never saw any limits or boundaries, every single activity was a dream and as one faces the real life, few of us dared to make our dreams come true.
One such person I know is M.S Murali, currently donning the role of Chief Fun Officer, at a MNC with an employee strength of 1,80,000. "Bringing a smile onto a face is one thing, but ensuring that it is replicated for all 1,80,000 folks is altogether a different game. Each day as I wake up, I ask myself, "How can today be different ?" (from what I have done in the past). As I've no set benchmarks to out perform, I am my own competitor, I tend to see things which others have not even imagined.", says Murali.
"Limca records was now achieved and I was back to my old question, "How can today be different ?", answering this at times can be difficult, cos the stakes are too high, but I was the happy mascot, if I am not accountable for setting things right, no one else can be. So , this time we raised the bar of the game. Along with Valerian, my partner in crime and my trustworthy MnS gang, we dared to achieve the impossible, to set a Guinness World record.", he adds. "People wouldn't believe on what we targeted to achieve, some would just laugh at the whole plan , but hey, it isnt a dream, if it does not sound un-realistic. From day one the vision was set for Project-G, to bag the Guinness World record for the World largest Bollywood Dance lesson."
As I look at the certificate & trophy , I can hardly phantom the value of this achievement. It certainly is once in a lifetime high !
As there are always two sides to a coin, there are two journeys of a human being one professional & one personal. Having achieved the name and fame in his professional growth, one can always guess that it would be at the cost of his personal life. Little did I know about the journey though. "All that happens in your life is for a specific reason, more often than not, things are destined. I was in a marriage for 5 yrs until 2010, before we broke apart for personal reasons. life was indeed a mess, going thru a divorce can be a nightmare for any gender. Countless court sessions eating up your time and money, as my case was in a different city too. How can I put a smile on others face , while I am frowning myself. " he remarks
"I am an EmCee by choice and this very passion became my backbone during
the worst times, it helped me overcome the sickness of going thru the divorce ,
at the same time, earning for the alimony . " says Murali. For a person
who has hosted over 1400 shows across 12 countries, which includes hosting the
T20 cricket World cup, being on stage is a definitely a serious business,
yet he is incredibly humble considering that he has carved himself a niche of the Brand Mike Murali, in the
events circuit ."T20 World cup anchoring was indeed a dream come true, it was a platform which one would always want to associate himself with, at the same time, I was not just sharing my interest but almost a religion in a country like India", he quips.
When asked about his prized possession, Murali being a Ilayaraja fan, I thought he would point towards the personally signed poetry, which Murali wrote and got it signed by the legend himself, but he pointed to something else that hid behind the framed work. I leaned to see what he was pointing at and immediately, we exchanged smiles, as we see his house full of life. His parents living & cherishing his every move, the calm and beautiful wife Charu who has been the force when our man was swimming in the tsunami for the Guinness book, his son Pranav who is almost an adult now and gets along like a friend with Mikey, his daughter, Laya the 12 month old doll and the most adorable member of the family - the Beagle - Chilly "Life is either easy or difficult , there has never an in-between. If you are part of the in-between, then you are not living life to a full extent." , he added.
As we got along talking so much about his life, he was eager to share abt the bond he shared with his friends what was acheived through it.
"Almighty has been very generous to me while allocating friends in my journey of Life. In one of the recent catastrophic incidents, which include earthquake at Nepal or floods in Chennai, I was moved within to see the pain and agony of the affected people. Sucn incident gave birth to EFGH - Every Friend Gives Help, an NGO that I run, where in we pool in assistance across the world, for a noble cause.
Every single time I reach out seeking for assistance during critical times, I see overwhelming response restoring my faith in humanity, the power of friendship. During the Chennai floods, we send out 5 truck loads relief materials and over 7 lakhs rupees buying bed sheets and under garments for the needy, which was hand delivered to the affected people by EFGH members in Chennai. EFGH is just the starting point of what I can foresee, a social revolution, that is in the making through this", adds Mikey
With a vision like him, I am sure there is a something brewing inside him and
awaiting the right moment to be let out to the world. So join me in wishing him
the best, because not always you meet someone with the right intent and
capability, Mike Murali is certainly a Happy Mascot! Keep spreading
smiles Mikey !
**
So when was the last time did you dare to dream, a dream which you think could change the world, a dream that would not let you sleep peacefully.
