IAS Diaries Part 29 - Meeting Sir Sunil Chhetri

I genuinely do not know why I stopped writing the blogs. There are many things I can think of which may have contributed. The rise of social media and YouTube was definitely one of the them. And I also started my YouTube Channel then and felt it was more worth of my time to make awareness videos rather than spending hours to write about the issues and experiences. Videos these days clearly have a wider reach. The reading habits are declining at a concerning pace. But recently something changed in me. And during these intense introspections I realized that I was writing because I love writing and not because people love reading my works. The realization was so intense that I also finally started working on my first book. And ergo, the blog posts are back and I would like them to continue. 

There was another immediate trigger though - Sir Sunil Chhetri, the legend of Indian Football. Indian Football team is camping in Shillong for their two matches with Maldives and Bangladesh. I did go for the friendly match against Maldives and in fact we were also able to take along the entire batch of Meghalaya Civil Service (MCS) 2025. Giving it a little context- I am also now Director of Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute (MATI) and am overseeing the induction training for the officer trainees of this MCS batch. Most of them being football fans wanted to go of the match and thankfully we were able to arrange the same. After the Indian team thrashed Maldives 3-0, we were just hanging outside to get a glimpse of our charismatic captain Sir Sunil Chhetri, a thought came to my mind then that how great it will be if they all could witness a talk from him on Leadership. He has led the Indian Football team for so long and shown such character. Ah, it would be amazing to get this guy to MATI for a guest lecture, I pondered.  

Without wasting a second, I shared this idea with few officials from the Sports Department and from Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) who were present there and they all were really supportive of it. I was able to meet the Manager of the Indian Football Team and conveyed this idea to him. He told me that he would get back to MFA after discussing with Sir Sunil Chhetri. As the days were few, I immediately shot a request to all possible stakeholders to make this happen. We issued an official invite the very next morning. After a couple of days full of anxiety and hope, we did get a confirmation. The smile that resulted was just pure bliss. 

There we were, officials from MATI and all the Officer Trainees of the MCS 2025 suited up for the occasion and waiting for the talisman to arrive. I genuinely thought that it would be a short talk followed by some questions and answers. I had no idea how good a speaker he is. The moment he started, we could feel that his oratory skills are equally impressive as his finishing on the field. He used humor so so well and all his jokes really landed on the spot. That made the conversation so lively and relatable that time flew. He gave some really amazing points which can surely help our young leaders when they go to our 'field'. 

Talking about the secret to his success, he shared it is very very simple. He does the basics right. He sleeps well.Like really well and he does that every single day at the same time. He eats well. He eats the same healthy stuff every single day without fail and he loves it. And rest of time is all about improving his football. His daily routine, he joked, was exactly like his one year old son. And one of the most important things here is that he was doing what he truly loved. And when one does that, magic happens. He also shared that when we imagine our selves doing something, we should be the Hero of that story. Whatever field it is, whatever be the context, we must imagine ourselves as the Protagonist of the movie and then act like one by giving our best as expected from the hero. The power of manifestation will do wonders for you. 

Talking of the importance of time, he shared that we will always have choices to make. The right choice which will have the potential to make us better at what we do, will unfortunately be a lonely path. We will have to accept that and  slog it out all on our own. There is always the other option with immediate gratification - just hanging out you know, going for a drink with your buddies or chilling at home with Netflix. There is nothing wrong with these if that is what you want from your life, but if you want to excel at what you do, you will have to take that lonely path over these. The choice is with us and the most important thing is what is that which makes us happy. There is no right or wrong in this. And there should be no judgements too. It's all about how your heart wants to beat. 

Talking of pressure and criticism, something we also witness in public service, he shared that he was able to handle all of that now as he had seen the cycles so many times in his career. When the good times are on, we should stay humble and keep improving. When the bad times come, just keep breathing and keep giving your best. Rather than confronting the critics, focus on the next game and how we can continue to give our best. One cannot be perfect all the time. There are zillion things happening in the cosmos and we have no control over it. We should not feel bad for the bad run. What is most important is that we give our best and when we do that, we will be able to sleep well even in that chaos. And eventually the pendulum will swing. 

It was definitely the best motivational talk I ever heard and I was fortunate to be there in person. Sir Sunil Chettri has given everything he has got to Indian Football. So much so that he was recalled to the national team even after he retired from it. At 41 years of age, I still saw a young kid in him who just wants to give everything to Football. The energy around him was so so positive and focused. Through his words and his presence, we all could understand what legends are made of. May he continue to be blessed in whatever role he plays for Indian Football. And may I pray as a concluding note that his dream and all our dream of watching India play the World Cup becomes a reality in our times.