Shikhar Dhawan opens up on his love for Sufi music

Many fans questioned the Indian selectors when they selected opener Shikhar Dhawan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 ahead of Gautam Gambhir. But the former has shut down all criticisms with his scintillating performance in the tournament. After 3 matches, he is sitting comfortably at the top of the list of leading run-scorers in the tournament.

The man of the hour, Dhawan has opened up on his interest in Sufi music. He also revealed that spirituality and persistence are the two things that help him deal with failures. Dhawan was seen in a chat show called ‘What the duck’ with comedian Vikram Sathaye. He also revealed how nervous he was when he walked out of the dressing room to play his debut match against the mighty Aussies. Keeping contrast with the name of the show, Dhawan was dismissed for a ‘duck’ in that match.

“I started listening to Sufi music when I was 21. I only like songs with strong lyrics. I am very fond of ghazals. I like ghazals from Jagjit Singh and Sir Ghulam Ali. I have many lyrics that have inspired me from these ghazals and led me to the part of spirituality,” revealed the 31-year old left-handed batsman when he was asked about his interest in Sufi music.

“Gurdas Mann Sir’s song ‘Mawa thandiya chawa chawa kaun karein‘ is very inspirational. The verse that I liked the most means the care that a mother takes of her child is compared to the shade (chawa), and you can never pay back that grace ever in life, no matter how hard you try. Many others like Satinder Satraj and Hans Raj Hans have written good lyrics. So I connect the meaning of these songs to my life and it keeps me calm, away from negativity and leads me to the path of spirituality,” the Delhi-born player further added.

My celebration is natural

Dhawan, who is just one half-century away from 20 ODI fifties, said that he has not copied his celebration style from anyone. Many fans feel that he has borrowed his style from he signature move of Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan. But Dhawan has rubbished all such theories. “The celebration style is natural. When I scored my first century, I naturally lifted my arms up, feeling very happy, looking at the Almighty above. That became my signature style. All these things are natural, not practiced,” said the owner of 14 international centuries, when asked him about his signature move.