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Home of Dhoni Fan and a part-time school drawing teacher – The many facets of Chennai Super Kings fans

Recently on social media, there was a post by an individual where he had painted his entire home in yellow to pay tribute to Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni. He was assisted by a part-time school drawing teacher who helped him in making this home which was appreciated by the franchise.

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Arangur is a small village in Tittakudi located in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. It has only 535 families living in the area according to the government census. There are no major landmarks in town. However, all that changed last week. In one post which was shared by the official Twitter handle of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, there were photos of an individual who had painted his entire house yellow and had the picture of MS Dhoni on his walls as a tribute to Chennai Super Kings. He called that house ‘Home of Dhoni fan’. In the past, we have seen how Chennai Super Kings fans have elevated their love for MS Dhoni and the franchise in different ways but this was something extraordinary.

Consider this. The house belonged to an individual who did not like watching cricket. Yet, he became a MS Dhoni fan from a moment in Dharmashala in IPL 2010. He decided to make his house a shrine for Chennai Super Kings, the fans and MS Dhoni. In this, he was assisted by a part-time drawing teacher who could not open school due to the coronavirus pandemic in Tamil Nadu. This is the story of Gopi Krishna, the man whose house in Arangur is now a famous landmark and Selva, the man who helped Gopi Krishna achieve this dream.

Opportunity in times of coronavirus

When Chennai Super Kings play anywhere in India, there is at least one section which is painted in yellow. In Chepauk, there is a sea of yellow. However, with the coronavirus pandemic and with no cricket happening in India, Gopi Krishnan, in an exclusive interview to DNA, said he tried to capitalise on this opportunity.

“When Chennai Super Kings started playing in the IPL, I used to see the entire stadium painted in yellow. Everybody would paint themselves in the yellow colours of the CSK franchise and they would be in attendance. However, this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, these things could not be arranged. Thus, I was thinking about what to do to get that feeling,” Gopi Krishnan told on the phone to DNA from Cuddalore.

In this quest, he was helped by Selva. Although Cuddalore is not impacted that much from the coronavirus, his job as a part-time drawing teacher took a hit when the school was shut and continues to remain shut due to the pandemic. In order to utilize his skills, Selva decided to get into house painting. 

“It took me seven days to arrange the paint and other devices to paint Gopi Krishnan’s house. It took me three to four days to get the entire house painted in the way he wanted. I am doing other painting assignments. The pay is varied, depending upon how big or time consuming the job is,” Selva said.

Dispelling the negativity

Gopi Krishnan’s love for MS Dhoni and the Chennai Super Kings began when the former India skipper showed his brilliant finishing in the game against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala in IPL 2010. Dhoni’s sixes off Irfan Pathan and the reaction after he had taken Chennai Super Kings over the line made Gopi Krishnan a fan.

“I have never had the urge to watch cricket on TV. It is only because my kids watch cricket on TV, I watch with them. In 2009/10, when I saw the finishing abilities of MS Dhoni, I became a huge fan. From that point on, I only watch matches that feature MS Dhoni. Both for India and Chennai Super Kings, Currently, I am only watching CSK matches and I claim to be their biggest supporter,” Gopi Krishnan said.

Chennai Super Kings have had a torrid time in IPL 2020, losing eight out of 11 games and their proud record of qualifying for the playoffs finally ending. However, Gopi Krishnan maintains the ‘House of Dhoni fan’ is like an island of tranquility amidst all the negativity.

“There was plenty of negative comments about Chennai Super Kings and how this IPL 2020 was terrible for them. In order to dispel the negativity, I decided to show my support to the Chennai Super Kings team in my own way. I decided to take this initiative and show some positivity amidst all this negativity. It was my way to show the commitment to a franchise that I love the most,” Gopi Krishnan said.

However, there is great news for Gopi Krishan and it has once again highlighted the power of social media. It is believed that Arangur might soon be graced by a visit from ‘Thala’ Dhoni. Although it is not official, the mere thought gives goosebumps to Gopi Krishnan.

“I have been told that he is would like to visit my home although it is not confirmed. That very thought itself has kept me very happy indeed. I had no expectations that such a thing would happen,” Gopi Krishnan said.

Chennai Super Kings might end up with the wooden spoon in IPL 2020, but it is the love of fans like Gopi Krishnan and Selva that make the ‘House of Dhoni fan’ in Arangur, Cuddalore the ultimate symbol of the love people have for the franchise.

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