Magic of words Pankaj Dharohar. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, April 1: Pankaj Dharohar, a die-hard fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and hailing from the skipper’s hometown, has penned a Dhoni Chalisa on the lines of the Hanuman Chalisa.

He recites the chalisa every morning to pray for the Captain Cool’s success, much to the chagrin of his wife Lisha Singh. He has been doing this for the past five years.

Pankaj, in town to see a relative, told The Telegraph: “Dhoni is like a god to me. People worship gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Ganesh and Ram but for me he is Hanuman and the biggest god in my eyes. He is my neighbour and I know him before he was a part of the Indian cricket team. I still remember the time when his parents used to scold him for ignoring his studies but he always had his focus on cricket. Today, he is the captain of the Indian cricket team and a very successful sportsman.”

The latest poem Pankaj has penned against the opponent team goes like this: “Hai Ram chalao vaan, dasa nand ke nabhi me pran, use kar bhed, mita lankesh, laga har shakti ko ho purn viram (Almighty lord Ram, pick up your bow and target the naval of Ravan, finish the king of Lanka and put a full stop to him).”

Some of his recent chalisa includes “Jai Dhoni cricket ke maharaj jai ho. Tumhari shakti aparampar hai. Tumhare bat se ball jaye boundary ke bahar. Jai Dhoni cricket maharaj ki jai ho (Hail the king of cricket. May you retain your strength. May the ball from your bat always cross the boundary. Hail the king of cricket).”

Talking further on the chalisa, Pankaj said: “When I recite Dhoni Chalisa it gives him the strength to play better. This is why I have recited the chalisa more than 30 times since morning because he must play his normal game in tomorrow’s match. I am praying for a big score from him. Hanumanji had the power to cross the sea and find Sita. In the same way, Dhoni Chalisa would remind the cricketer of his potential and give him the strength to perform better.”

Pankaj even prays before a Dhoni poster every morning. He has plans to bring out the Dhoni Chalisa in the form of a booklet. “I have plans to print the chalisa so that people can read it and get inspired,” he added.

Pankaj, the in-charge of housekeeping at Ashoka Hotel, in Ranchi said: “Before leaving for the hotel, I keep a copy of the Dhoni Chalisa with me which gives me the power to work like him. I hope in tomorrow’s title clash against Sri Lanka Dhoni will score a ton and win the World Cup. Then, he would be remembered as a great captain and his name will be written in the pages of history in golden letters,” said Pankaj.