Dhoni's name: A startling discovery

Everyone is now crazy about Dhoni! A whole nation chants the one name even louder than the old God- Sachin Tendulkar! Dhoni is now the hottest property in town, especially in the penny-wise-pound-foolish Chennai. It looks like he'll soon upstage the little master in the popularity stakes. He might soon own beach resorts in his name.Anyway, however unlikely are the above said statements and events, Dhoni's name has an intrinsic connection with the land of beach resorts- Maldives.

The traditional boat of the Maldives has been known by the name of "Dhoni". Today it has taken a new avatar-of the multi-purpose sail boat with a motor or lateen sails. The sailing dhoni was used in earlier days by Maldivian fishermen. During the industrial revolution many fisherman changed to its mechanized uber-cool transformation.Does anybody suspect Dhoni has his roots in the fishermen community? There is a word Thoni in Tamil used to describe a wooden raft. However, we cannot verify whether this Thoni or the Maldives Dhoni or the usual Dhoni (word used to describe washer-men. Dhona- to wash) was the inspiration for the name of India's present charismatic ODI leader.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhoni

There’s an enduring sight on the banks of rivers or ponds in India- you find washer-folk dipping the clothes in the water, lathering them and smacking them hard on a stone or the adjoining steps- that’s the way they wash their clothes (the smack sort of removes the water and the stain stuck to the lather)
So you see! His parents had named him so for good reason. He does the Dhoni bit with excellence- smacking not the clothes, but the ball.