What is common between a rickshaw-puller watching SACHIN TENDULKAR bat live on a 14-inch television on some unknown street in Delhi in a roadside Chai ki dukaan with 50 others AND Mukesh Ambani sitting on an Italian sofa sipping some branded whiskey or wine and watching the same SACHIN TENDULKAR live on his maybe 55-inch LED television in his plush 500 sq-ft bedroom? It's the Joy, the satisfaction or the goose-bumps both get at the same time when Sachin drives some excellent cover-drive or raises HIS hands with HIS bat to acknowledge HIS father and God after completing yet-another-century! Even if Ambani may understand the intricacies and the beauty of a particular cover drive like a connoisseur and the rickshaw-puller cant, still both can go to sleep that night thinking about that very moment and smiling in their hearts..! This is what a Sachin Tendulkar can do- UNITE people even if they r miles apart literally, economically, religiously or otherwise!
Reams and reams have been written about this human. How HE emerged in the backdrop of India getting liberalised! How HIS rise has been coincidental to the rise of Globalisation in Indian economy! How India's GDP grew above the Hindu-rate-of-growth as HIS number of centuries grew! How those centuries on the bouncy tracks of Sydney and Perth way back in 1991 changed the cricket world's attitude of looking at Indian batsmen! How for 20 years in the Goddamn world have we seen an INDIAN being at the pinnacle of something! Means years and years after reading those Human Development reports or Population-poverty explosion graphs and seeing India languishing at the bottom of all those indices or even bottom of every freaking ranking published in any sport, we get to see one name occupying a position tailor-made for HIM at the top. Isn't it something giving us schizophrenic happiness?
The other day a friend asked me what's the craziest or should i say hair-raising experience i ever had relating to Sachin? It's in relation to none of his hundreds or even his special moments. It may seem ordinary for some of u but for me sitting there and experiencing the following moment is something which will remain stamped forever in my memory. It's about that day when i went first time to see a test match live at the Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi on 29th Sept, 2008. It was against Australia in which Gambhir made a beautiful 206 in d 1st innings. On the 1st day in the 3rd session, Gambhir stepped out and hit a six over long-on to complete his century. And still from two stands what i was hearing was SAACHIN SAACHINN.. Means come on, the audience out there wasn't blind. It was Gambhir who was completing his century and what i heard was what i never thought of for that moment. I just felt sorry for Gambhir that he was batting with you-know-who. Fan worship knows no bounds..!
My favourite moment of SACH- For many of us, it maybe HIS recent 200 moment or 175 or 163 or 186 moment, but as for yours truly, it's definitely in that 1st March, 2003 World cup league match v/s Pak when HE played that back-foot punch in the cover region and on air, Robin Jackman went on like this-"OH, OH, OH, OHA..!" and even that asshole(excuse me for the language, but when passions run high, expletives run higher,) Sanjay JEALOUS Manjrekar, when SACH hold onto his stance after the drive, said-"it's one for the photographers!". Need i say more?
I have one thing to say to SACHIN Diehards..- i know World cup is a dream for SACH as for us, but please when SACH won't be there on the cricket field after 5 years or so (see, i m very greedy, i want HIM to play more 5 yrs), don't judge HIM by one parameter of a small World cup. I m not being a pessimist here, but still even if we don't get that world cup, WE HAVE ENOUGH MOMENTS TO TELL OUR GRAND-CHILDREN ABOUT HOW WE LIVED IN THE TIMES OF SACHIN TENDULKAR..!
Finally, a mere mortal like me doesn't have anything to gift to u SACHIN on ur birthday. But let me tell u this, tweaking the verses of a famous song-
"THE WORLD HAD LOST IT'S GLORY,
U STARTED A BRAND NEW STORY TWENTY YEARS BEFORE, OUR IDOL...
DON'T EVER LET ME FIND U GONE,
COZ THAT WILL BRING A TEAR TO ME...
U THINK I DON'T EVEN MEAN A SINGLE WORD I SAY,
IT'S ONLY words AND words ARE ALL I HAVE TO GIFT U TODAY..!"
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“Barely two hours after landing in Johannesburg on the 1992-93 tour to South Africa, the team was to visit Tolstoy Farm, Mahatma Gandhi's first Satyagrahi Commune founded in 1910. It was situated 35 kms from Jo'burg and most of the Indian players showed little interest, longing to rest in the hotel after the long flight. But Tendulkar, still a teenager, looked keen and hungry to learn more about Gandhi. His volley of questions to the guide reflected his national pride.”.......
ReplyDeleteDadu very very very Nice artical....speechless
A flighted full toss on Leg stump by spinner. any other will play this shot on leg side by pull shot or glance or flick. but sachin made a space and played a perfect cover drive for four runs.
ReplyDeleteMartin Crowe (New Zealand's ever best bats man) said " the shot played on this ball is only possible for GOD Of CRICKE
BBC Sports:
ReplyDeleteBeneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.
@Gaurav, i m glad u liked the post. And yes, the comments r Wow! Enjoy the SACH day..!
ReplyDeleteDis article is simply amazing.. HATS OFF.. Happy SACHIN DAY.. :)
ReplyDeleteI can say this is wat is called "Being Diehard"..
ReplyDeleteIts actually for both the persons, the writer and the celebrity..
To be very frank, I dont watch all matches for sachin.
But I think this article has motivated me to write for sachin.
"Long live the master blaster
Long live his grace.
Long live his nation's love.."
Again HATSOFF to the article..
sahi re
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed reading ur article. and can also relate to the time when i too went to see a match in Ferozshah Kotla. it was my first international cricket match as i wanted to make sure that i see Sachin atleast once playing. Even if Tendulkar used to stop a ball while fielding the crowd went Ballistic with chants of Saaaachin, Saaaachin. No matter what anyone says but the kind of relationships most of Indians have with Sachin is not less than any of their personal relationships. I feel as proud of Sachin as maybe i ll feel for my own brother and its not just because he is an Indian but because Sachin gives us reason to belief that there is no match to true passion and dedication. i dont know what i'll achieve in life but i can always say that watever i ll do in life, it wont have been the same without Sachin.
ReplyDelete