TWENTY YEARS OF SERVICE TO INDIA
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
With 45 centuries, 17,178 runs, 58 Man of the match awards, 14 Man of the Series awards, in his 436 ODIs, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a global icon. In tests he has scored 42 centuries and 12,273 runs. The world records he holds in ODIs as well as Test Cricket, it seems now, are unsurpassable by anyone else. He is a God of Indian Cricket and his millions of fans in India and across the globe, feel hurt when somebody says that he is a Marathi first and Indian later. Sachin had very rightly said that he is proud to be an Indian and this statement had no political overtures.
Why did someone leave the political pitch and come down to the cricket pitch and bowl a bouncer to the best batsman in the world? Sachin, very aptly, hit the bouncer for a six over square-leg boundry.
Only ‘one’ Sachin can take birth in one Century and the world is proud of him. The leaders should stay clear of Sachin and not underestimate the Star power in him. Such statements should not be made in a democratic country. We all are proud of the fact that Sachin is an Indian. These petty statements will not give any leverage to the Shiv Sena as a political party.
Sachin is and shall remain the prize possession of every Indian. Someone has taken Sachin to task for saying that he is an Indian, thereby putting the country ahead of Mumbai or Maharashtra for that matter. So what? He wears the Indian cap and he is an Indian. The world adores him for his games-manship, non-controversial attitude, cheerful disposition and incomparable stroke play. He is graceful, modest and downright humble No political leader has ever done India proud – as much as the Master Blaster Sachin.
These leaders should try to gain political mileage elsewhere. There are so many tasks unaccomplished here and they can utilise their energies in those essential duties rather than breaking taxis, burning shops, creating traffic jams, changing the language of signboards and hoardings, stopping the flow of river water from one State to another, stopping the construction of dams, burning busses, uprooting rail tracks and stopping trains. Will these things ensure the country’s progress? And how can we forget the moral policing that a boy and a girl cannot sit together and have coffee in a cafe? This is a God created phenomenon. Wow! What a constructive approach to the county’s essential problems.
Where are we today? Still in the eighteenth century? Where are the eight track roads for smooth movement of traffic? Where are car parking facilities for three hundred cars outside every store and mall? When will we be free of the potholes on the road and the bore-holes where every month a child falls into? Do we have efficient airports and clean railway stations? Why are the cost of essential food items rising everyday? Does anyone has the time to think about these things? The list of unaccomplished tasks is endless. But the leaders are wasting their time in non-existing and irrelevant issues.
Just look at the sacrifice Sachin has made in the course of performance of his duty to the country in the last two decades. Dr.(Mrs) Anjali Tendulkar has stated that she and their two kids Sara (12) and Arjun (10) hardly have time to be with Sachin as he is always away from home. She says that “Sachin is trying to spend time with the family but he is away on special occassions like birthdays or even for kid’s annual day at school”. She added that “Whenever he goes on a long tour, we usually try and plan a short holiday with kids”. Why should he go away for the sake of the country alone, if he is not an Indian? He has duties to perform towards his family also.
Mme Tassauds-London
He is the only cricketer in the world to have his wax statue at Madame Tassaud’s in London where his admirers go and get a view of him and take pictures. How many Indian leaders have achieved this feat – apart from Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiji? If I start mentioning all his records in Tests as well as ODIs – one blog is insufficient to write about his accomplishments and describe his hand-eye co-ordination. Will have to write a book on it. He is the Indian Ambassador to the world of cricket and a prolific run getter for India.
And then, those who believe in mumerology, the final of World Cup is on 2-4-2011. If you add up these digits the total is ‘ten’. TENdulkar’s shirt number while playing ODIs is ’10’. He might lift the World Cup Cricket for India on that day.
We pray to God for his longeivity, good health, happiness, continued progress and thousands of more runs.
He started his cricketing carrer at the age of 16 and on his debut on 15 November 1989 against arch rivals Pakistan, he hit three sixes off Abdul Qadir which shook the Stadium in Karachi and millions of TV sets in the drawing rooms the world over.
Then, the Star was born.
Ravi Matah