Man, Legend and a God

The entire arena looked apprehensive as they saw the short statured man struggling with his back. It was January 31st, 1999 and every household in India had their TV sets tuned in to the same channel. The ‘little master’ Sachin Tendulkar was single handedly steering India to an implausible and miraculous triumph over arch rivals Pakistan. And just when everyone thought we were almost there, the ‘wily old chesire cat’ Saqlain Mushtaq threw sand into the hopeful eyes of 900 million fans literally praying for a win. Well, it was India-Pakistan and you could imagine the emotion in the blood of both the nations.

Sachin was no longer able to stand on his feet and he top edged a top spinning delivery to Akram at cover. The scene looked quite astounding. I could have probably heard the sound of a pin striking the concrete floor in our stand. We saw Sachin walking back with dismay as his head hung down in shame. I knew he was crying. We stood up and gave him a deafening round of applause as he disappeared into the pavilion. 20 mins later, Javagal Srinath dragged another Saqqi’s ‘doosra’ ball onto his stumps and that sealed all hopes for the eternally faithful fans. And for another time yet again….. “India was so near, yet so far”.

“Hey Sunny boy….u insane? We ****in lost the game man. And for Christ’s sake…let’s leave. I can’t stand watching the field anymore” shouted the infuriated friend of mine.

“O yeah…the agony of defeat”, I thought.

I still didn’t want to leave the field. I clung on to the tarnished fences of the M.A.Chidambaram stadium to get a glimpse of the champion. He was named the ‘Man of the Match’ (very rare considering you are on the losing side) and he still refused to come out. People dispersed out of the stadium in a similar manner like a cluster of ants whose nest was shattered. Not many talked in the bus and the train on the way back home. Same happened in the dinner table at home. People were disappointed that we lost…but more upset that Sachin was hurt. ‘The entire nation was taken aback by a shock wave’, I thought. The authority and supremacy that this man possessed was exhilarating.

The power of the man was evident again when India was hoping for a triumph in World cup 1999. It was a crunch game against India & Zimbabwe and unfortunately, Sachin lost his dad who suffered a heart attack. The whole nation expressed grief and condolences as we saw him return back home from England for the funeral. Papers were flooded with messages and TV’s flashed ads to support him. He once again let me go wondering and left me flabbergasted about his place in the hearts of nearly a billion.

“Is he god??” cried my uncle who had migrated to the US long time ago. He knew least about the power of this man.

Episodes would keep coming and people would keep supporting and encouraging this living legend. But there are reasons why people respect you and believe in you. In the 17 years of his playing career so far, he has been a man of few words, who doesn’t make false or unkept promises. And every time when he has been under scrutiny or when he has been attacked by the press, he always let the bat do the talking. Being the richest and the most talented cricketer in the globe, he has never been in the news for bad reasons (First and only cricket up to date to appear on the front page of the ‘Time’ magazine). Oh yeah….talent and money can do a lot of black magic to your personal life. Remember Warne, Ponting, Ganguly, Symonds etc etc etc….the list could keep going on!

The true splendor lies in the appreciation that is not just restricted to India and instead, broadened throughout the world. My Dad and Mom were visiting the US for the very first time in 1998. In New York City in their touring party, a tall and lanky young gentleman came and introduced himself to both of them. The conversation went on something like this I guess (based on what my Dad told me)

“Hey…Im Mark. Pleased to meet u blah blah blah….where are you guys from?”

The moment he hears that both of them are from India…he was a bit excited and started talking this way...

“Oh ok….we in Australia have a lot of respect and admiration for the short man Sachin Tendulkar”

My Dad was undoubtedly thrilled to hear his name in a place where people think Cricket is an insect.

When I was in Melbourne 3 years before, I met a bus driver who was quite friendly. While getting out of the bus as I reached my stop near the hotel…I heard the name of the great man yet again.

“Hey mate…I meet so many Indians out here in Melbourne….but nobody can still find me Sachin’s address in Bombay. Can ya?” and he chuckled.

The respect for him in England is quite outstanding. Usually, people give u a standing ovation if you were to score a well earned century. But for the first time in Lord’s we saw people giving Sachin a standing ovation every time he went into bat during the tout of 2002. Commentators hailed this as ‘a once in the history ‘happening.

But, my all time favorite was the incident described by former opening batsman Sadagoppan Ramesh when India toured Australia in 1999. Ramesh was in Brisbane before the start of a test and was waiting to cross the road when walking around the city. An Aussie guy recognized Ramesh and he approached him in a rather irritated manner. He spoke in such an arrogant and egoistic manner on why the Indian touring party was coming and wasting their time when they are no match for the strength and the might of the Aussies. Ramesh was surprised on how arrogant and how racial superiority was exhibited so openly in Australia. Without caring much, Ramesh crossed the road only to find the same guy following him again. He stopped Ramesh and said something similar to this:

“You guys will get beaten black and blue…but one man in your team will make a century. A man whom the whole nation admires” and stepped away.

Reading this and thinking about this makes me draw inspiration from this man again and again. People might say that his magic might have waned away over the years….but the same happens for everyone in his/her life.

‘We are not what we were yesterday’

Everyone is getting older by the minute and some of the things that you might have today might not be necessarily with you tomorrow. Everyone has a time to go after establishing what he was sent/destined for. And in Sachin’s case, he has established more than what he was ordained for. Even though his form has been questioned lately; I believe that ‘A good beginning makes a good ending’ and we still have a lot more to expect from Sachin.

A dedicated servant to his country, a faithful husband and a responsible father, a man who respects his fans, a man of few words and the darling of the country….Sachin….your legend will ad infinitum live. And if at all I get married and if at all I have a son someday, I would like him to be like this man.