Thank GOD!

Buzzing of an old alarm clock, Waking up of three men in the home at 4 on a chilly winter morning and Tiptoeing out of the bedroom on the way to drawing hall. The grandfather switches on the TV set. The boy who is in the first year of his teen-age parks himself relaxing in front of the screen.  With the toothbrush in hand and a smile on the face (Insensitive to the chilliness of the marble floor), he is amazed by the lush green outfield (with fascinating check pattern) of The Basin at Wellington.  The father prepares delicious Ginger tea as he joins the two. Next what they witness is termed as ‘Perfection’ in the dictionary of the lovers of the game, a young man named Sachin Tendulkar had just played a Picturesque straight drive. Three Generations, Sipping of Tea on a winter morning, Game of Gentlemen and the Legend- Sach are my distinct memories of the man who has had a limited but substantial progression to become The God by now.

He moved on to make 113 in that innings and though India lost it thanks to the likes of Nash and Cairns; I was quite happy because my faith in my Hero and his talent was strengthened. I have had (or listened to) many discussions about The technique of Gavaskar, The aggression of Richards and The elegance of Viswanath but there was something about Sachin even then that told me that He is beyond all these. The relationship had started long before when he hit a century against Srilanka in January, 1994 which made me decided to watch the 3^rd test match of the series at Motera in Ahmedabad live. Kapil Dev broke Hadlee’s record and Azhar hit a stylish ton but it initiated my strong following for the man who eventually became synonym of batsman-ship in Cricket.

The English Summer of 1996 and The magnificent 169 at Cape Town under pressure against the bowling attack of Donald and Pollock, convinced me more than ever about my dedication at the Summer Cricket coaching camp that I joined for three consecutive years then. The only reason I enjoyed the solo net-sessions there was the fact that it was the only time when I could believe that I can also stroke a Cover drive and a Straight drive with the same stance and elegance!

What happened during those three years (1996-98) can just be experienced! 523 runs from the little maestro and the sad exit at the Eden gardens, the rivalry with Shane Warne and The epic Sharjah Century (and Tony Grieg’s animated commentary) are just a few of the events. I remember me and my friends hanging at the window grills of certain houses in staff-quarters at the school cheering for Sachin and the courageous acts (back in class 5-6) of getting late to the class!

The next year brought one of the most memorable centuries from him when he scored 140* against Kenya in World Cup. The man had lost his primary source of inspiration- his father Ramesh Tendulkar but had the guts to be back on the battlefield immediately to win a much-needed match for his country then. He looked at the heavens in his customary style but the eyes could communicate the pain. The moments when you are proud of yourself because of someone else!

The memories galore even after: Almost a dream-run in WC 2003 (The unforgettable sixes against Caddick and Shoaib), Uncountable Paddle Sweeps, An on-sided 241* at Sydney after a rough patch (“Class is Permanent”: Boycott), Fighting 175 against Australia (The Fr. Enright Common room atmosphere!), 200* against SA at Gwalior (and the madness in XL canteen), Virat Kohli & gang lifting Sachin after winning WC2011 and off course the most talked about 100^th 100 at Mirpur.

An innocent introspection tells me that I have not been a person who has found it easy/comfortable setting role model(s) for himself. But I am really amazed the way I have been able to think about Sachin not just in critical moments but even in normal times to sustain self-motivation. If it was just about talent, I think the likes of Lara and Laxman are more gifted. But it is more than the talent, he represents the journey of a boy coming from an ordinary family who has achieved milestones (via passion & commitment) that are never achieved before and are most likely not to be achieved!

I am an agnostic at heart but I admit after all these years that in a nation as diverse as India, Cricket surely is the most popular religion and if there has to be a God here; it has to be Sachin. While he has been addressed as the GOD quite frequently by his fans, Sachin has been about small things to me. Average height (rather small for a sportsperson), Childlike smile, Remarkable dedication, Strong preparation, Chewing nails when tensed, Listening to Kishore da, Ethical conduct irrespective of surroundings, Mentoring the youth, Passion for the game and Love for the family and country- Sachin is that common to me! No wonder a billion Indians can relate to him and love him blindly. There have been, are and will be Indian sports persons who are great and/or legendary but the way Sachin has carried the weight of expectations is impossible to match.

Like any common man, I have had plenty of days in my life when I was down/sad/in bad mood because of trivial/non-trivial issues and there have been occasions when I was short of motivation; Sachin is the one who has brought a smile on my face on more occasions than anyone else and has provided the inspiration to do well wherever I am heading in life! This is my humble attempt to say thanks to The GOD (if there is any) that he made a gem of a human being known as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and brought him to the game of Cricket (and not Tennis). I owe a million thanks to the icon for being the Best friend, Guide and Entertainer for me over more than 18 years now.

Sachin- Wishing you a very Happy Birthday and I pray that you continue to lead your life the way you want it. As I keep on focusing your message of “Chase your dreams because they do come true!” I would end it by:

“Thanks for being SRT”

The Snow and The Sunshine!

There was snow. There was sunshine. And there was Wind with the silence that was one with the scene around! She found this place beautiful and he always found it serene. They were quite different and yet subtly alike. She was extremely affluent and he wanted to be one. She thought that the world has a lot in store for her while he always pondered about making a difference to the world! She wanted to party, He wanted to sing and dance! She cared for him but also cared for what the society had to say. He cared for her and that’s it! They never understood why they loved each other, may be they never tried to! May be that was the best thing about their love and may be that was the worst thing for her and him!

He made a perfect coffee and brought it in the mugs which they had gifted each other on their birthdays (the teenage ones when they were not sure of the difference between liking and love). It was symbolic in a way! She had not asked for the coffee but she did not ask him to love her either! The coffee was there but the conversation was missing or maybe they wanted to avoid one.  He could sense from the slightest expression on her face that she found it slightly bitter but that is how he liked it and wished that she also likes- Small things where they would attempt to bridge the differences!

Finally she started the conversation which he would have loved to avoid for his lifetime! There were few things he was scared of in life but this was an exception. “I think it is high time I start moving substantially on the way I want to travel. It might not be easy but I guess am ready for it. I wish you also come along. It will be great!” She said. It had to be her, he liked her because she was beautiful (Gorgeous would be more towards perfection) but he loved her for the fact that she was brave. She always wanted to travel the foreign land; she had this childlike rigidity in spending her life amidst the ‘Modern’ world. She thought her life belonged there though her soul would always belong to the weirdly candid man sitting next to her! He had his own dreams (Yes there were some in which she was absent physically!). He wanted to be ‘The Leader’- the one who will serve the beautiful and not so developed land. He thought he owed it to the motherland. She felt it was rude of her to leave him, he felt it was innocent of her (And that is why they were madly in love). “You will have fun. You will surely find the pleasures you are looking for. I will pray for your happiness till I breathe.” He said. The voice was firm as ever and that was typical him- replying in the weirdest possible way that always left her life in perplexity! He thought he was complex, she thought he was mature! So it was decided and waited to be done! They always had this competition between them- the one to hide emotions and hence there was the silence- the one that speaks aloud and speaks a variety of emotions. There was emptiness, oneness, joy, anger, tears, anxiety, care, prayers and a lot more in it. More than anything else there was Love- the true love and that is how they loved each other most of the times, silently!

“How deep is the valley?” She asked as the last sip of coffee was passing through her neck. Oh God, isn’t she the most beautiful girl he wants to see in his lifetime? He thought (in fact he did not) in a split second and replied: “How far is the Sun?” They were ending in the same fashion in which it had begun and had always remained till then- Strange! A lot of strange things are pretty; this surely was the prettiest of all. The brave stood up and asked if she could keep both the mugs. He wished he could say a No to this and to the more important decision she made a few minutes back. But he never learnt that and she never taught him that. But both wished from the bottom of their hearts that He would say a No, that he would stop her. They used to think alike especially at times when it mattered for the pump that keeps the life alive. She came near and embraced him. She wished he would kiss her, he wished as well but he did not! The eyes were closed though. For a moment they wanted to live and die both simultaneously! Like most of the true joys of life, it was momentary. They departed. There was love, there was an ego (or two) and there were dreams (or the belief that they are!). Of them, the Love lost or not really!

She did well with her pursuit of happiness and so did he. He was the lead of the place which had become ‘Almost modern’ now. He had spent his manhood in making it one. He thought he owed it to the land but may be somewhere he wanted to make it a place where he could have asked her to stay; he could have said The ‘NO’ of his life! 'Beauty and Freedom' is a rare combination and that is why she was unique. That is why he loved her madly. She thought that the relationships are strings, she loved him but she loved her freedom more than him or maybe she thought so. He thought, “Love binds, it never ties. The river never stopped on that Rock to tell it where it was flowing but they are so lovely together! Love lets you go because there is no sense of insecurity; there is a trust, a joy which is above all the pleasures of the planet. It is unconditional else why his mom never asked him for a reason when he suddenly wanted to sleep peacefully on her lap. Love is free like a fall.” She loved the freedom, he loved the love; both actually loved the same!

One fine day she comes back to him, to the beautiful modernized land where she belonged once and where she had left her soul. But unlike the movies they had watched, she did not come back soon. They were just 50 years old then! He made the coffee and she obviously did not ask for it. She found it perfect as she had started having bitter coffee after leaving him (maybe that is how they kept in touch!). He was usual silent. Praising her beauty with the words raining from his eyes but the mouth shut. They both smiled the dangerous smile- the one when your lips stretch minutely wide but get inside the mouth! Yeah they had their own weirdness in everything they did, the smile, the praise and the love! They finished the coffee faster than they did 25 years back. She put back the mugs in the kitchen and got back to the swing where they were sitting. They rocked the swing like children for quite a while. She was lost in the memory and he was lost in her (the only memory he had)!

“How deep is the valley”, She asked but she sounded different than what she did years back. She put her fingers on his mouth before he could reply with his stupid weird answer and kissed him. They wanted to live and die simultaneously! She decided the latter and suddenly jumped in the valley. There was a silence, an eternal emptiness. “Not as deep as our love”, He said and jumped into the valley staring straight into the sun. There was the Sun. There was the Sunshine. A few clouds to make it gloomy but there was the Love in the air though the lovers were gone with the wind!