A Master who induced a Billion cheers and a Billion tears... #SRT

"There will be Cricketers... there will be Legends... but there will never be another Sachin Tendulkar"

I was born almost 2 years after he made his international debut. The reason for realizing this so late is that I never really believed that cricket was ever played before him, because for most people in my generation 'cricket made its debut with him'. The first memory we have of cricket is hearing the cries of 'Sachiiin Sachiiiiiin' by my family members, relatives, neighbours and the entire country, while we were watching the legendary innings he was playing at Sharjah. In fact my second memory of cricket is also watching him play in the 1999 world cup in the match against Pakistan. Patriotism was at its highest peak then.

During our childhoods, many believed that MRF was a company that manufactured cricket bats and that was only because of this little master. When sometimes my father would bring a bat for me which didn't have that sticker on it then I would tear the sticker on it and write MRF with my red sketch pen.

For millions, the match used to end just after the fall of his wicket. Every time I missed watching his batting due to school, the first question that I asked to my mother after returning was 'how much Sachin scored?' and after hearing the answer I would imagine him hitting all those runs and cheer. It was him who inspired every boy and girl of my generation to do something for our country. It was him who inspired many parents to allow their children to take up sports seriously.

From an age when teens struggle to figure out a hobby, he at 16 was facing some of the fiercest bowlers the game had ever seen. Most of the present team India players were not even in school when he made his debut. Intimidated and nervous, what was thought as the entry of just a lucky kid to debut at such an age; bouncer after bouncer, with a bloody chin, till the moment he got out after his first innings, world knew he was not just another boy. He was something special. And then began the most illustrious journey Cricket has ever seen. Career stats which would make even a CA run for his money. Record breakings were made a mockery of. The number of records he has, is a record in itself. 

Opponent after opponent, stadium after stadium, year after year, world cup after world cup he continued to mesmerize everyone who even heard of him. The time he has 'Bled BLUE', three generations have come and gone. The Game has seen a drastic change but the master stood firm. After an astonishing 5 World Cup appearances, even the greatest riches, fame couldn't shake him. Aiming to play Tennis in his childhood, more than 3 decades later he became much more than just a Cricketer. To many he was the GOD of a sport which is even bigger than the government in India. 

The SACHIN-fever was not just limited to those acquainted with the 22 yards, it was a global phenomenon. People who never watched cricket, admired him. Places where there is no cricket, honoured him. And he was a dream-catch to those few lucky brands who were able to make him their face. He was one of the very few players in world cricket, who used to get standing ovations across the globe; from Kingston to Lords to Durban to the SCG. Strategies were made especially for him. His wicket was every bowler's dream. There is not even a slight possibility, the BCCI will ask any other player ever if he is available or not; before selecting the squad for any series. Opponents respected him with the highest regard and some of their statements have now become ever-green quotes of idolism.

• Mathew Hayden (one of the greatest and feared Aussie batsmen) famously said, "I have seen GOD. He bats at No.4 for India".
• Hasim Amla once quoted, "Nothing will ever happen to you, if you are on the same plane with Sachin".  
• "I want my son to become Sachin Tendulkar", said Brian Lara (One of the greatest batsmen ever).
• "We didn't loose to India, we lost to a man called Sachin Tendulkar", said AB Devilliers (South Africa ODI Captain) when Sachin scored the first ever double hundred in ODIs. 
• Barack Obama very famously once said, "I don't know about Cricket but still watch Sachin play. Not because I love his batting but I want to know why my country's production goes down by 5% while he is batting".  

It was a career so magical, that his records may even last forever. He has possibly written every individual record in his name; won the IPL, CLT20 and of course the ICC Cricket World Cup on his home ground in Mumbai. But as nature has it, the inevitable did finally happen. One fine day, out of nowhere he declared that he wants to retire within a month, at his homeground. Suddenly India skipped a heartbeat. And all of a sudden, BCCI geared up to bid the grandest of all farewells to its biggest superstar. A quickfire series with the West Indies was suddenly accommodated in the already jam-packed team India's schedule; the Master's final appearance being scheduled to be at Wankhede on 14th Nov '2013 for the 2nd Test Match. Everyone prepared for the best of celebrations; but there was a wish in everyone's mind not to see this day ever in their lives. After all Sachin was a true peoples' favourite. Every run he scored, felt like it was ours. After all Sachin was the GOD of the game & how can we not feel his magic. 

For the build-up to this massive game, India was gripped in hysteria. The GOD was retiring. Every news channel's prime-time topic was about the little genius. Every youth, every sports lover, almost every Indian was gripped in 'Sachin fever'. And that day finally arrived. Madness, Hysteria, Security that has never been seen before any cricket match & definitely not a Test match, gripped Mumbai. But this was no ordinary match. It was the Master's final appearance on a cricket field. Wankhede turned into a fortress to bid goodbye to its favourite son. Undoubtedly it had to be the most important cricket match in the history of Indian cricket. There was not even a square feet of empty space inside the stadium. The President's Box was full, so was the VVIP Box and was the entire stadium. Aamir Khan to Hrithik Roshan to Rahul Gandhi to Nita Ambani to Clive Lloyd, all were in attendance. The Master's mother and coach were there too to watch their favourite son for the very first time and for the last time as well, so was his entire family. His son was among the ball-boys sitting around the boundary rope (surely the best seat in the house). It was the biggest festive day in Indian cricket.

Indian captain MS Dhoni won the toss and very famously said, "I am going to break a lot of hearts now, but we will bowl first" and the audience booed. But dramatically WI got all out after tea on the very first day, giving India a couple of hours to bat. Suddenly the stadium came to life. Everyone started praying to get the opportunity to see 'GOD at Work' for one last time. After an hour; falling prey to spin, Murali Vijay sneaked one into the hands of the close in-fielder aaaand that was it. India's second wicket had fallen and the 33,000 strong crowd along with millions watching at home cheered like they had won the World Cup out of nowhere (or even more). Finally their prayers were answered, finally it was their turn to be a part of history. Finally the GOD was walking down the stairs with his trademark bat and Wankhede erupted so loud that the roar would have easily reached as far as West Indies. Followed by a guard of honour by the WI near the pitch which was also attended by the umpires, Sachin walked in, vowed to the 22 yards strip with his hand and settled in. Mumbai was going berserk by then. The "Sachiiin... Sachiiiiiiiin" roar was reaching the highest decibels. A single towards the leg side & Sachin broke the deadlock. There was relief everywhere, the Bradman-ghost (duck on retirement) was avoided. What followed was a true collector's item. Every short was better than the previous one. It was as if, the Master was determined to gift everyone a snapshot of his entire career. Straight drives, cover drives, square cuts all were on display. The day's play ended with Sachin at 38* and everyone started dreaming of a Sachin hundred in his historic 200th Test match; his 101st century. Suddenly Indians found it really hard to sleep on a pleasant night.

The 2nd day saw an even bigger attendance, even more madness and euphoria because everyone knew that there was a very remote possibility of India batting for the 2nd time. This was their last opportunity to grab a piece of "I was there" moment. Sachin was still on the crease and it was almost a virtual 'Bharat Bandh'. Students bunked colleges, youth bunked offices just to watch their favourite Superstar play for one last time. And again, Sachin didn't disappoint. He resumed exactly where he had left off the previous day. Drives, cuts were on display at their best possible form. It was vintage Sachin. A half-century and up he raised the bat (which was coloured in the Indian tri-colours). The environment was to be seen to be believed. Everyone became nervous wanting one last century. Well that didn't happen but when he got out at a brilliantly made 74, it was one of the saddest moments for the sport. Even the opposition captain who took his catch, didn't celebrate. Wankhede stood-up with its loudest cheer ever as GOD walked back into the pavillion raising his bat.

Everyone were dreaming of a quick declaration by the Indians, so that WI bat and almost impossibly take a lead; so that India get to bat another time (typical Indian brains). So that SACHIN gets to bat for another time. But as practically expected, WI fell the very next day morning and finally it was time to say goodbye to the greatest player to have ever played the game. It was time for him to bid goodbye to the 22 yard strip. Silently he plucked out a stump, hugged MS Dhoni and a blanket of sadness covered the cricketing fraternity. No one was sparred, the crowd, the umpires, the commentators, the policemen, everyone who was touched by this little master had moist eyes. Sudhir, one of Sachin's greatest fans with his body painted in tri-colours was deep in sorrow. Former team-mate VVS Laxman couldn't do commentary out of high flowing emotions. The moment had arrived, when we had to say goodbye to the GOD. An emotional Sachin Tendulkar then gave one of the most touching speeches ever; he cried, entire India cried. On taking the microphone, he had to beg 'all my friends, settle down, let me talk, I'll get more and more emotional' and you feared he could break down. Instead, of course, he was pitch perfect with his tributes. He didn't forget to thank everyone for supporting him for 24 long years. A full-house was already celebrating that life with delirious acclaim and the crowd whooped with delight at seeing the first never-ending, moveable guard of honour for a tearful Sachin as the little master's young teammates kept bouncing alongside him towards the pavilion like gleeful, star-struck kids. Everything was coming to a fitting end where it all had begun. Then came the priceless moment, when escaping all the chaos around him and the security, Sachin walked towards the pitch; touched it with both hands and made a salute in traditional Indian style. It was his way to thank the game, that has given him everything in life. A game he has worshipped his entire life. And the crowd had not stopped chanting 'Sachiiin Sachiiiiiin' for the last half an hour; conveying their thanks to a man, who has given India so much of excitement and entertainment. It was the GOD's final swansong.    

Darren Sammy (The captain of WI) very humbly said, "This has to be the greatest farewell ever to any sportsman in the world. India has showed us how to salute a legend. We are lucky enough to be a part of this series". 

The British Media also said, "There has never been a farewell in sport quite like this" but there has never been a player like this as well. 

As he disappeared up those pavilion steps one last time, it felt as if India had lost its inspiration, its pleasure dome and its comfort blanket. How could it imagine life without its Sachin? The game itself mattered little. In a nation defined by crowds, this was all about one man. In an emotional valedictory address, Tendulkar (40), said what so many across the country felt: 'It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end'. For the first time, words disappointed me. They somehow couldn't convey how sad I was, along with a billion other people.

Indian Captain MS Dhoni quoted:

"Sunglasses help a lot..Myself Never cried but today I did..Can't imagine cricket without him..what a pleasure to be present at dis moment..moment cherished for all my life #SachinRT..."

Vice-Captain Virat Kohli said:
Dat feeling wen I saw him cry, most painful..never saw the whole team cry for something..That was our emotion..

#Sachin paaji.. I am speechless..ThankYou..memories will stay forever...

Yuvraj Singh quoted:
Master Sachin Sir...That could be the most emotional speech of all time..players crowd and each person present at that moment hadwet eyes..so did i..it was painfull and a proud moment..Love u and miss u.

Legendary Rahul Dravid said:

I controlled a lot but the time he took my name along with Sourav's , I couldn't help my tears coming out...Gentleman departs with big heart.. Cricket will be now known as AS (After Sachin) and BS (Before Sachin)

Tendulkar, adored by all communities in his homeland, represented a vision of unity that many Indians today fear may be imperilled as a divisive election campaign season looms. After all he was a symbol of unity in a diverse country. He was the nation's most popular son. He is the GOD of Cricket.

I have never seen our countrymen more united than they were while watching him in action and one suitable banner at Wankhede on that teary farewell day read 'India... divided by religions, united by SACHIN'. He represented just one religion ''CRICKET". It was him who made us believe that we can take on the whole world, just like he did in his entire career. He touched us in so many ways, which even he doesn't know. The ESPN Cricinfo website crashed during his historic speech. The '#ThankYouSachin' tag was the most trending topic ever on Twitter in India. Nearly 2 billion pictures of Sachin were downloaded from google during the 2 and half days of his final Test match. Minutes after his touching speech, the Indian Govt. declared 'Bharat Ratna' for him; the highest civilian award in India & Sachin was the first sportsman ever to receive it. On a lighter note, looking at the gifts Sachin jokingly said, "I thought I had built a big house, but I was wrong".

We were lucky enough just to see you play in our lifetime. 

Truly 'One-of-a-kind'...

Thank You SACHIN... !!!

Thank you for 24 years of sheer excitement... & entertainment!!!
#ProudToBeAnIndian

 

Battleground Bastar...

Time has come, if you will ask any common man in the Bastar region - about the most important "local issue" in this poll, reply will come rather rhetorically: "What else?". The very same issue was even raised by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi (Congress Prez) in her speech at Kondagaon in the tribal dominated state of Chhattisgarh.

Naxalites didn't fall from heaven nor did they emerge from hell. They were an answer to incomprehensible forms of exploitation of the tribals of this land by the trio of forest officers, police and local contractors dealing in forest produce (some even with the blessings of politicians). 

No effort is on to resolve the crisis that prime minister Manmohan Singh once called India's biggest internal security threat. But some argue that the country's biggest threats are not the naxalites, its the corrupt politicians.

As the 12 sets of Naxalite-infested Bastar region go to the polls this month amid unprecedented security (1,00,000 additional forces deployed), there seems to be no solution in sight to the problem.

Interestingly some people hint at why it is "politically lucrative" to have naxalites around. So much money is pumped into the state in the name of combating Naxalite violence. A few days ago, the Union Rural Development Ministry allocated INR 500 Crore saved from the National Rural Livelihood Mission to Naxalite-affected districts in the country. Another INR 500 crore would be provided from the savings in the Backward Regions Grant Fund.

The state chief minister Mr. Raman Singh has maintained that his govt. has been "aggressive" in handling the Naxalite menace. Which is why out of a sense of retribution, the Naxalites are hell-bent on disrupting the polls this time around. And as fate would have it, the local opposition leaders don't agree. 

Senior police officers state that the Naxalites are still ideologically in favour of armed struggle and it is not easy to resolve this issue. Obviously the so-called intellectuals sitting in Delhi have no idea what ground zero looks like.

The locals have gone tired of seeing continued oppression and bloodshed. Much to the embarrassment of Raman Singh, none other than Union tribal affair minister Kishore Chandra Deo termed Chhattisgarh's actions as "notorious" in conducting anti-Naxalite operations that usually affect innocent tribals. But the state govt says that it is the Naxalites who use tribals as human shields to fight the forces.

Naxalites, this time are expected to do whatever is possible to disrupt the polls, not just because they reject the Indian Constitution as a bourgeois idea or democracy as a sham. This time around there are other reasons as well. They are finding it very difficult to recruit new cadres, specially because many tribals are getting exposed to the outside world and want to lead an independent life. Hence all the guerrilla strikes over frustrations for their dwindling strength. The forces have made deep inroads as well, leaving the reds even more angry. 

Probably that is why they ambushed the Congress convoy in May. Their main target was Mahendra Karma, the local Congress leader. But the attackers didn't even know who Karma was. They had to ask other Congress leaders until Karma stepped forward and identified himself. 27 people were killed in that attack, including Former Congress stalwart VC Shukla who succumbed to injuries later in a hospital.This has to be an indication of their sheer desperation. 

They are extremely upset about the reverses on their turfs. But this has to be the last phase of the last nail in their coffin. There is a gradual shift in the balance of power. However, such optimism in well-guarded govt. offices in Raipur (the state capital) hasn't yet reached the verdant forests of Bastar, where there are still thousands of people yet to caste a vote in their lives. One reason is inaccessibility - even polling officers have to walk 10-15 km to the polling stations for want of roads in the otherwise spectacular hills. From many villages, voters have to travel 70 km to vote. The other reason why people stay away is that there have been unconfirmed reports of Naxalites chopping off fingers of those who had dared to vote.

Dense forests not only make it impossible to hunt down Naxalites, but also to hold elections. They still roam around in broad daylight and the locals know it. Officials of companies doing business in that region know that once the forces leave after elections, they will be back to square one. Unconfirmed reports put the total value of extortion in the region at INR 4,000 Crore a year.

Renowned American military strategist, cold warrior and historian Mr. Edward Luttwak suggests the "Green Beret" solution. He suggests India to raise and train a well-paid elite force which, like Green Berets have all the skills but are not commandos. Their job will be to live in and integrate with the tribal community, help them with medical care, with community projects and generally become accepted as trusted friends. The Green Beret, officially known as the United States Army Special Forces, are trained in, beside combat tactics, in languages, culture, diplomacy and politics. 

However, above all planting a seed of green in a sea of red is easier said than done. It will take more than tokenism to foster trust there.