God Must Be Crazy About Sachin

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Even God must be crazy about him. I remember Harsha Bhogle giving him a very famous complement, " Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord Is watching". I myself, not a great believer in comparing Sachin as God of cricket but he is undoubtedly greatest Hero of Cricket or more accurately for a generation he is the only meaning of cricket.

I want to share my ecstatic feelings of today along with some of crazy people whom I know ,who almost venerate Sachin as the undisputed hero of this country. For the very first time when I come to terms with this game, there was a 16 year old curly hair boy was giving an Interview to Tom Alter just before the West Indies tour which he missed. Since that day I developed love for this beautiful game, which may be envied by girlfriend of mine but its first love of my life. As a kid living this game in Mantra of "eat cricket, sleep cricket", used to dream of success of Indian team with infallible Sachin. I used to plot Innings, where there is one batsman can score more than any one, and needless to mention, it was only Sachin. I wanted every record of this world in Sachin's name. 1994, Brian Lara broke Sobers's Record, I wanted it to be in name of Sachin. Those time the maiden ODI century was still eluded but I wanted the Desmonds Hayne's Record of 17 ODI century only by one guy. When Saeed Anwar tormented Indian attack in chennai on a1997 summer afternoon, the agony in the heart was just dreaming for an Innings overtaking his highest score in the same match itself. Yes I am greedy but I know lot of people who deep in their heart agree with me.

1st ODI century came on a Ganesh Puja and as we say it was just a shri Ganesh, it followed with flurry of centuries. Records which were pre-written name of Sachin's were broken in due course of time. There were detractor talks about 'winning cause', 'when it matters',blah.. blah.. but one thing no one take away the bludgeon gigantic figures of the statistics. Yeah I remember Sidhuism, "statistics are like Mini-skirt, they hide as much as they show". But no one on the universe take away an ounce of it.

But a double century in an ODI and overhauling highest ODI individual score is a dream of last 13 years. This may be greed from a fan point of view but if anybody else on this earth deserve more than Sachin. This is one of the dream Inning that I plot. At 36, Tendulkar hasn't shown signs of ageing, and his sparkling touch in both forms of the game has ruled out all possibilities of him checking out anytime soon. Fatigue, cramps and paucity of time have stood in the way of batsmen going that extra mile to get to the 200-mark.But above all what stood is grit and determination to excel and outperform sachin himself. As he himself appropriately point out that this century is for the people of India. This is for the craziness of people who wants Sachin to conquer every possible batting record.

There comes a time in the life of some sportsmen, only some, and it rarely comes more than once,when they believe they can do anything , even fly, when the idea of being vanquished is a distant, lonely world that strange being inhabits,when the mind ceases to comprehend fear and when confidence breaches its barriers and flies forth into audacity without even recognizing it. They call it being 'in the zone' and no drug has taken man there, for this is the lovely , unscripted real world. Today was that 'in the zone' where it was flawless, Midas touch of artist, Epiphanies music of ball meeting center of bat. It brought all the country men to stand on their feet and bow down for a genius that has given his country so much yet we still ask for more. The majestic run machine adapted every new age challenge and transformed its effectiveness to a higher level.

Over the years I have watched Sachin play cricket. I have marvelled at his skill, admired his work ethics , been taken aback by the unwavering dignity that has accompanied him everywhere, often in the face of provocation. But now more than ever I find myself experiencing a craving for Sachin'. I want to watch him more play cricket to take my mind off this tenacious shroud that covers and darkens the rest of the society.

Thank you little master for everything, we expect more and who knows a Triple century in longer version of game or may be overhauling Lara's quadruple.

I am an Indian

I am an Indian and I am proud to be one, after being an human being my next identity is being an Indian. But seeing some of disturbing pictures of Mumbai, I sit back and think what is a definition of India, a country which calls it self as the largest democratic of the world. But now we need to debate civil rights and the good the bad and the ugly every thing is on TV.

But what seems to be most disheartening is that, in an age of open economy, outsourcing, globalization, a section of political activists says who is from where, who is allowed to stay where, who is not allowed. Mumbai or formerly Bombay, the first things comes to mind is city of dreams, city of reel life, city of business, a fascinating journey. Some one comes and say it belongs to only one section of people and some one coming from other part of same country is labelled as outsider. It creates a doubt in mind why is this dysfunction. On the contrary same political outfit warns not to allow Aussies play in India due to racial attack in Australia. Is not it same racism inside house.More accurately regionalism , but how can we withstand this.

If Mr Shahrukh Khan give a statement which oozes the sentiment of billions of Indian, there should not be some one threaten him to leave the country. Its unfotunate that Indian Premier League will miss some best of world players but that is more due to kind of time we are leaving. If Mukesh Ambani says Mumbai is for all, he has reasons to say. The business tycoons knows that if economy has to run in a city like Mumbai then it needs to embrace every one from each corner of India and even from every part of world. If Sachin Tendulkar says that he is an Indian first, then a Mumbaikar, he speaks the heart of a nation. He is a prodigal son of the city whom every Indian has made a part of their own family.

Few mob mislead by some opportunist politician can not question the sovereignty of the country. First thing comes to mind that there should be a complete media black out to all these nonsense speeches and press statement. If people willing to use media then media should be more stringent in the coming to terms with these people. Media plays a vital role to bring the correct depiction of all that happening. But sentimentalization may work for these people. Media should be cautious enough to not to make these people icon in the mind of common man.

How does one square growing metropolitan multiculturalism with the linguistic basis of states which supports the idea of a single predominant regional culture? Should the major cities stand apart from the states they govern, islands of multicultural churning rising from mono culturally flat hinterlands? A lot of people in Mumbai believe this has already happened, and they are willing to defend their new habitat from the violent, monocultural Senas through political debate.

But when civil rights are attacked, debate becomes redundant. Mumbai should rather insist on legal action, with the vehemence with which it demanded security after 26/11.

But despite cynicism, the civil society and media have growing voice against the Sena and the MNS.Will this signal a change in the fight against exclusivist politics? Or, will it be back to the usual politics after all the rhetoric dies down?
And Every one in this country will proudly say I am Indian.