How Sachin Tendulkar Changed Our Lives

Life in India in the last week was all about Sachin Tendulkar and very rightly so; he deserves everything he’s been showered with. He has mesmerized all of us; cricket fans for a long long time and his retirement has meant that my childhood is over. I, along with many of my fellow youngsters grew up watching Tendulkar traumatize bowlers all over the world. His straight drive, pull and back foot punch during his last innings of 74 turned all those years back. He was an artist at the peak of his powers during his entire career spanning 24 years and he owns a lot of records to his name. But, he is much more than that. He has brought all of us Indians together with this batting. I remember people used to ask ‘Sachin hai ya gaya?’, ‘Sachin kitne pe hai?’ Such was the effect of the man that he brought people together.  

But one thing apart from his batting which took centre stage on that day of 16^th November was his speech and the manner in which he thanked everyone for all the love and support. In a cricket crazy nation of ours which is obsessed with the amount of runs that you score a speech grabbed all the headlines was truly heartwarming. There was nothing extraordinary in his speech but just his persona and the way of talking made me like him even more. His humility was exemplary. So what is it about him that millions love him and that too unconditionally? The answer is that Tendulkar rose at a time when India was not a prominent destination for global corporations and was very defensive both on and off the field; he changed all that and stood up against the opponents. Fast bowlers came hard at him and he gave all that back. It was not just about survival while attacking but it was dominating the bowling. And more of that happened and continued to happen and we Indians loved him every time he did that.

He cuts across age, religion, caste and everything; when he is batting or as a matter of fact on the cricket field everything else ceases to exist for Indians. It was because of him that our romance with the game of cricket reached insurmountable heights. My father remembers that watching cricket in those days was pure joy. The roads, the offices all wore deserted looks when he was in the middle. Productivity dipped, economy paused for a moment because here was their hero who was taking on all the high and mighty. He gave us joy and happiness.

During the course of the last 24 years his success has come not from talent but from the love, hard work, determination and dedication which he has shown towards the game. I think this is the biggest lesson which he has taught to all of us.  

His duels with Shoaib Akhtar, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne among many others will be cherished for time immorial. There are many more iconic moments of his but as he moves away from the game his speech brought tears to the whole of India. It was difficult not to love him after such an outpouring of emotions. His legacy will stay in our hearts forever.    

Why the need and desire to Show-off?

Will Smith once said, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like”. This quote has become a reality especially in today’s world in which big cars and luxury gadgets are mostly brought to show your neighbour that you are doing well off in your life. There is complete absence of ‘prioritising’ and ‘living within oneself’. With this, life has become much more complicated than it was earlier. A lot of materialism has crept in our minds and it simply has put pressure on us to earn big so that we can spend it big time. I mean people today are driven by a rage to impress others, proving a point or two, keeping up with the pace in social circles. I fail to comprehend this, because you get highly worked up earning the money and then fret over the ways to spend it. I believe none of those activities give you the satisfaction which you secretly crave for.

I know a lot of men who say ‘My image will take a beating if I drive a small car’; ‘I need to buy an expensive phone to suit my status’. I cannot figure out why he perceives that his image will be judged on the basis of his car or his phone or other expensive possessions and not his character. As a result, those men want a bigger car which puts in a lot of pressure on his finances and in the process there are no savings. All this, just for the sake of impressing the people who see them for two minutes arriving and departing. This disease to impress spreads rather quickly. Same is the case with women, they buy high end clothes, bags and what not just to keep up in their respective social circles. Their worth is in congruence to their material holdings. Even in marriages people look for a bride/groom who has achieved big academically or professionally and not look for the character, his/her values, other qualities etc. which I believe are more important than anything else. This is nothing but a rat race.

This desire to impress others stems from a kind of an ‘insecurity’ which many people suffer from. They need admiration or a sort of an approval from their friends and others to put to rest all the self doubts and the lack of self esteem that they carry with them all the time. It is also interesting to note that some people do not wish to show off but are forced to do so because of the unspoken rules. Like for most of the other things in our country, we wait for someone else to assume the mantle for us and do things for which we have a strong inclination to do so. 

And studies have proven the fact that people who are more attracted towards amassing material wealth for indulging in ‘show-off’ lack satisfaction and mostly they keep on complaining about how others have a better wife, children, car etc and much more. These people live in a cocoon and a prison surrounded by their own perceptions. They think have ‘a life’ but they seriously need ‘to get a life’.

We, as human beings constantly need to evolve and look into areas to improve ourselves and this is where we can probably help ourselves by just confining ourselves to our own needs and remain satisfied, happy and contented in life. Money can buy you most things but not satisfaction and happiness. And happiness is the true essence of life. The actual joy of life is in being what you are.