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.