Larger than Life...

yet another backup...

On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!

- Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist

A friend of mine visited Mumbai recently and I took her around for some sight-seeing. On reaching Shivaji Park, I mentioned to her that this beach used to be very clean in my childhood and I have played a lot here. Its just now that it is so dirty. All she said was this place will always hold high in minds of people, as this is where Sachin started playing from. Imagine someone travelling 18 hrs from heart of India to the western coast and just enjoying the feeling of standing on the place where her favourite sports personality has his roots into.

This one little man of about 5'5 has a real tall presence. Try watching the WC2011 finals in Mumbai if, and I wish this be true, India plays in that match. The crowd would deafen a person sitting in Churchgate station when Sachin steps in. Celebrating people has always been in us. Be it from cricket, films or even a local hero. I was amazed to hear some facts about Sachin from this friend of mine and I felt she might not have as much knowledge of her family members as she has for this little master. And she's not the only one. Trust me, there are so many people on this planet who wrote, read and analyzed minute details of life of Sachin. There are various texts available on the internet who talk about Sachin. Most of his matches would be available in form of videos. Documentaries, commentaries, expert views, loads of numbers and statistics, list of whatever records one can possibly set and what not. And people spend collecting a lot of that stuff.

And it is not just celebrating the sports person, it is perhaps more of a human being that Sachin attracts people for. He represents not just a class of sport, he represents commitment  Not just the 1999 Pakistan match with that terrible back pain, the Kenya match in world cup soon after. That man had just returned from his father's funeral and with eyes all red, he had an unbeaten 140. And there are so many instances that shout about it. His humble talks, his approach towards the boys, his small gestures to the crowd when on field and many other life touching things make him more popular and lovable among his fans.

One more part I like about this person is that he instigates. Yes, he instigates a lot of young blood to take up sport. So many children dream of becoming a Tendulkar. Many of them take steps forward than just dreaming, because they get support. Tendulkar has been unknowingly making so many children take up things seriously.

Very few of his fans (and others who follow sports, not just cricket) might be ignorant of his dedication, his hard work and his effort in the game. It is despite all this and other odds, that he has stood up and represented the best. He has set benchmarks in sport, and as a human. I don't know if God does things effortlessly, or can mortals ever achieve such a state. But I would not have expected Him to be any better than what Sachin represents.