The phrase "End of an era"
has never been so meaningful. This December, the curtains come down on career
of a man, because of whom, millions like me watch cricket. The Mayans was
right, Dec 2012 has a dooms day.Post Dec 23, Cricket will no longer be a
religion, a single anthem will no longer unite a billion heart, the blue jersey
will no long bleed blue, and there won’t be the fanatic scream of joy echoing
the stadium when the helmet is kissed and bat salutes the sky. Dec 23, 2012
will be the day Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will retire from ODI cricket.
I will not speak about Sachin’s
records or accomplishments here; I am too small a person to comment on that. In
fact we all are. I will only be speaking about a person who has inspired me
innumerous times for past 2 decades.
For a person who seldom follows
politicians or have have brains to follow some of great thinkers of my time, Sachin
is my only hero. Everytime I am feeling down and is looking for motivation, i
check out some of his greatest innings. From operation Desert Storm to
Thunderbolt that struck Pakistan in Centurian 2003, from fighting physical pain
at Eden to fighting mental agony during 26/11 Homage, every innings tells us a
story, story off how a small boy became a man and a man became revered hero.
His longivity is a tribute to his passion for the game. It also makes us
believe that if your profession is your passion (whether its cricket or
software) and you sincerely work for it, then nothing is impossible. All it
needs is single minded determination and eagerness to learn every day, just
like how the master showed us in past 23 years.
People call him God and God he is.
If being god is to inspire and bring joy to people irrespective of their social
or economic status, then yes he is god. If being god is to unite people
irrespective of their faith or political boundaries, then he is god. He who
brings sunshine even in darkest hour, bring along positive energy and encourage
common man to dream, is definitely God to me.
But inspite of all this, when people
called him god, he said he just wanted to be known as a proud Indian. That’s
Sachin for you.
As every good thing has to come to
an end, so has this saga of 23 years.As a die hard Sachin fan, it is a sad day
for me but it is also a day we should celebrate a genius who cannot be
replaced. If there is any regret it is that he did not receive the standing
ovation he deserves. Game of cricket will move on and will see many great
batsmen, but there won't be a better cricketer than Sachin Tendulkar. Period.
RIP ODI Cricket.
