Sachin Tendulkar the man who halted an entire nation with his game

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar… A curly-haired boy from Bandra started his international career at the tender age of 16. Amidst a bunch of grown-ups, a baby-faced schoolboy made the world sit and take notice of a child turning into a cricketing legend.

Ever since then, he had become an integral part of our life and times. Cricket was no longer a sport for the 1.2 billion strong nation but a religion, a sentiment that embodied excellence, an event which brought the cricketing universe together beyond every discrimination.

The son would silently take down the scoldings from his father for bunking classes to watch Sachin battle it out in the middle. The boyfriends were ready to miss a dinner date when Sachin Tendulkar was tearing apart Shane Warne at Sharjah. It didn’t matter if the wife would get angry as the husband delayed grocery shopping when Sachin was batting in the 90s.

This man could stop time in India.

If you ask any random Indian what he or she was doing when Sachin hit that particular knock, I’m sure it will ring the doorbell of their memories. Some would fondly remember buying a bat which had an MRF sticker on it just because Tendulkar used to play with the same.

Few would remember carving number 10 on their fan jerseys with a sketch pen. Many would remember turning off their television sets when Sachin got out. And every Indian would probably remember shouting ”Sachin Sachin” to the top of their voice every single time this genius walked out to play.

We have all had our own ‘Sachin Tendulkar moments’ at some or the other point and of course we cherish every bit of it. In his victories, we all felt the joy and in his failures, we all felt broken.

Over the years, he has played the game with utmost respect and discipline which reflects through his performance and of course some staggering statistics. Cricket has been his life and we have all lived it along with him for 24 years.

However, what makes this man stand apart from everyone else is simply the manner in which he carried himself on and off the ground. The values that he spoke of and stood for are the ones to be imbibed not only by every youngster who dreams of playing for his nation but by every human being.

The limelight, the exaltation, and the fame nothing changed him one bit as a person. When it comes to accepting his social responsibilities, the master has always done his job quietly away from the public eye. This is an attitude indicator towards life every individual should admire and follow.

I wish I could write more but no words would ever be enough for someone who has given uncurbed joy to his countrymen.

We miss you Sachin. Cricket misses you.

Happy birthday!