Being Human

Phew! The tears have barely dried, the heart is still sunk. A glass of water hasn't done anything to the lump in the throat. The feeling is numb. Blank. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has retired.

What can be said about the man that hasn't already been. History has everything neatly recorded for posterity. The future generations are going to always find themselves facing the legend of Sachin Tendulkar every time they go down memory lane.

Over 24 glorious years, a lot of epithets have been used. The King, Legend, Little Master, God. The last one, I am not particularly fond of, to be honest. With good reason, I believe.

"Cricket is a religion. Sachin is God" makes for great banners & great copy. But ladies & gentlemen, let us not forget that Sachin Tendulkar is only human. Like all of us. 

Has had to deal with the same emotions, insecurities, frailties, anxieties, fears, joys, sorrows, ups & downs. He too must have had days when his mind would wander of thinking of Arjun taking his first steps as a child. Or wanting to be by Sara's side when she needed to hug her daddy as she went to bed. Or to stand by Anjali, instead of letting her raise the kids pretty much as a single parent for a better part of their teens . 

Or for that matter that he couldn't be by his Dad during his last moments. And most certainly leaving his grieving mother & family behind, on his flight back to England to play the World Cup in 1999.

And then, in spite of all that was going on in his heart & mind, to be able to refocus himself and bring all his energies to the service of his country. To the game that meant everything to him. 

Talk about keeping his ego in check. How easy would it have been for him to get swayed away as he walked out to the middle thinking, "I am the best batsman in this game, what can these bowlers possibly dish out to me" - and then shouldering his arms to the first ball he faced. Followed by that little nod of head, showing his respect to the bowler & to the game.

Talk about keeping a rational & clear head on his shoulders as a crazy nation of billions tried to own a piece of him. Elevated him to unbelievable levels of super-stardom never before witnessed by mankind. Showering him with so much attention, adulation, fame, wealth, power - makes for a very head cocktail. SRT, very politely, always stuck to his glass of water. Thank you very much.

Talk about knowing his limitations and turning down captaincy when it was offered to him a second time and instead backing someone who debuted 15 years after he did. And then go on to be the most loyal foot-soldier a captain could've ever hoped for. 

And then to be running the third run as hard as you can for your batting partner who perhaps hasn't played as many matches as many years you've been the top dog in the game. Being the best ever team man you can be, when phrases are being coined that equate you to the game & vice-versa.

Talk about being the first man to arrive for a training session and the last man to leave. Every single time. For twenty four years. Never resting on his laurels. Or his form. Or class. Pushing himself to further hone his craft, when the rest of the world was calling him the greatest ever.

And talk about not being cowed down, not being intimidated as he traveled to foreign lands, representing a country that yet had to find its place in the sun. And proudly wearing the tricolor on his helmet, signaling to the world, that to beat India, they first had to deal with him.

Always proud, never arrogant. Always confident, never brash. Always humble, never apologetic.

Thin lines to cross those, very thin lines indeed.

Calling him God just robs him of all that he has overcome as a human being & still managed to come out with flying colors. And how. Takes a very special man, with a razor focused mind, a humble heart & character of steel. They don't make too many of those any more.

For this alone, Tendulkar, was & will always be the greatest sporting legend India will ever see. The runs are a mere footnote.

Einstein said about Gandhi once - "Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.”

The same, can be very proudly said of one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Remember, he was only human after all.