Hope's greatest icon

If ever there was a part of my youth that I am truly proud of or feel rather gifted to have witnessed and be inspired by, then it is having lived through the zenith of Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious cricketing career. The great man must have lit up the formative years of so many others like me, who were inspired by his magic, talent and most importantly, himself as a person.

The un-complaining, never-whining, always calm Sachin taught us how to fight even when everything is seemingly conspired against you. He has been the victim of the harshest of umpiring errors and probably even a lot of abuse that we never notice on TV or while attending the matches. But he is still loved and cherished simply because Tendulkar is a lesson by himself in anger management, showcasing the right attitude and embracing greatness without a sense of self. He is a stand-out example of a theory that has never been given the kind of respect it deserves – the talk less, do more supposition.


There is immense pleasure gained from his game. Not only in terms of what young batsmen all over the country learn as far as cricket technicalities go, but also because he is the role model that we should all compulsorily look up to and admire with maximum exaltation. In an age driven by media brainwashing, hypocrisy, fake idols and so much life-wasting banter and hatred, Tendulkar stands out as a true icon. A genius, whose talent and ability knows no bounds. More importantly, a man whose culture comes above all and he hardly ever breaks the ideals he has set for himself.

The day Tendulkar retires won’t be a black day as such. Because then we would be very unfair to so many young players attempting to emulate the Little Master and give India new idols, icons and heroes. But it would be almost impossible in this era at least, to go beyond his feats. And we are indebted to him for what he taught us and what he bestowed us with – a reason to live with honour and respect.

May God bless God.