Sunday, April 3, 2011

When the GOD didn't know what to do..............

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was busy preparing for his final examination at school, the result of which would send him to 5th standard, Virat Kohli was One year and Ten days old, Waqar Younis was making waves in pakistan cricket as the future of the sport, Roger Federer had just been given his first tennis lessons and Michael Jordan was fast becoming a cult icon, And oh yeah, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was making his debut. The year 1989, the venue Karachi. God had finally decided to turn his attention to cricket...... Me? well I was a 4 month old toddler learning to pronounce words properly.

Little did anyone realize that one day the 16 year old, dreary eyed, curly haired timid boy would rise up to legendary heights and be proclaimed GOD by the whole nation. Little did anyone think that 1.2 billion people would pray for him to realize his dream.  Sachin's story is not that of GOD taking Man's form and saving the day for the race, instead it has been a story of a Humble & Honest human being rising up to the Level of GOD and saving the belief Men had in GOD!!!

From my end, these two lines are enough. The best lines I have ever been able to write. Emotions flood in now and I know every Indian feels the same way. You might believe in god, you might not, but every Indian I am sure held his breath and prayed that India must win the World cup this time if not again, just because Sachin was playing probably his last WC tourney. That ladies and Gentleman is Sachin's greatest achievement. Uniting the nation and destroying all barriers. To that achievement, Dear Sachin I bow, I kneel down. As a MAN you are unmatched.


Through his journey from the timid boy to the Massive Idol he is today nothing about Sachin has changed. Change has not been on him, it has been by him. Every record was changed to something else, every opposition was changed to something else and every team mate changed his game positively. There was nothing the great man couldn't do... Or so it seemed. Till he started chasing what would become his supreme desire, The World Cup trophy. Sachin did everything that was humanely possible, yet, the cup eluded him every time. For 22 years he tried unrelenting and then, Just when it seemed he was going to retire an old man filled with regret, came the revolution.

Led by the guy who was preparing for his 4th std exams and pushed on by the once 1 year toddler, Sachin's dream came true. April 2, 2011 was when the nation prayed for one man's dream to come true and it did.... That was when something happened. The chase had ended and the Cup was there. The whole team was celebrating on the field and the nation had gone crazy. Among the tumultuous roar at my own living place, my eyes were probing the television for the one sight I had waited for ever since I started admiring Sachin......

At last, out came Sachin from the dressing room. He was brown haired, teary eyed, 37years old... Here was the man who had seen EVEYTHING possible on a cricketing field, the highest of the highs and the lowest of the Lows.. Yet here was running onto the field, his dream was complete and this was his moment. But when he hit the ground running he seemed lost. He did not know what to do. He didn't know whom to run and hug first. He looked around, cried, laughed, jumped up, greeted his colleagues but truly Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar did not know what to do.... Happiness had overwhelmed him, Joy had consumed him, Emotions overpowered him..... And that is when I realised, this GOD is actually Human....

This was the moment when God really didn't know what to do.... And then Virat kohli bore him on his shoulders and ran around... His words will be immortal.... "He has shouldered the hopes of the nation for 22 years, it is time he was shouldered".....



With love,
Raghavan Sridhar - Sachin's loyal fan, forever..................