This is not the first farewell that I have seen nor is it
going to be the last one. But, the images of the beautiful send off that flit
through my mind continue to stoke strong emotions.
Tears still well up in my eyes as thoughts go to the 30
minutes of emotional mayhem wreaked by a diminutive genius at the Wankhade
stadium on 16th November 2013.
I have been a big fan of Tendulkar but I have found
a lot to criticize in him too. The fact that he should have quit at least two years
ago being one of my pet arguments.
That HE had to leave the cricket field some day was known to
all of us. But, for mere mortals like me to seek acceleration of his tryst with
retirement just because he was not the same batsman as before is a case of
grievous misunderstanding.
I realize that sometimes the analytic left brain tries to
super impose itself on the right brain clouding judgment.
I realize that for greatness to be appreciated, one has to
elevate one’s own thinking to a different plane. I feel guilty of not elevating
my thinking.
This is my penance for being a critic of the God.
Greatness does have a magical ring to it. Greatness
transcends time and influences areas beyond what it was originally planned for.
Words like inertia, momentum, energy, reaction etc that have
become commonplace in management speak owe a lot to a man who questioned why an
apple should fall from a tree.
Albert Einstein would never have imagined that his theory of
relativity could ignite the power of nuclear energy.
Saint Thyagaraja devoted his life to Lord Rama little
knowing then that he was co-creating the divine magic that is Carnatic music
today.
Steve Jobs while trying to save Apple stretched to its
zenith the Technology art confluence, the fruits of which we consumers
experience.
Sachin Tendulkar, in the twenty four years he played
international cricket in, has changed the Indian worldview of Cricket. In doing
so, he has shown us how to be a great ambassador of India, how to compete on
the world stage, how to be a good student of the game, how to live great work
ethics and more importantly how to be a great son and a husband.
In time to come, much like the TATA ad that says “We also
make steel”, we would say about Tendulkar “He also scored runs”
It would not be inappropriate to say that Tendulkar will
become one of the rare breed of sports men who will have their names enshrined
in the history text books.
In Tendulkar’s case, Einstein’s quote about the Mahatma
might ring true “ 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”.
