It was a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment. The
earlier similar occasion was witnessed by people in 1948 when Sir Donald George
Bradman played his last test match. Therefore, the whole of India and many
parts of the world were nervously experiencing this moment… when they would see
their contemporary God play in front of them for one last time.
And it was a dream farewell for and by
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar from the world of Cricket. He played a breezy innings
in his last appearance, befitting the situation. The city of Kolkata and Mumbai
were decorated with posters of Sachin on every main road and the important
junctions to mark this turning point in Indian Cricket history.
What the world liked in Sachin was not
just Cricket. It would be an understatement to say so. What they admired in him
were some exceptional qualities of a human being. They were awed to see how a
person can remain firmly grounded with so much of praise and adulation for him
by millions of cricket lovers. They were surprised to see how a person can be
so humble and polite to everyone including youngsters around him, after
reaching pinnacle of success. They were mesmerized by his simplicity and
graciousness in whatever he did. They were simply carried away by his innocent
smile and childlike enthusiasm even at the age 40 on the ground. He was a
miracle for them, in every single sense. That is why people called him the
global ambassador of sports.
Today, he made millions of hearts cry out
for him as he stood on the ground holding mike in his hands to thank everyone.
There was not a soul on the ground or watching TV sets across the world, who
did not have moist eyes at one point or the other during his emotions filled
speech. He was emotional too… not able to speak at times, due to lumps in his
throat and wet eyes time and again.
It is rare to find such a gentleman. It
may take many more decades to witness such a farewell occasion from an
equivalent sportsperson again. Those who watched him speak today are blessed
ones… they were a part of the history as it was being made. They have
experienced what it means to bid adieu to one of the century’s greatest
sportsman.
It is difficult, as quoted by his wife
once in an interview, to imagine how he would live without cricket. Well, life
has its own plans and sure enough he would find it very interesting now, to
spend quality time with his family, which he missed all these years, in pursuit
of excellence.
The Indian Cricket has to move on without
a legend. A story started 24 years ago has ended today. We the cricket lovers
in India are extremely fortunate to be around the time when he played some of
his best innings. The future generations may never see him play ‘live’ in
stadiums as we did. And we all can proudly say to our grandchildren, ‘Yes, I
have seen Tendulkar Play… live.’
It is said that gods have to take human
form and appear on earth to progress in their salvation process. We have one
such person among us today. Therefore, when he completed his major task today,
there was a satisfaction all around. And while this human God thanked everyone
one … the Gods in heaven also choked.
