Sachin by Patil Makarand
Sachin Tendulkar retires; an amazing player, childhood hero & a good bloke. I will miss watching him play.
“Batsman walk out into the middle alone.
Not Tendulkar.
Every time Tendulkar walks to the crease the whole nation,
tatters & all,
marches with him to the battle arena.
A pauper people pleading for relief,
remission from the life long anxiety
of being Indian,
by joining in spirit their visored saviour.
Wednesday or Friday,
Tendulkar lifts his gleaming bat,
points it like a sword towards the TV
cameras after his customary hundred,
and a million hands go up in blessing;
and in begging, pleading silently
for redemption from the oppressive reality
of their existence; seeking a moment’
liberation from their Indiabondage
through the exhilarating grace of one
accidental bat.
One billion hard-pressed Indians. Just one hero….
The poor Indian lifts his hands to Sachin Tendulkar in supplication:
give us respite, a sense of liberation;
lift us up from the dark pit of our lives
to well-lit places of the imagination
with your skill-wrought perfections.
Give us an idea of what a light thing life ought to be.
Take our blessings; but give us a break. Please win. Win for us…”
By C.P. Surendran
Violet Ashes 