Sachin Tendulkar, 39 and going strong
Let’s make it simple as he enters the 40th year of a life lived more for others than himself. Let’s spare this day from putting expectations on his shoulders – something he never refused to take and we never stopped giving. Let’s just simply say ‘Happy Birthday, Sachin Tendulkar’ and feel the relief he enjoys on his special day, with nothing left to be achieved and nothing left to be conquered, just the love for the game keeping him going.
At this juncture, when success lies in every corner of your life, ‘what next’ becomes the most-asked question. And it’s nothing different for Tendulkar, who perhaps is the biggest victim of demands in this country. But his never-ending supply of runs has met those demands incessantly for 23 years, and now when he stands maybe just a year short of good-bye, he too is being asked, “What next?”
Get into Tendulkar’s shoes and you will come to know how difficult it is to leave something that you can’t live without. But we’ll leave it at that in this piece, as it’s the most inopportune moment to touch this touchy subject for Tendulkar.
On a different note, as the great man enters 40, it’s time for the family to have the bigger share of Tendulkar’s life. Sara and Arjun may want their dad to drop them to school, Anjali must be looking to go grocery shopping with her husband, Ajit won’t mind a game of cards with his brother and the mother once again will want to see his son home whenever she opened her eyes.
