I knew that the match would get over today, which meant that Sachin's last day on the field in an international test match was going to be this day, which also meant the farewell to the master was also going to be on this day. So I wanted to witness it and I'm glad I could. The fact that we will no longer get to see those back-foot punches or those straight drives or just that sheer charm that he carried every time to the field takes some time to settle in. To be honest, I think it would have been a fitting farewell had he retired when he was comfortably and regularly playing both ODIs and tests. For the past two years, he wasn't really at his best, yet kept playing. A Pujara or a Dhawan could have got a chance earlier if he hadn't done that but nevertheless, that decision to postpone his retirement doesn't diminish what he has achieved in the game of cricket and that shouldn't take away what he deserved.
In the meantime, I was just wondering how a Sachin or a Amitabh Bachchan or a Rajinikant become a different phenomenon altogether, to an extent that people go mad at them. If you've seen all the hype around Sachin's retirement, you know what I'm talking about. If all news channels or magazines or newspapers have had only the news or articles around this topic, that's simply because they sell! So there's no point questioning them. They are just doing their business as usual. The question is - why was it such a big deal for millions of us?
I think all this attention and hype cannot be dismissed as unnecessary right away. Sports and movies entertain us. I'm sure we all have our own favorites but all of them make us so damn happy. A bad day at work, you come home and switch on the TV with a drink, see Sachin score a hundred, India wins and you feel so good. I've seen rival groups in college hostels gathering in the same room to watch cricket and celebrating together when India wins. Nobody in Wankhede today would have bothered to know whether the guy sitting next to him is a Modi fanatic or a worshiper of Gandhi dynasty or whether he's a Muslim or a Hindu. Families bond together to watch cricket matches and movies innumerable times. Amidst everyday frustrations, sports and movies serve as excellent escapism. People like Sachin have been the ambassadors of this escapism for a long long time and that's what makes them so special.
In a country like India, a large section of people cannot really afford the kind of entertainment that middle-class and upper middle class families can afford. They can't go on regular tours, go to pubs or have occasional family gatherings. To those section of people, cricket or movies are comparatively handy. Besides, it's so thrilling to somehow associate ourselves with an amazing journey of our favorite sportsperson, to live through his dreams. It might sound silly and yes, there are a lot of other important things in life to do but they are always going to be there. A discussion on what we should be doing to curb inflation is very useful but it can't really replace a discussion on - what's your favorite among Sachin's hundreds. The latter is a different pleasure altogether! My grandpa is more than 80 years old and ever since I've known him (I'm 23), he has enjoyed watching cricket so much that even today, although he finds it hard to recognize people and talks very less, watching a game of cricket makes him feel good. It doesn't matter whether it's a live match or a 10 year old match. I know he loved watching tennis too until very recently. Now that's the power of sports, movies, books etc. Who are we to question the emotions of such millions!? You never know what great moments they've had watching Sachin play. We've got watching him play as an incentive for finishing the homework on time, people have bought their first television sets to watch him play, he has been there when we really didn't have such a great cricket team and trust me, it's not an exaggeration that people switched off their TVs once he got out. We really used to do it at some point.
Unfortunately, why people do not go mad about Vishy Anand is because they can't relate themselves to his journey. Most people don't even understand his game. You could promote it, take measures to make people understand what he has achieved but besides all these, people might just applaud and move on because for them, chess can't replace cricket. There is no emotional connect. I know it's a little unfair but that's the truth. Few sports gain popularity, most of them don't. You can't help it. I'm all in to endorse other sports though. It's absolutely necessary.
People seek entertainment, be it in any form. Let's not forget that a show like Big Boss is a huge success in our country. We look for ways to stay happy and I think it's absolutely safe if cricket has been a tremendous form of entertainment. Each one of us will choose our hero of this game. It's just that Sachin was the favorite of most of us which, along with other reasons made this day so important. Let's not lie to ourselves that cricket is over. I'm sure we'll find our new heroes and start worshiping them. Yes it's silly, it's mad, but if that makes a lot of us forget our problems once in a while and have fun, let that happen!
In the meantime, I was just wondering how a Sachin or a Amitabh Bachchan or a Rajinikant become a different phenomenon altogether, to an extent that people go mad at them. If you've seen all the hype around Sachin's retirement, you know what I'm talking about. If all news channels or magazines or newspapers have had only the news or articles around this topic, that's simply because they sell! So there's no point questioning them. They are just doing their business as usual. The question is - why was it such a big deal for millions of us?
I think all this attention and hype cannot be dismissed as unnecessary right away. Sports and movies entertain us. I'm sure we all have our own favorites but all of them make us so damn happy. A bad day at work, you come home and switch on the TV with a drink, see Sachin score a hundred, India wins and you feel so good. I've seen rival groups in college hostels gathering in the same room to watch cricket and celebrating together when India wins. Nobody in Wankhede today would have bothered to know whether the guy sitting next to him is a Modi fanatic or a worshiper of Gandhi dynasty or whether he's a Muslim or a Hindu. Families bond together to watch cricket matches and movies innumerable times. Amidst everyday frustrations, sports and movies serve as excellent escapism. People like Sachin have been the ambassadors of this escapism for a long long time and that's what makes them so special.
In a country like India, a large section of people cannot really afford the kind of entertainment that middle-class and upper middle class families can afford. They can't go on regular tours, go to pubs or have occasional family gatherings. To those section of people, cricket or movies are comparatively handy. Besides, it's so thrilling to somehow associate ourselves with an amazing journey of our favorite sportsperson, to live through his dreams. It might sound silly and yes, there are a lot of other important things in life to do but they are always going to be there. A discussion on what we should be doing to curb inflation is very useful but it can't really replace a discussion on - what's your favorite among Sachin's hundreds. The latter is a different pleasure altogether! My grandpa is more than 80 years old and ever since I've known him (I'm 23), he has enjoyed watching cricket so much that even today, although he finds it hard to recognize people and talks very less, watching a game of cricket makes him feel good. It doesn't matter whether it's a live match or a 10 year old match. I know he loved watching tennis too until very recently. Now that's the power of sports, movies, books etc. Who are we to question the emotions of such millions!? You never know what great moments they've had watching Sachin play. We've got watching him play as an incentive for finishing the homework on time, people have bought their first television sets to watch him play, he has been there when we really didn't have such a great cricket team and trust me, it's not an exaggeration that people switched off their TVs once he got out. We really used to do it at some point.
Unfortunately, why people do not go mad about Vishy Anand is because they can't relate themselves to his journey. Most people don't even understand his game. You could promote it, take measures to make people understand what he has achieved but besides all these, people might just applaud and move on because for them, chess can't replace cricket. There is no emotional connect. I know it's a little unfair but that's the truth. Few sports gain popularity, most of them don't. You can't help it. I'm all in to endorse other sports though. It's absolutely necessary.
People seek entertainment, be it in any form. Let's not forget that a show like Big Boss is a huge success in our country. We look for ways to stay happy and I think it's absolutely safe if cricket has been a tremendous form of entertainment. Each one of us will choose our hero of this game. It's just that Sachin was the favorite of most of us which, along with other reasons made this day so important. Let's not lie to ourselves that cricket is over. I'm sure we'll find our new heroes and start worshiping them. Yes it's silly, it's mad, but if that makes a lot of us forget our problems once in a while and have fun, let that happen!
