All Hail The King!!!

I remember a young strapping of a lad of 16, blood streaming from the nose, sprinkling the pristine white batting pads with  rivulets of red, and yet refusing to retire hurt – facing up to Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Zakir Khan and Waqar Younis in his fourth test match. Coming in at 38 for four, he saves the match with a three  hour vigil at the wicket scoring 57....that is the first memory I can conjure up when I think of Sachin.......

I remember a 17 year old, an epitome of patience coming in at 110 for four, save India once again with defeat staring in the face, working  his way to the first of 99 international centuries at Old Trafford.

I remember him as an 18 year old, taking on the fiery Australian pace attack on a lighting quick Perth pitch, scoring what remains one of the most talked about hundreds Down Under even as bigger and older names fall like nine-pins all around him.

I remember him waging lone battles in lost causes. Each time coming in at next to nothing for two. The 122 in Birmingham 1996  The 136 which brought India from 6 for 2 to the doorstep of victory against a rampaging Akram, Waqar and Saqlain in the fourth innings at Chennai. The 169 in Johannesburg against Donald, Pollock, Klusener and MacMillan after taking guard at 25 for 3. The 116 at  Melbourne against McGrath , Gillespie and Brett Lee while the rest of a vaunted line up collapsed like a pack of cards.

For twenty years and more he has come in to bat with enormous expectations, seldom has there been a respectable score on the board and even now battling the odds after quick loss of wickets.

Through the amazing last few years, he has won an emotional Test Match against England with a fourth innings hundred chasing down a steep total on a turner. He has walked in to bat at 38 for 2 chasing 478 against Australia and has won the match with 214 and 53 not out. He has battled the pace of Dale Steyn to score two hundreds down in South Africa at the age of 37, each time coming into a boiling cauldron of heat and pressure.

I remember him winning the VB Series finals with  two scintillating demonstrations of batting, taking India to the final in the 2003 world cup with a calculated assault on Shoaib Akhtar that left all speechless except the bowler who now answers with a pen. And he achieved his goal of a World Cup win, topping the batting averages yet again, changing the match in the semi final, with a chancy yet colossally important 86.

Yet, why did people still voice their conviction that Sachin was not a match winner? That he crumbled under pressure? Even supposedly intelligent people with statistical education.

Why did people believe Lara has often won matches with second innings centuries and Sachin always failed in such situations when Sachin, according to data, outscores Lara and has 3 centuries in second essays of won matches to Lara’s 1.
What makes numerous people wallow in make-believe quagmire of their own where a man worshiped by cricket fans all over the world is brought down in his own land? I guess we are Indian's and can never tolerate another India's success and will always try to pull the legs of those who have achieved in life...

Recently I had a war of words with my boss after he said some rather unsavory remarks for Sachin Tendulkar....I got so pissed off with the guy that I nearly bit his head off.....and I know my appraisal this year is gonna be screwed up....precisely for this reason (just kidding)....But I do have some overly knowledgeable friends who at every chance they get...try to belittle the little master.....well not anymore....I have decided to answer to some of the plateful of crap people dish out in the name of Sachin......and here is my thundering response to the baseless retorts thrown by people....to slander the little master.....

All of his centuries result in India loosing matches....
Of course as a Tendlia fan...I disagree with this...Stats might differ from me on this...but give it a thought..he used to be the guy scoring more than half the runs when all the other Indian batsmen used to crash like a house of cards...He was the lone star who outshone...and he has won several matches for India..single handed....and to blame him for the matches India lost because he scored a century....is tantamount to saying...there is evil on earth because God created earth....I mean com'on guys...how can you blame him that he scored the century and as a result India lost....what were the other batsmen in the team for....clapping hands.....

He is hero worshiped and called GOD....
Is there a more crappy reason you can think of to taint the saint....oh!! yes he is the saint of cricket for me....especially if you know your history about sainthood...you would dare not disagree with me....We as Indians are taught from our very childhood to emulate or hero worship people....why else do you think people build temples for actresses in south India....why else do you think statues are built on every square of every road in India... Sachin never told he is God..it is we Indians who elevated him to that position....it is the media which solidified that platform for us....he never asked for it.....he was the sole engine who almost single handed propelled India in 3 world cups.....1996...2001....2004 and that is the reason he is hero worshiped....but i know..you have forgotten that.....

Cricket is a team game..why is Sachin hailed so much.....
Yeah!!! its a team game no doubt....with 11 players...at it....but hey...why do you have packed stadiums in the heat of Sharjaha...in the cold chill of Canada...in the cloud overhung skies of the West Indies....its because of one genius....Sachin Tendulkar. I know...dogs will still bark...and say this is no reason...let me counter it with another angle...there are 11 players...in the team...but frankly speaking there was only ONE match winner for India...and that was Sachin....he was the beacon who outshone all the others...and this happened day after day....month after month....year after year......what do you expect....Of course those not blind saw this...and those not retarded understood this....and hailed Sachin over all the others.....

He is selfish and all his records are his own....
Another shit load that people drop after every new record he bags.....I mean com'on guys...the guy scores runs for you...and continues playing year after year...of course the records set by the earlier generation Brits and Aussies are bound to fall to this marauder....He has bagged those records with aplomb and with modesty.....he has never ever said...I want to break so and so's record...the records have simply bitten dust under him....how the hell is it his fault...if he scores 200 runs in a one day match and creates a record....how the hell is it his fault that he scores the maximum number of centuries in both one-day and test matches....how the hell is it his fault....that he simply is classes above the rest...and plays equally well in India as he does abroad....

He plays only well in India and not abroad....
Oh is it? Do you mean Australia is overseas for Ponting , he had scored hundred and double Hundred against India in the current series on overseas pitch?. If Ricky (a Australian scores 100 in Australia it is a great thing for you guys ,But if Sachin an India scores hundred in India is a worst thing for you). How come dude?. Home ground is always an added advantage for any player or any person (for you also it applies) ... they score more on that than any others .. it is same for all go n see the stats of Ricky ...how many runs he scored in Australia and how many runs he scored outside Australia ... Australia won record number of matches in Australia not outside of Australia ....... On the other hand just google up the centuries of Sachin...and then you will find out..he is the one player..who has scored centuries against every cricket playing country in their own backyard.....Beat that!!!!

He plays for money and not for country......
The shit load..you people dish out....okies..here i go again....Sachin plays for money and not for country....tell me do you work for the country or for the money.....I mean the guy gets paid for the job he does...and you have a problem with that too....Stop wasting your time...reading this...and go work your bums off to earn your share of the money...and yes don't forget to crib that Sachin plays only for money......

He should have retired long time back and given opportunities to youngsters.....
They say wine tastes better with age...but that is for wine connoisseurs....not for good for nothings like you guys...who probably drink Grappo Fizz everyday in office and think that you just had wine....lolz....The guys scored a double ton a couple of years ago in a one day against SOUTH AFRICA....and you guys still suspect his fitness....hmm what can be said...ignorance is indeed bliss.....Sachin is still miles ahead of the youngsters in the current crop.....there have been many Johnny Come Lately who have come and gone...but Sachin has stayed on...maturing with age....there was the time....he was the original Boom Boom man...then he mellowed to become the batsman for long haul.....and today...he has adjusted his game to such an extent that he seems at ease be it the 5 day version or the wham bam good bye mam...20 over format....Why the hell should he retire...are you going to replace him in team India...highly unlikely....then shut the F- up and allow him to play.....

In the end...I rest my case....Judge Sahib..........after all they say never argue too much with FOOLS....because they drag you down to their pathetic standards and then defeat you.... ;-)

The Auto Rickshaw - A True Story

After a long time, I had the chance of returning back from office by Public Transport yesterday. I am not a big fan of Public Transport in India because for the obvious reasons....cramped seating....stinking sweat streaked bodies....people stomping your toes in disdain....... I have had a very hectic week this week and as usual was leaving office around 8:30 in the night yesterday. I had a thought I will take one of the new mini buss's plying their trade as public transport these days. By mini buss's I meant the breed of Tata Magic/Tata Ace/Mahindra....etc

I had never sat in one of them and their numbers had exponential grown over the past year to an extent that erstwhile auto stands have now been renamed as mini bus stands now all over Chennai. I walked to the nearest square near my office and started waiting for my transport. Almost immediately came a shared auto followed by a Tata Ace. I noticed that the shared auto had no occupants while the Ace was comparatively full. However everyone waiting on the road clambered for the Ace while the auto just stood there. The auto driver was crying himself hoarse, but no one cared to hear him. The Ace soon left with its belly full, leaving the road empty with just me, the tri-legged auto and the forlorn auto driver. 

The auto driver lit a beedi and just stared blankly ahead. He noticed me looking at him and gave me a big smile. I don't know how he realized I was not a fish of these parts but he said in broken hindi, "Saheb, Auto" I had been waiting for the next mini bus  to come up but what the heck, I was tired and it was a ride of barely 15 minutes to my home. I replied, "haan auto". The driver threw the half smoked beedi and had a triumphant smile on his face. I sat in the auto and the auto tuk tuk'd away, but not before the driver switched on the FM radio blasting the Kolaveridi song. I was curious as this was the first time, I had heard an auto driver speak in hindi in Chennai. I asked him how he spoke hindi...Pat came the reply, so many outsiders are living in Chennai, we are bound to learn the language now....I smiled at his honest endeavor to learn hindi...

The auto driver turned the volume low and said, "Saheb, mera naam Balu aur ek baat bolun"...I said, "Haan bhaiya"...Here begins my story...

With a hint of sadness in his voice, the man named Balu said, "No one sits in my auto now"... I did not understand him and looked at him quizzically. He continued, "Now everyone sits in the mini busses and no one looks at us autos rickshaws. I hate these mini buss's. We had thought they would not be popular with passengers and auto rickshaws would still rule the roost as we had done over the last 20 years. But it did not work out, that way; Lord Muruga had a different plan". After this, I heard him sob. I was feeling uncomfortable, looking at this middle aged man sobbing. I simply could not understand what I should say to my new friend, Balu. Fortunately for me, Balu, stopped sobbing and continued, "I used to ride a rented rickshaw for the last 12 years and finally saved enough money to pay for the down payment  of my own rickshaw, by the grace of Lord Muruga. I was so happy, now I need not pay all my hard earned money as rent to the auto rickshaw owner. My daughters would go to school too, like the group of kindergarten girls I transported every day to school from T. Nagar. I would pay off the loan for my auto rickshaw in another 4 years, and then the auto will be completely mine. I earned good money, in the initial years, then last year the mini busses came prowling on the roads. I used to make fun at those four legged mini buss's. Then one day, the parents of the little girls I transported every day, came up to me and said, that the auto rickshaw is not safe and they would prefer their little ones go by the little mini bus." Balu felt aghast. How could they say it was unsafe? "But, Thambi, I ride very slowly as I care about the little children. My auto rickshaw is very safe", pleaded Balu. All his cries fell on deaf ears. One of the little girls who was with the parents came up to Balu and said to him, "Balu, why don't you buy a mini bus, we will go with you to school then". Balu felt offended, even the little ones felt that his auto was no longer safe. Nursing a heavy heart, Balu returned home that day.

Balu, stopped taking his auto out for the next couple of days, and just whilled away his time at home. He was feeling a sense of anger, towards everyone. Then after two full days, reality dawned on him, when his wife said, there was no money for vegetables at home. That night, Balu felt guilty as he was felt he was cheating on his own family by not driving his auto rickshaw. Sleep eluded him the whole night and well past the witching hour, he tossed and turned on the bed until he got an idea. The sleep which had been playing hide and seek finally returned and he slept pondering over his plan.

The next day, Balu woke up and made a beeline to the local moneylender’s home. Yes, in Chennai, you have moneylenders and mortgage shops in each and every corner of the city. Balu, without telling his family, took a loan of Rs. 10,000. Although feeling apprehensive because of the exorbitant rates of interest, he felt confident that he would be able to pay back the loan in another 6 months.

Balu took his dear auto rickshaw to the pond nearby his house and cleaned his auto in the same way a mahout bathes his elephant, because just like an elephant is like a child to its mahout, the auto was to Balu. After cleaning his auto, he went to an auto garage as per his plan. He decided to purchase new foam lined seats along with new flowered seat covers so that his passengers would not feel the hardness of the seat. He spent money on a stereo system, so that his passengers would be able to listen to songs while being transported. He ordered for a new coat of bright yellow paint for his auto. He splurged on mirrors so that lady passengers would be able to comb their hairs while travelling in his auto. After spending all of the 10,000 bucks he had got from the moneylender, he felt happy. He thought he had hit on a master stroke, his auto rickshaw looked brand new, comfortable and inviting. Let me see, how the mini buss's lure away my passengers now, that’s what he thought.

A week passed before the garage called him to take possession of his now new auto rickshaw.  Balu felt proud as he saw his friends at the auto stand near the local railway station gape at his canary colored, shining auto. How beautiful his auto must be looking to the eyes of the beholders. Balu acted nonchalant with his friends as all of them waited for the first train of the day to arrive at the local railway station. The train came chugging along and out came from the stations belly a swarm of people heading towards their offices and their chores. Balu and his auto rickshaw driver friends called out eagerly, expectantly, to the passengers, but they seemed to be not hearing their words. The passengers all walked to the mini bus stand and got into the mini busses.

Balu stood in a stunned silence. His beautiful canary colored auto was standing there, empty.

Now 6 months have passed, and Balu is taking me home from office.  The money lender is after him for the unpaid money he owes. The bank has sent him a notice that they will take away the auto rickshaw. The school has kicked out his daughters for non-payment of school fees. The night is closing out fast and he has earned barely enough to sustain his family for another day. He is silent after telling me all this. The silence is pierced as my mobile rings and Green Day shrieks, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

This is a true story which happened to me late last night