In the Animal kingdom, the male lion is considered the ultimate ruler of the land. A typical lion pride consists of two males and a dozen females. Yet, when the all-powerful males are challenged by young nomadic males, the erstwhile rulers of the land are forced to abandon their territory and are injured and cursed to a slow death. It is no doubt cruel, but that is how nature is meant to work.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has always been challenged. For the last twenty years, he has been challenged by the stalwarts and the gullible alike. They tried to dethrone him time and again, but lost and then simply moved. From the time civilization flourished, there have been stories of awe and inspiration where mankind has defied the limits defined by the Almighty and embarked upon a journey to achieve a place amongst the Gods. The Gods of course, don’t want a mortal to share their same cult status. But when a man revolts, awakens, inspires a nation of a billion, the power of love in a billion hearts results in a resonating frequency of oscillation which eventually renders even the Almighty impotent. This was not how it was meant to be. He was to retire after playing for a few years and then lead a happy family life with all the money earned. But some people challenge destiny, and when they have the courage to do that, they often succeed.
It is not often that both atheists and theists from different religions, witness Godliness in its purest form and that too, emanating from a human. God cannot be defined universally. He is the omnipotent, the creator, the destroyer, the planner, the executor, the controller or simply free will, faith, or destiny. For the more practical atheists, Divineness is the feeling when you lose yourself in meditation or when you are sloshed in your addiction or when you go through an orgasm or when you love someone unconditionally or when you overcome the boundaries of the society and speak or act from your soul and you find yourself surprised. At such times your energy level escapes the levels credited as sane in everyday life and you experience a tangible feeling which to date has never been explained satisfactorily by science.
Confine yourself to a dark room. Close your eyes. Think of the perfect stance, the perfect grip, the perfect man. Think of the bat hitting the ball, the sweet sound it crackles, envisage the ball rushing through the covers, the straight drive, the upper cut, the hook, the pull, the leg glance, the flick off the pads, the charging down the wicket, the graceful back lift. Experience the wave of tranquility travel from the head through the spine, to the toe. This is the true manifestation of spirituality - to reinvent, rejuvenate yourself. And the one who helps you attain this bliss is The Holy Guru.
India was a very different country in 1989. Deprived, Dependent, Deplorable, Distressed, Depressed. One man took on the mantle to change that. An average Indian returns to his home after yet another oppressive day at work. Then he watches the legend play live on TV and he forgets the unyielding day that just went by. Now imagine this with a billion people, over a period of 20 years. Today, in 2009, we are an optimistic nation. A new generation has been woken up, lead from a state of despair towards hope and beyond. One man has been as much influential in the spiritual progress of this nation as any other in the history of mankind.
For twenty long years, he has held his own. Human memory does not even stretch itself to such a long period. Can everyone even appreciate ‘twenty years’ objectively? It is one third of India’s age. Yet, the same passion, flair, flamboyance and panache are on display, every single time he takes the field with a willow in hand. How difficult is it to fight against a tiring, fragile, broken body with just your mind and will power. Not very, if you have the mental strength to face a deadly Waqar Younis on a fast Karachi pitch with a bleeding face. This after getting hit on the face on your debut match at the age of 16. We must have been in Kindergarten, crying over a broken toy or some crap when the genius had taken his first few steps to glory. And today, after experiencing the joys of yet another masterpiece from the great showman, the country is again overwhelmed and awed by the power of human achievement. In fact, ‘Indianness’ would never have been the same, but for him.
But reality, much like life in general, is a great leveler. The Law of Balance states that ‘When you have the adroitness fit for the Heavens, you often have a bane of unexplained failure. Even the ‘Destined One’ can do only so much. He has been blessed with unfathomable grace, unimaginable talent, unmatched commitment, uncountable records, unparalleled passion. And yet, he has this one chink in his armor – of not being to conclude things, of not being able to win important matches or World Cups, which lesser mortals easily accomplish. It will haunt, torment him, his teammates, his countrymen, his fans around the globe. Aptly they say ‘Sach is Life’. Yet, this very tragic aspect of his game will make his story an epic in the years to come. Victory is not the purpose of sport; the Quest for Heroes is. And there are not many who have attained a status as magnanimous as his.
Yet again we lost a Sachin v/s Australia match. As Australia won and India lost, one man towered over mundanely mortal creations like countries and borders. One man won in a field of Twenty-Two. Tragedy often has an idiosyncrasy associated with it which aids in savoring the jubilation of the impending heyday. Thus, the 5thof November 2009, forever will be remembered for the magic created by a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar in what was an exemplary spectacle of humanity knocking the gates of Godliness and ultimately swooping past it altogether.
The sky is often at its romantic best just before the dusk. As the sun slowly sets in the distant horizon, luxuriate in the Sanctity while you still can..
SACHINIZATION [Sa-ch-inai-za-shen] - noun
1. The act of redefining an art as it was previously known to mankind.
2. The process of converting from Atheism to Monotheism.
