Sachin Tendulkar is India's most-loved icon, and is worshipped by
millions for his amazing cricketingfeats. His fans think he's a god
who can do no wrong on field and off it.
Yet, the world's most feted cricketer is also somewhat of an enigma -
he is an inscrutable man, and has publicly stated that he is not
entirely comfortable with manic fan worship.
For all his outstanding records, Tendulkar has been a less than
inspiring leader on field, as his spottyrecord during a brief tenure
as the India captain showed. He also hardly speaks his mind on issues.
Seven years ago Sambit Bal, editor ofESPN Cricinfo, asked Tendulkar
why people felt he didn't take a stand on issues . "I have taken
stands before, but often whatever I say gets misinterpreted and
meanings are attached to it," the star replied. He didn't mention what
issue or stand he had taken up and continued: "I don't want to go into
specifics now, but I felt this is going to happen, so why get into
it?"
Mr Bal pressed on: But your voice carries a lot of weight. By speaking
out, you could make a difference? "If you know that whatever you say
willbecome a controversy, why get into itunnecessarily?" Tendulkar
replied."At least I feel, okay, there are people who are managing
those issues and my job, at least for the time being, is to play
cricket, so let me focus on that."
Uninspiring
So when news arrived last week thathe had accepted a nomination to the
upper house of India's parliament by what many believe is a
discredited and struggling ruling Congress party, many were
incredulous. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former team mate and one of the wiser
cricket commentators, said he was shocked."I never realised these sort
of things interested him. He is not one to express his views publicly
and this would be a real test for him. I hope he can make a difference
in the parliament."
Others have been harsher, blaming the Congress party for cynically
exploiting the icon to provide the nation with a pseudo feel-good
moment at a time when its fortunes have touched rock bottom and people
are feeling low.
It's entirely possible that Tendulkar has changed his views ever since
the interview seven years ago. It's also possible that he is ready to
step out of his comfort zone and face up to newer challenges and wants
to make his voice heard and count.
But he has squelched rumours about retirement and zealously told the
world recently that he plans to continue playing for a while - after
all, he is India's biggest brand, and with millions of advertising
dollars riding on him, he cannot be allowed to fade away with, say,
the quiet dignity of Rahul Dravid. Yet Tendulkar has not spoken on how
heplans to serve the parliament while remaining one of India's busiest
cricketers.
The history of such reputed nominated dignitaries to India's
parliament is largely uninspiring. At best, Tendulkar can make a
difference by finally speaking out on issues - the utter neglect of
other sports outside cricket and the thoughtlessly unrelenting
calendar for India's cricketers, which leads to early burn out of
talent. It is not going to be easy: cronyism dominates cricket, like
most things inIndia, and nobody, including TV commentators, dares
question the officialdom on anything.
At its worst, the god will become a mere mortal in a noisy, partisan,
squabbling parliament whose own reputation, many believe, is at a low
ebb. So has Tendulkar got his timing awfully wrong this time? Or as
analysts such as Jayaditya Gupta say, does he deserve the benefit of
doubt?
No comments:
Post a Comment