While the debate is on all across the
country, my mind goes back to a scene from the 2006 movie ‘Superman Returns’.
Lois Lane had just won a Pulitzer Prize for her article - ‘Why World doesn’t
need Superman’; it is strange that our own cricket’s superman finds a similar
situation from the Lois Lane type of admirers. Though, none can come close to
being Lois Lane and with that in mind, the personal vent is justified.
I
thought hard and have been thinking occasionally since the first time I read an
article that stated “Endulkar” (after 3rd Test at Karachi, 2006)
regarding people’s opinion on him. I was shocked to have read such a headline
being made and wondered who would have had the temerity to make such a statement.
After all, the author was no Lois Lane to make such statements to our Superman.
But statements were made and that were followed up by a host of personalities
in the cricketing world giving their two cents as to why Sachin must retire.
Technical reasons, personal reasons and every possible reason that one can
think of were to be seen or read across the media. He was 33 years and people
just didn’t want to see Superman without his powers. They were forcing him to
take up the role of ‘Clark Kent’ so that another Superman can flourish. People
forgot that, there were places up for grabs for other Superhero spots; no - the
focus was and is entirely on Superman.
Circa 2007-2011 - Just like in Superman
returns just when people were getting used to the fact that Superman’s powers
had waned and thought about moving on without him, a series of performances
reinstated the faith and made people believe in him all over again – Cricketing
world indeed requires a Superman. Indian cricket required Sachin Tendulkar and
if one person who deserves the World Cup, it had to be him was what I heard.
And so the wishes came true in front of his home crowd (Mumbai) comparable to
Metropolis; the very same venue which had booed him (3rd Test
against England in Mumbai, 2006) as though he was a traitor or some sort of
criminal. If he didn’t deserve any cheers or applause, it is understandable;
but certainly not this sort of disrespect. But such were the standards of
Superman that even his own people could not fathom the situation and deserted
him in open air visible to all the viewers around the globe. No complaints, he
went on.
After having experienced a roller-coaster
ride in the last six years, our superman is at that juncture wherein he is
forced to take a call. People have moved on with times, we do not have patience
anymore and we think everything and every person must be treated in the same
way and yet in our professional and personal lives we choose to make clear
distinctions. Let’s remove the personal lives and talk only about the
professional lives. We talk about him because people would listen or we truly
mean by what we say about Tendulkar? Is it true people want to see more of
Clark Kent as they are bored of Superman’s adventures?
Quentin Tarantino once quoted – “Superman
stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman.
When Superman wakes up in the morning, he is Superman. His alter ego is Clark
Kent. His outfit with the big red S is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby
when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses
the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to
blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the
characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, unsure of himself... he's a coward.
Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race, sort of like Beatrix
Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plumpton.”
Tendulkar was born to bat, circumstances if
one could create helped him realise his true potential, and those circumstances
and support has been well documented through several interviews from the man
himself. I remember once attending an interview of his, live in Mumbai (post
World Cup) where he talked about his fears. I vividly recall the words; the
situation he was in when he was suffering with tennis elbow. He was speaking
about his life - just as Clark Kent would have done. He was unsure and how weak
he felt, how he hoped he didn’t end his career through an injury. After having
overcome all that, he finds himself in a situation where in he can run, he can
hide, but he cannot escape the wrath. The only way out for Clark Kent was to
become Superman all over again. And that he did, till about recently.
Personally I like Tendulkar’s cricketing
story to be a fairy tale; no not a fairy tale but a super-hero story from which
I and many others can get inspired from. Since birth apart from my family, he
has been the only constant in my life. Maybe he didn’t inspire me to become a
very good cricketer and make a career in cricket (though I wasn’t that bad a
cricketer); but he did inspire me to have a dream, work hard to get them and
continuously work on it.
And yes, we need heroes to sustain a Sport.
Take any sport and ask any person across the world; name a sport you shall hear
a hero, or an inspirational athlete and not the rules and regulations. It
happened to Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher and now to Sachin Tendulkar. Jordan’s
legacy made a lot of people take up basketball, Michael Schumacher inspired a
lot of Germans and others to take up F1 and you can see that with the current
crop of F1 drivers (namely fellow German Vettel). The same is true with Sachin,
his contribution isn’t just about the numbers; it goes well beyond them. The
very team that won the World Cup in 2011 have openly stated Sachin to be their
inspiration to take up the sport. Yes, he cannot go on like this forever – we
want to embrace the Greek philosophy of living; to make way for the next
generation. But who are the worthy contenders?
No matter what accomplishments he would
have made, the once well-wishers or his critics will remind him of this – “We
ordinary people might lack your great talent or extraordinary cricketing
skills, Mr. Sachin, but never underestimate the power of the human mind. We
carry the most dangerous weapon on Earth inside these thick skulls of ours.”
People have indeed unleashed this most
dangerous weapon they possess. We in India never praise a team as a whole, only
individuals; so guess it is understood on the flip side we criticise an
individual and not the team. He is beginning to appear more like Clark Kent; this
time sadly it is on the cricket ground.
Irrespective of what happens in the coming
days, I believe and I hope to see Superman leaving the cricket ground and not
Clark Kent. If fate were to not be like that, all I would like to say this to
you Sachin – “You will always be remembered by me as a Superman”. .......
Period
