Gerald D'Cunha

“Don’t’ be pushed around by the fears in your mind.  Be led by the dreams in your heart.” Roy T. Bennet   I have not been following the ongoing (Cricket) World-Cup matches. The occasional updates have been coming from here and there, like from ardent cricket buffs, such as my son or some of my students… and, sometimes, even from random cricket buffs, like an Uber driver… However, the maximum updates, during this World-Cup edition, has been coming to me from my student, Aman (First year Banking & Insurance). His father is a sports journalist, who gets to attend matches at every venue; and, here, our Aman gets to know some finer nuances of the game… Last afternoon, Aman was excited to tell me about the unveiling of Sachin Tendulkar’s statue at the Wankhede Stadium. I learnt from him, that the ceremony was held the day before... “Was your Dad there to cover it?” I asked Aman… “Yes,” Aman said proudly… “Are you a Sachin fan?” I asked… “Yes,” came the fastest...

I am a die-hard fan of Sachin Tendulkar. I admire him for his game – cricket. He is a legend and he inspires millions all over the world. He comes about as a gentleman and least controversial. Hence, he is so highly respected. But, then, when the nation – the particular political class – bestowed upon him the highest civilian honour of our nation – ‘Bharat Ratna’ – I did not feel very comfortable. There are so many ‘Jewels of India’… I say so many, that Sachin would have shone much brighter without a ‘Bharat Ratna’. It’s my view. Our country – of more than 1.3-billion people – doesn’t have sprinters of Usain Bolt’s class. Jamica, Usani Bolt’s country - doesn’t even have a population of 28 lakh! Incidentally, Usain’s original passion was cricket. But, he went on to become the greatest athlete – the fastest man on earth. No one has matched his track records, just as no one has Sachin’s cricket-records. So, if Jamica crowns Usain with her highest civilian honor, so b...

L ast evening, my wife and I watched the movie, “SACHIN – A Billion Dreams’. The theatre was packed… young parents with their kids, elderly couples… young boys and girls and all of us. Sachin, it was clear, had won everyone’s hearts… He had inspired all of us… Yes, a billion people, to say the least, to dream! I had been a huge fan of Sachin ever since I watched his first game… and, like everyone else, had kept myself updated on him… No matter how ‘colossal’ the brand Sachin had become, no matter how ‘larger-than-life’ he had become… how massive a Legend… I just cannot shed off the image of that boy-next-door… The boy just the way you and I had been, once… that boy who was shy yet mischievous… the boy who ate, played, prayed and lived just like you and me… And, to me, that connect simply doesn’t happen with any other sports person, leave alone of the proportion Sachin had risen to… His family looks like mine… his parents, brothers and sisters, his wife and childr...