Tribute to Master Blazer and Bharat Ratna, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

A lil but shy teenager walked in the stadium with his bat and smashed the ball twenty four years back;

The hordes of Cricket fans gasped for breath as they saw the young man smashing the ball and driving seasoned opponents to the wall;

He was a young prodigy that must be groomed, cricket experts and seasoned players thought;

Little did they name that the young man would unite the country and strike an emotional chord with the nation;

He broke records after records, scored innings after innings, smashed centuries, tons and sixes;

Yet, he was human and failed at times;

After the high came the low notes and lull in his career,

he was not spared by critics yet he choose not to smash their heads;

He sets his sight on his game and, after all, this is what winners do;

His name is Sachin Tendulkar that resonates in all ears across the country and he is the son, brother, father of India;

He didn't let critics bug him and, in no time, he was back with a bang.

You hurled stones at him and he turned them into milestones;

He is the dream of a nation and every child, in the galli wants to grow up and became Sachin Tendulkar;

Centuries followed, milestones, innings and runs escalated like balls of snow;

He remained true to his 'self' and despite the milestones as well as achievements that only God could do, Sachin remained true to his roots and never forgot family background;

If cricket is religion, they say he is God:

Yet, the famous 100 100 tons eluded him much to the fans' chagrin and despair;

We batted for the World Cup where our God of Cricket will smash the 100 100 tons;

Yet, it was not meant to be but he won the world cup for us,

his team mates carried him  like he carried Indian Cricket on his shoulder for more than two decades;

Finally, he smashed 100 100 tons and centuries to prove he is beyond centuries;

Then, one day everything had to come to an end and we were shocked to hear that the Master Blaster and Grand Lil' Man will wave his favorite sports good bye;

We shed tears, after all how would we cope without Sachin, our hero and inspiration;

On his last day, he gratified our hearts with smashing innings and gracefully exited his home turf, Wankhede Stadium;

We thought that it was the end of Sachin route but we were wrong;

The hero reserved the last inning after the last match,

he spoke his heart and smashed another milestone straight in our hearts;

We shed tears as we watched him speaking from his heart when he shared the role that his eminent parents, mentor, wife and fans played in his life;

This is the true measure of the man who inspired us on the need to keep pushing ourselves towards the cliff and success will belong to us;

On the last inning, he united the whole nation as we batted for him and showered love, affection for what he has given us;

He is the last hero of our times as he brought a nation together, young and old, regardless of caste, creed or sex;

This is the power of the man, a phenomenon that cannot be expressed in words but felt within;

Cricket will never be the same without the God of Cricket and inspiration to millions across the globe;

Hey, take his name with respect, it's Bharat Ratna Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

God never retires and his name will always resonate in stadiums and for the love of the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf4iDcQvfTU

This poem is dedicated to one man I have admired and loved, Bharat Ratna Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I admit that I followed cricket very late in life and was introduced to Sachin after 25 years but what struck me was his humility, modesty and how he brought a nation together despite the fact that he achieved so much in life. The true measure and success of a person is not laurels but the positive attitude and humility. I admire Mr Tendulkar a lot for someone who was determined to succeed in life and never lose focus in life during the rough times.

Thanks Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. You shall be missed always on the cricket ground but will be loved forever.

Vishal