Sport

The psychosomatic power of character is moral conduct, not to speak of self-discipline. Its foundation? The ability to defer gratification -- to control and channel one's urges to master art -- the very purpose of motivation, whatever one's occupation. And, for Sachin Tendulkar, cricket's legendary magician, excellence has always meant more than conviction -- a worship of art, and not merely management of one's perception of willow talent, quality, or premise.

Genius is but a Tendulkar's song at the beginning of every innings.

-- With apologies to Kahlil Gibran, who'd, perforce, have been a baseball, if not a cricket, fan.

Sachin Tendulkar is the Leonardo da Vinci of batting, as it were. His career is now as famous as it ought to be -- a culmination, or reflection, of the little genius' phenomenal exploits on the cricket field -- a reminder that the tiny, big man's popular chemistry continues to hold onto its own, pristine status, charisma, sensitivity, sentiment, and affection among both the ardent and cursory [if there are any!] fan of the game.

As one who brought fulsome, or wholesome, respectability to Indian cricket anew, at a time when the big names, or legends, were sooner than later "game" to giving up their spotlight, and beginning to live in his shadow, Tendulkar, as the new kid on the block, for all practical purposes, looked so innocuous, so puny, when he first donned the India colours. But, when he held the bat in his hand, he was nothing short of a soon-to-be-genius. The rest is history. Tendulkar today is a demi-god -- he is worshiped by a legion. He's, quite simply, a gentle giant, a man who holds on to the rivet of frenzied expectations of a billion crazy cricket fans -- both on and off the field.

Tendulkar's batting has always been purposeful, and the ease, effect, and grace with which he projects his repertoire of strokes, both varied and commonplace in his grand context, and the silken-touch of his bat, are simply astounding. Although he has now changed over to playing the role of a "father-figure," Tendulkar, at least till recently, had the natural ability to flash his bat like a mediaeval swordsman. Wait a moment. He still does -- the difference being of degree.

Tendulkar's talent has an inherent element. He was born to play cricket. His life is, therefore, totally devoted to the game -- nothing beyond the turf, and the cricketing arena. Perish the thought of his innumerable endorsements -- they have all arrived only because of his cricket. All the same, if Tendulkar lacks the proviso of a good education, he has characteristically fostered his gifted skills to reach the Everest Heights of his own greatness. Destiny was manifest, thus -- and, Tendulkar, and the entire cricketing world, are only too delighted for it.

Tendulkar developed a penchant for the game at a tender age, and he strolled his way into the thick of things, as if he was a heaven-sent messiah. He made his international debut in Pakistan, in 1989, and he has not looked back since. Picture this: while many great players and the genii shared the honours with him -- when he first walked onto the world stage -- and, bid adieu to the game, Tendulkar continues to play his part with several new talents. In the process, he has inspired them to launch their careers in his domineering, but gentle, presence.

Many of Tendulkar's innings have seen the best of cricketing skills, very difficult to duplicate -- they still do.... even if you re-run them on the video. In select instances, his innings could easily run to packed houses, if they were screened at movie theatres. Nostalgia has it that every Tendulkar innings, on the day of another "battle" in the middle, unleashed a festive flavour of colour and splendour. Until recently, it was not uncommon for one to witness stampedes following hysterical fans' emotional paroxysms to getting tickets at any given venue. While some centres, or most of them, used to become a Mecca for black-marketers, with tickets sold in multiples, or even more fanciful rates, Tendulkar, perforce, cognisant of the hazards his fans were often subject to, seldom disappointed them.

Tendulkar's cricket has always had a social message -- the game being given the highest place in practically every move. So are good values, ethics, cultural ideals, and the all-penetrating mosaic of cricket ethos, and patriotism. Tendulkar is everyone's hero -- he's identified himself both with the common man, and the elite, even though his cultured presence on the field appeals to the most sophisticated. This is his stamp. Besides, his tour de force in different climes and venues will be remembered for a long, long, time to come. More so, his magnum opus against the likes of every opponent -- all truly well-sculpted innings, with batting motifs of sheer grandeur -- taking us through to cricketing nirvana.

Agreed that Tendulkar is now only a shadow [sorry for using a cliché, albeit one feels that there is still something great for him in the offing!] of his vibrant persona of the 1990s, dissimulated by the wayward manner of his flimsy dismissals, and lack of form, at times. However, there is more to him than what meets the eye, and by way of his dominant presence on the field.

That he has not taken the plunge into getting the captaincy again is a reflection of his self-control. A man devoid of scandals -- although he was in the picture of a major storm, thanks to his now-[in]famous tax exemption case, "engineered" by the government for his Ferrari gift -- in his long innings in public life, Tendulkar has always been a fitness fanatic, the one-man nuclear brigade of Indian cricket. No single player can claim to have contributed as much as this archetypal cricket box-office hero, who in the course of his "tenure" at the wicket may have proved to be the stumbling block to many an opponent's new bowling aspirant. But, it goes without saying that the greatest have always been guilty of "promoting" this inevitable fact of life, whatever one's field of specialisation. Tendulkar is no exception!

Tendulkar has seen the best of both the worlds -- from cricket's ebullient existence in the 1990s to the age of the game's neo-realistic existence in the new millennium. Worse still, he's as saddened as anybody else, what with the somewhat lackadaisical repertoire of too much cricket, too soon, today. Well, he's accepted it all as a true professional -- who always gives his 110 per cent. Needless to say, Tendulkar, who's played his part brilliantly, is also no less a tizzy bowler in his own right. That's no big point. He's not a bad bowler -- he's good. It also shows his carte blanche. Reason? Tendulkar is a born cricketer -- there is greatness written all over him. He's the small, big man of the game on the global platform.

This is precisely the reason why he has, lately, taken such a great fancy to playing the game a bit hassle-free, unlike the past -- for inner harmony. Not that he was an agnostic earlier. Far from it, he was -- and, still is -- a man of principles, a firm believer in God. More so, because, philosophy, the exploration of the consciousness, is an examination of one's self. That's exactly Tendulkar's theme song of life, today. Some comfort this for a one-man institution, a true colossus, who's compelled to perform a miracle each time he takes his stance at the wicket, be it Test or one-day cricket.

Tendulkar's basic education did not extend beyond the portals of high school, yes. But, his sense of discipline, the will to learn, and an uncanny knack to go beyond academic education, have been his forte. So also his sense of versatility, and culture. He may not have been educated at Harvard Business School; yet, he's educated. By himself. If education in any single field of specialisation does not make one a complete intellectual, so does isolation. Tendulkar is in the thick of it all -- thanks to cricket, and the world itself. His education is based on the humane context, and goodwill. Not just on the honours and awards bestowed on him. This is his greatness -- of greatness that sits lightly on his strong shoulders, or star-studded achievements.

It sums up Tendulkar, the man, and the phenomenon -- a genius with an infinite capacity for taking pains to mastering his art. In his occupation, he has cared immensely for each outline of every innings he's used his willow dimension. This is something he did, and continues to do, naturally -- and, with rare diligence and fidelity.

There wasn't one like him before; there won't be another like him, again.