Why
Tendulkar's Retirement Is Not `His Concern` Alone
Just as every day of his cricketing exploits has not been his
business alone, his retirement too – perhaps unfortunately for
Sachin the individual – is not his concern alone, for Tendulkar is
not just a great cricketer, he is a CONTEXT unto himself.
As a writer, one of the things I am conscious of is not to join in in
a debate with a herd psychology. Therefore, I was reluctant to
participate actively in the Tendulkar retirement debate, for who am
I, a mere mortal amongst humans, with only aspirations of becoming
extraordinary, to say when a legend like Tendulkar should retire? But
I have still dared to step in, for as a writer, I am interested in
analysing the pyschology that pervades our society from time to time,
with the express intent to add to the profoundness of discussion. So,
here is my take on the `Great Tendulkar Retirement Debate`.
Public life comes with a price, and that price is being subject to
massive attention and scrutiny. But for Sachin Tendulkar, it is not
just about handling attention and pressure of expectations, it is
living up to the God-like image in the hearts and minds of people.
Yes, Indians can be pretty fickle minded. When the going is good,
they can make Gods out of mere mortals and when the God fails, they
can denigrate him with as much swiftness, which comes as a total
surprise to the person in question. But I suspect in the case of
Tendulkar, it is a little different. He is not just another public
figure, he is the symbol of a resurgent post-liberalisation India. He
is what every middle class Indian aspired for. He is not a rags to
riches story – a typically pre-liberalisation `success
romanticism`; he is what a cross section of talented middle class
Indians sought for themselves – expression and dominance over
limiting forces.
If Amitabh Bachchan provided relief in the '70s and '80s to tired
masses through his angry young man roles on reel, Tendulkar, in real
life, heralded the era of self belief in the country. He broke the
first rule that you need to be of a certain age to go after success.
He liberated the middle class from the guilt of earning lots of money
and leading the good life. He taught his countrymen that if you
perform, you can stay ahead of everyone else, and that the only way
to answer your critics is to perform better.
He for over two decades has symbolised what India has been aspiring
to be – a predominant force on the global platform. While cricket
has very limited global reach, his performances and career longevity
have helped struggling masses take hope and stretch the limits of
their imagination in terms of what is possible. They take
inspiration from him in various quarters of their life, as he is a
role model for sustained performance. There is no one who has taught
them better how to adapt and reinvent in an information-driven world
where validity of yesterday's competencies are questioned today.
For India, Tendulkar is not just a great sportsman. He is a teacher
and a role model student. The impact of his persona and achievements
cannot be cocooned merely within a statistical framework. The nation
looks up to him for answers when stuck in a rut, or when its people
run out of ideas in their day-to-day dealings with life. They cannot
afford him to fail, for then they lose faith in their own inner
fabric. He is a part of their daily consciousness.
Therefore, as the debate about Tendulkar's retirement heats up, on
the back of a run of poor performances, it unfortunately is not his
business alone. Yes, he is not God, he is merely an extraordinary
human being, who has been tutoring the world for over two decades
with his cricketing exploits how to become extraordinary, through
inch by inch addition of that little extra to their repertoire.
But for the masses, he is the `God Of Cricket` encased in a human
body, whose failures are hurting their morale and self confidence.
They cannot afford to see him leave the arena after being dealt a
knockout punch. He has lived life on his own terms for the past so
many years, mirroring millions' desire to do the same. But in a
country, which is hooked on to relief as a concept, it is quite
satisfying for them to see one man spearhead the mission of leading
life on his terms, from which they derive an irrational but very real
sense of satisfaction and retribution.
So, the problem with Tendulkar's form is not just about his
contribution to the Indian cricket team. It has a deeper resonance in
the very character of Indian society. The question before the nation
is whether he will be able to call it a day on his own terms or not?
A failure to do so will not affect people's respect for him, but it
carries the extremely uncomfortable threat of denting their own self
confidence, at a time when life in India, given its social-political
complexities, is becoming difficult to handle.
For the nation, it is important Tendulkar goes out on a high – on
his terms, with people asking why now, rather than why not now? They
want to give him a hero's sendoff, deserving of a legend who set
benchmarks which would not only require more than extraordinary skill
and will power, but also a width and stretch of imagination that is
conferred only on a select few in the world.
Yes, as an individual, he has every right to be the only one to
decide when to hang up his cricketing boots, but given that he has
been such a phenomenon, Sachin cannot be isolated from the
consciousness, pressures and unreasonable expectations from people.
In this respect alone, it makes him the most towering social
personality in post-liberalisation India.
Therefore, just as every day of his cricketing exploits has not been
his business alone – literally speaking, businesses for long have
been looking to thrive on the kind of performance he delivers on the
cricket field by roping him in for brand endorsements – his
retirement too – perhaps unfortunately for Sachin the individual –
is not his concern alone, for Sachin Tendulkar is not just a great
cricketer, he is a CONTEXT unto himself.
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