Champions both, they are far away from home and hearth at festival time. Viswanathan Anand is in Bonn for the World Chess Championship, while Sachin Tendulkar will be playing in the capital. The two greats speak about celebrating DiwaliSachin Tendulkar
Cricket aficionados — and also those who are not initiated into the intricacies of the game — will agree that Sachin Tendulkar’s smile can light up the field even while Diwali sparklers are going off in the air. The celebrations probably began last week for his fans when the little master re-worked cricketing records once again by toppling Brian Lara’s highest-runs-in-tests record.
So, when and how will the celebrations begin in Tendulkar’s home in Bandra? “Not so soon,” Sachin points out as he spends an afternoon with his family and friends at home after returning from the inauguration of Dilip Vengsarkar’s academy in Pune. “Nothing is different. I am completely enjoying spending time at home with my family. And anyway, the series is still on. I cannot switch off completely.”
Sachin will spend a Diwali day this year in New Delhi, but he is looking forward to returning and having an off-the-pitch blast with his family. Flashbacking to when he was a kid, he remembers lighting many crackers. “After I started playing for India, I was not home often when Diwali came around. I was around eight or nine when I was allowed to play with live crackers,” he says. “I was a little naughty as a child and I used to love lighting up cheedis — explosives that come out of a small metal box — and burst in any direction. I thought they were the most exciting of the lot; you never knew where they would go. They could even follow you soon after you lit them. So, I would run off and hide to see the effect.”
Today, as a father, does he let his kids, Arjun and Sara, play with firecrackers? “They are growing up but they just have to be careful” he says. “As long as it is safe, we don’t really object. I try and make an effort to be with them as often as I can.”
Ask him whether he is still having a blast on the field after so many years of playing and Sachin replies, “Of course, I am still enjoying my cricket. I owe a lot to the Almighty; it’s been a fantastic innings and I have lived my dream for years. The few hours you are on the field are exciting, you walk in, give it your all and come back, happy to have done your best.”
As for his most recent cricketing record, Sachin admits, “Honestly, it has not hit me yet. I am happy with what I have achieved, but the icing on the cake was the fact that we won the match.”
On the brickbats he has unfortunately had to face and the Adam Gilchrist recent issue, Sachin says quietly and with dignity, “I do not see the news. I do not read books. I am not interested in anything that does not enhance my performance as a player or help me score runs or help my team win. Anything else, I stay away from!” May the master-blaster continue to have a blast!
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