Anything but cricket

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar leaves the field Photo: arunramu

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar joins the Indian parliament but as Joseph Ra’na reflects, officially mixing sports and politics may not be such a good idea after all.

Be it well dressed kids sporting the best cricket gear money could buy or the semi-clad street urchins with an improvised bat running barefoot as they chase a ball, the shouts of joy that permeate the pollution-laden air are the same: chakka [a sixer], chauka [a four]!

All Indians share one common passion: cricket.

With impunity they wag school, college, office and watch a cricket match openly or on the sly. Time has now come when the venerable parliamentarians may wag parliament and watch one of their most illustrious members – the honorable Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar- hit yet another century.

Having achieved the superb milestone of 100 centuries in Dhaka against Bangladesh, and consequently having visited Sonia Gandhi, this recipient of not only India’s second highest civilian award—Padam Vibhushan, as also the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna—found himself unwittingly (perhaps!) caught in the ensnaring net of politics: to wit, be among the 12 nominees out of the 250 member strong Upper House of Parliament.

Emerging out of the month-long seizure of the Hamlet-like dilemma of “To be or not to be”, the “little master” finally made the dash this Monday, June 4, got nominated and signed the Oath Book.

The softly spoken ‘Centuries Man’ declared he is in a better position to help cricket. But is he? Will the nation bestow the same ardour in his chosen career of politics? Will he be able to defy the Johnsonian definition of patriotism (or politics) as the “last refuge of the scoundrel”? Will not this swapping of fields from cricket mania to abhorred politics become riddled with uncertainties to supposedly better the cause of cricket?

Today the newspapers cry themselves hoarse shouting, unravelling scams, cheating, unearthing scandals of unaccountable wealth akin to the likes of Ali Baba and his Forty Thieves, demanding names of people with money hidden in Swiss Banks.

Isn’t it ironic that a man whose gentleness is a by-word has accepted the tag of a politician even before stepping into the cricket-career-sunset?

Physically he has begun to show signs of aging – his attempt to get his curly hair straightened was reported as an attempt to cling to his youth.

And  Ian Chappell pointed out a creeping uncertainty, citing the tempo failure in Australia as due to his focus on his own score – he was then yet to achieve his 100th century – rather than that of his team?

Until recently the mention of his name conjured up memories of a happy face framed by a mop of curly hair, shining eyes, a cherubic smile, and a confident gait as he would pad up and enter the cricket field, to conquer, to win.

Will the venerable members of Parliament bunk the proceedings on days their honoured member is out in the field? Put the proceedings on hold as their shouts of glee permeate the august portals while Sachin hits sixers and fourers? After all he is one of them now.

Maybe the Master Blaster waited to hang up his gloves as gracefully as did Rahul Dravid who having ‘retired’ from active cricket, joined the House.

But as people say ‘out of evil cometh good’ . The limelight on Sachin stole the limelight from the simultaneous entry of yet another nominee – Bollywood’s once reigning queen, Rekha, and the attempt by Jaya Bachhan to shift her chair in the House away from Rekha to avoid being in the same shutterbug’s frame.

Do we need to censure or pity Amitabh Bachchan, the elected MP of earlier years and one of the all-time greats of Bollywood?