'The God of cricket' Sachin Tendulkar to call on IIT Bombay this December

Sachin Tendulkar will attend the Golden Jubilee edition of Inter IIT Sports Meet at IIT Bombay

Being one of the premier technological institutes of the country and located within the city of dreams, IIT Bombay enjoys the privilege of the nation’s who’s who making house calls at its campus. Be it former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh or perfectionist actor Aamir Khan, IIT Bombay students have seen their fair share of renowned faces making appearances at convocations, festivals and guest lectures at the institute.

India’s fastest swimmer and Asian Games medalist Virdhawal Khade visited the institute swimming pool on account of the Aquatics leg of the 50^th Inter IIT Sports Meet in early October. Also paying a visit to the institute for the Aquatics meet was Rashtrapati Award recipient Bhakti Sharma, an open water swimmer who solely holds the distinction of having swum the seven seas and four great oceans.

The Inter IIT Sports Meet is the one event where students from all IITs participate with equal fervor, and in December this year, IIT Bombay hosts the Golden Jubilee edition of the prestigious meet. The opening ceremony of the same will be graced by the presence of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar on December 12 at the IIT Bombay campus.

The student community of IIT Bombay is thrilled, to say the least. Swapnil Chougule, Head Coordinator of the Organizing Committee, says, “Sachin is far more than just a source of inspiration, he is worshipped by athletes and non-athletes alike. While the cricket buffs do not tire of enumerating and admiring the countless records he holds, he embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and is a source of motivation to non-cricketing athletes as well.”

Bharat Ratna recipient Tendulkar recently completed his autobiography, titled Playing It My Way which will hit shelves on November 6. The book will cover aspects of his life that he hasn’t shared publicly before, as he has promised to be completely honest – as he has always played the game. “It will be a unique opportunity for the students to interact with Sachin Sir following the release of his book. Since the autobiography is expected to talk about yet unknown incidents in his career, the students will be able to talk to Sir about things not discussed in any of his interviews,” says Sapan Shah, Media head of the Organizing Committee.

Shashank Parikh, Events head, adds, “Sir has been very cooperative, and it was worth all the effort when he agreed to come to campus. The event as we planned it before is now at another level altogether, and we’re putting in days and nights to make it a memorable one for both Sachin Sir and the audience.”

The Opening Ceremony will be attended not only by over 3000 participating students and the professors and sports officers accompanying them, but will be thrown open to the IIT Bombay students, faculty and residents as well. A crowd of over 10000 is expected at the grand ceremony, which will take place at the main grounds of the IIT Bombay Student Gymkhana.

The ceremony will take place on the evening of December 12 at the IIT Bombay campus.