Why a mortal Tendulkar would have been so much better than “God”

Before I even begin, my article is for the rational mind; the others can kindly revert to India TV.

The human race is a funny one; one that was a result of a random number generation. So one fine day some genius decided that if you showed him the thumb, he’d smile back but if you showed him the middle finger, he would reserve the right to get offended! Again, after innumerable felonies, using hashtags on Facebook was declared illegal. The point I’m trying to make is that arbitrariness runs in the blood of humans, whose collective intellect hasn’t historically provided much to gloat about. Why some forms of human labor are celebrated radically more than others has baffled me almost as much as the Higgs-Boson. I can never understand why a bus driver isn’t rewarded for never having had an accident in his life just like we felicitate cricketers and film-stars at the end of a fantastic career. Clearly, a bad-day-in-the-office for a bus driver vis-a-vis a cricketer would mean a lot more going up in the air than just an inconsequential finger.

So why should Sachin Tendulkar be called ‘God’ then? There is little doubt over his supreme talent in putting bat to ball. But that’s where it should end, right? Unfortunately, that’s where it all begins. The man has already reaped disproportionate benefits from a nation, which, owing to the dearth of employment and athleticism, indulges madly in one of the lazier sports (read: cricket). The Indian media – the modern version of Janus – have found their vocation in the creation and subsequent destruction of icons like Kambli and Jadeja, who can barely handle stardom. It wasn’t long back that Virat Kohli’s brashness outraged all and sundry; then, however, he scored a few tons. And suddenly, the adjective ‘flamboyant’ began to be used for his playing style rather than himself, to stay on the right side of the truth!

Another argument that is shoved into my face is: “Show some respect for a man who has spent his entire life for his country!” I find it hilarious when terms like patriotic are used for sportsmen and armymen in the same vein. Pardon me for my cynicism, but I don’t see much patriotism in playing a sport, especially one that pays well enough for you to afford a Ferrari. Anyway, assuming sport is oh-so patriotic and noble, I have a few bones of contention here. If it is done for the sake of the motherland, can we safely assume that material gains don’t matter? Even if they do, surely no reward should be good enough for being noble (I’m forced to revert to the virtue-is-its-own-reward cliché). Lastly, why should someone be rewarded for patriotism? Doesn’t this make being patriotic an exception rather than the norm?

A lot of his worshippers can’t see beyond Sachin’s love for the game – the undying zest that still makes him sleep cricket, eat cricket but drink only endorsement cola. But if he has only done what he always loved doing why should he be respected any the more for it? And if he should be, then why do we brand people in love with codes as ‘geeks’ and Investment Bankers as ‘number-machines’? I have utmost regard for his perseverance and commitment for the game. But would it be fair to hold it in higher regard than that of a scientist who devotes his whole life to prove a single hypothesis? Even if we unanimously declared him as the best cricketer in the world (and there are plenty who’d disagree with this), we’re calling someone God for playing a sport better than others; that sport which he has possibly played more than anybody else. When I put it like that, you know how it sounds, right? Alas, objectivity is not a human forte!

Another trash can that is dumped my way is: “If you can’t take him at his worst, then you don’t deserve him at his best!” This is the lamest argument I’ve heard till date. For Pete’s sake, we’re talking about a professional sport here, and that too at the international level. This is not a government office where a guy is held back for his loyalty or past accolades, regardless of his current performance. Only the best eleven players (should) make it! And there are thousands among them who have sob-stories that will give Sachin’s a run for its money. Moreover, there can be no bigger insult for Sachin than sympathy. However, at such junctures, Indians somehow exude a remarkable penchant for statistics and emotions. Sadly, we hope to beat thorough professionals who understand only meritocracy.

History has been witness to the cons of creating demigods out of humans thanks to Hitler and Caesar. But that’s the thing about talent; it’s very difficult to treat a man with extraordinary talent ordinarily (case in point: teacher’s pets). Even his eccentricities are accepted as the strokes of genius. I guess that holds truer in a country where cricket is religion. When it comes to religion, rationality is equivalent to Judaism.

My arguments are not against Sachin but against the fact that in a just world, he could simply be a man who was exceptional at what he did, and life would be so much better for us as well as for him. We could avoid piggybacking on his failure to ignore the collective failure of the Indian team. It appears as though Indian fans don’t mind Sachin lingering around as an NPA as long as India wins. But as soon as the team loses, his retirement comes under the radar. If you really want to cut the man some slack, let’s leave it to him. His retirement is his business! If his records are anything to go by, we can rest assured that he is experienced enough to take a good decision. He should continue to make the playing XI if he is among the runs or else, he should be rested like the others.

No individual is bigger than the game. So why should it reach a stage where he has to undergo the humiliation of sitting himself out for a series just because the BCCI feels he’s too great to be dropped? The answer is a result of a fairytale-obsessed nation. We just don’t have the gumption to watch him fail; nor the gumption to admit that we don’t. Somehow, it will distort the image of the infallible Sachin ‘God’ Tendulkar and with him, the optimism of a million people who look up to him for inspiration. No wonder ending his career on a high is so important to us. Sachin’s perceived failures are not so much his as that of the psyche of the impractical Indian mob which expects their God to perform miracles every single time He walks the 22 yards. As far as he is concerned, Sachin has remained the ever-persistent humble guy that he was. Every time I see Sachin acknowledging the crowd going belligerent for his one look, I feel that he somehow knows that they’re as fickle as Mark Antony had shown them to be; that they love Him only for His miracles.

As a nation, we suffer from the classic fallacy that if I’m opposed to your opinion, I’m opposed to you personally. Thus, an off-the-cuff remark like “Sachin is overrated” could easily get you killed in Wankhede (incidentally the only place where he was ever booed). However, my love for rationality is greater than my love for Sachin. As an objectivist, I don’t feel the need to recount for the umpteenth time all the infinite things he has done. I should be able to opine without having to clarify that I’d quit watching cricket the day Sachin quits. But if I have to – lest I be murdered – I’ll take heart from the fact that the etymology of the word ‘fan’ comes from ‘fanatic’!