Sachin is much more than God

To call him India’s most famous sportsman ever is like calling Mahatma Gandhi the country’s most famous politician. Read this article written by Harsha Bhogle 21years ago. As Greatbong puts my feelings about Sachin in eloquent way:

Sachin is much more.
He is a cultural icon, someone who has his place booked in the history books. No not just cricketing history. National history. This is because of what Sachin represents—- the epitome of the Indian dream. A man from middle-class origins, not a star-son or the scion of a political dynasty who rises to the very top by the dint of his own merit, not because he looks good or can shake his body but because he has a genuine skill which very few in the world have, an inspiring success story in a country where the odds against you are mounted in every domain unless you are an “insider” with “jugaad”.

But that’s just half the story. What makes Sachin “God” is because once he has attained fame, he has still held onto the values Indians adore—-that of being humble, unassuming, possessing a commitment to his work which is emphatic without being aggressive, well-defined without being brash. It makes us want to believe. That there is something greater than us, our wallets and our lives.