How do you manage to keep away from
the limelight, which is usually focused on the family of a celebrity like
Sachin?
Ours is a very close-knit,
traditional Maharashtra family and we do not like too much intervention
from outsiders. Like any conservative Indian woman of my age, I avoid coming
out in public. All of us, specially my sons Ajit and Sachin, are very private
people. Sachin is very quiet and shy and likes to keep to himself. He has
excelled in cricket and I am extremely happy for him.
Many people would like to know how
he was initiated into the game and what factors helped him reach where he is
today. Were you also interested in the game?
Sachin’s father was a cricket
enthusiast and he played an important role in making Sachin what he is today. I
don’t know.
much about cricket. It was only when
I got married to Sachin’s bhau (father) and after my sons started playing with
other children in the street that I discovered the game. Sachin took to cricket
at a very young age. Chhutpun se hee usko to cricket ka dhun savar rahta tha,
subah ko, sham ko, khana-peena sab chhor kar bas khelne jane ka tha. (Whatever
the time of day, he was always keen to just go and play cricket).
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| Sachin with his mother Rajni Tendulkar |
When he was all of eight, he used to
go and play at Shivaji Park. Right after school he would keep the schoolbag,
grab the bat and take a bus. His chacha-chachi (uncle and aunt) were staying
there. I would ask them to give him something to eat, nashta-mithai but food
was the last thing on his mind while he was playing. Whenever I would scold him
and ask him to take studies more seriously he would say, ‘‘you don’t worry,
khalipili tension mat le ayee’’. He always looked up to Sunil Gavaskar. All his
friends would say that they wanted to be as big as Gavaskar. Sachin would keep
quiet and concentrate on playing. The day he was selected in the team, the
entire family was so happy. It was like a dream come true for all of us. Those
who know Sachin know that he doesn’t play for records, cricket is his life.
When people ask me how I feel about his success, all I say is that I am proud
of him. He is a very simple boy and not fussy about anything. For me he is
still my little Sachchu.
How do you feel when you see him on
the pitch? What memories do you have of the famous incident when Sachin was hit
on the face by a Waqar Younis bouncer at Sialkot, during his very first Test
series? (He was bleeding profusely, but refused to leave the field and went on
to score a half-century.)
I don’t see him play at all. I get
very tense and nervous, so I always see the highlights the next day. That day
also I did not see him getting hurt, but was very scared when I got to know.
However, soon I was assured that he was fine and since he continued playing, I
felt so proud of him.
You mentioned that
Sachin’s father was his guiding force. Most of us still think of Sachin as a
youngster and forget that he is himself a father of two. How is he with his
children?
He is a very doting father. He doesn’t get much free
time, but whatever time he gets, he likes to spend with his family. That is one
of the reasons why his social interaction is so limited. Anjali is a very
responsible wife and daughter-in-law, who takes care of us. He may be far from
home physically but he is very close to us, he needs to keep talking to his
family, specially his children. He likes to go to their school, specially for
functions. I really miss my husband, had he been there he would have been so happy.
I am sure Sachchu must be missing him a lot, he loved his bhau and was closest
to him. Today, when I see his kids calling him baba, every time they remember
their baba I think of Sachin remembering his bhau.
What message would you like to
convey to the mothers of budding players?
Like all mothers I always
prayed for what he wanted. I never forced him to be a doctor or engineer
because I know he loves cricket and it’s best to let children do what they are
happy doing. After all, it’s their happiness that matters the most.
How are your days spent? Don’t you
travel with Sachin?
I suffer from joint problems due to
old age, so I am not in a position to travel. My time is largely spent in
temples and reading scriptures. Even Sachchu is a very religious boy. There is
a small Ganpati mandir in Shivaji Park he visits regularly, though not so
openly now. He usually goes there well past midnight.
‘Now I am just waiting for him to come back.
More than me, it’s my little Sarah and Arjun (Sachin’s children) who can’t wait
to speak with him. Every time the phone rings, they think it’s their baba’s
call, they run to pick it up. I see Sachin’s childhood days in them all over
again.
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