A New Religion

Today I was sleeping after my papers, when all of a sudden a huge noise woke me up. I opened my room to find all my hostel mates running. My room is a good two minute walk from the common room of my hostel (the place where the noise was coming from). I looked for the clock to see it was time for snacks so I dressed myself and started moving going to mess. I saw many boys running towards the common room and in the way the noise was increasing astronomically with my paces towards them.

I don’t know why I for an instant thought my hostel warden was being beaten by the boarders. I swear I really got this thought for a second. While I was engrossed in this a boy past me and asked…”kya hua BIHARI?, ye shor kaisi hai?” I noticed his tummy was in complete harmony as he ran for the epicenter of the noise. I still a little engrossed in my slumber, went to mess and found myself two cakes, a cup of tea, and a place tidy enough to sit (now this is the most difficult task @HBH, be it mess or anywhere). Then still thinking it to be my warden being beaten badly and boarders enjoying every bit of it, I too drifted in the same direction.

I entered the common room and saw, the whole public encircling the TV. I thought, “kya yar, itna shore k match k liye, saare pagal hai jo kal ke exam ki tayari chhod, ek match dekh rahe hai. Achha a b aa hi gaya to score dekh lete hai…” and then I being a little taller found its benefit for the first time in my life. I got a glimpse of the screen and saw the scoreboard. Also I saw a little man; it was not difficult to comprehend his jealousy for my height. Well, I saw Sachin @ 196. My first reaction: GOD!!! Is this real? I can’t believe it. My second reaction: to run nearest to the TV to get a better view.

I don’t remember to have even blinked till the over. Then I saw how many men were around me. I wish I had a camera and could have taken a pic!!! It was no less than 100-150 men around me, all mad, all crazy, all cheering for just one man: SACHIN!!!!. I wondered that if any other day the person that was beside me, met me I would have had several reservations against him (his zone foremost, his nature, his year) but then we all had one zone, one religion: SACHIN.

Dhoni got the strike then, he was smashing like anything. But for the first time I felt bad seeing him hitting sixes, boundaries in a row, every single man felt bored, for today we were not watching cricket, we were watching history being made. And then it happened, and then came SACHIN’s double ton and the whole common celebrated as one. The History was created. We saw history in the making.

I wonder how many of us actually knew, or even cared for the score of India when Sachin hit the double. It was not cricket we were watching, it was above the game, it was above the desire for win. I remembered having said when Sachin was @ 199, if the pitch was scoring SA will too and India may lose. The mate beside me said, who cares, matches come and go, but this moment won’t, let Sachin score 200, it won’t even matter even if India loses.

I still remember how in my home TV was switched off once Sachin was out. And till he was on the field, every work can be postponed, classes bunked, home works not done, anything. I believe today that he is our true hero, the Knight we deserved, our GOD. Today he introduced us a new religion, not cricket, but SACHIN.

I remember my grandfather narrating me deeds of Dhayanchand. How efficient was he at hockey, how the whole world praised him, how Hitler gave him an offer. Today I feel every one of us will narrate the same for Sachin to the generations to come. And they will wonder if such a person ever lived on earth, as we do today for Dhyanchand.

We are so greedy….our whole cult is. We saw him coming, we saw him conquering but are still not satisfied. We prayed for him scoring maximum runs, maximum centuries, best ranking, everything. And he fulfilled them all. We still greedy ask for him just one thing more “THE WORLD CUP”. And this I demand more from the whole Indian team than him alone for I know he will do his best. I say to the team that if you cannot give him this gift then pity on you. For you won’t find such a man anywhere soon!!!!