Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear friends

Our Cover Story this month is a deviation from our normal concept of ‘Reporting North East as it is’.

We have featured Mr. Sachin Tendulkar, the master blaster and brand India as our Cover Story. This man who is treated as a God played his last match on the 16th of November at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai where thousands of people were present which reflects the adulation of his fans and their emotions. Thousands of photographers and fans were present at the Wankhede Stadium to bid farewell to the master blaster.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, in very little time announced the ‘Bharat Ratna’ the highest civilian award of the country for the master blaster. Thus, aged only 40 years old, Sachin Tendulkar has become the youngest recipient of the award.

Sachin Tendulkar has had the privilege of having good media relations. He has in fact become a household figure and has played a very important role in making cricket such a popular game in India and also throughout the world. As such, because of this popularity, there are bound to be side effects. The previously immensely popular game of hockey, for one, had been the inadvertent victim of the rise of cricket in India as it saw its popularity dwindling by leaps and bounds. Cricket became the be all and end all in India much to the delight of millions of fervent fans of the game. It is in this backdrop that a controversy has arisen.

The critics by and large appreciate the Government initiative to confer the Bharat Ratna to Mr. Sachin Tendulkar even as they have reminded the Government to keep in mind Mr. Dhyan Chand while also demanding the Bharat Ratna award for him. Milkha Singh, the legendary athlete has said, “Dhyan Chand deserves the Bharat Ratna, an athlete, the likes of whom have not been seen in India. The award has been given to Sachin – that is ok. Nevertheless, they should think about Dhyan Chand immediately.” There is merit in the case. The hockey player Dhyan Chand commanded such awe that even today, one can see his statue with four arms and four hockey sticks in the Vienna sports club. Dyan Chand was such a force on the hockey field that people had considered him a human – highlight reel in the sport. Such was his control over the ball that at one point of time, people had even broken his hockey stick to see if there was a magnet inside. The Japanese thought that it was made of glue and Adolf Hitler, at one point of time had offered to buy it. Similarly, Vishwanath Anand, the five time World Chess Champion is not getting the treatment he deserves simply because chess is not as popular as cricket.

Having said all this, the fact remains that Sachin Tendulkar has brought fame to India. He started playing cricket at a very young age at a time when the Berlin Wall was still standing, the Soviet Union was still united, the value of the rupee was 17 to a dollar and young Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India. Considering his stature and popularity, Sachin has relatively stayed clear of controversy throughout his career and has become a role model for the youth of India in light of his middle class background and the heights to which he has risen.

Dr. K. K. Jhunjhunwala