Hope Sachin doesn’t become the 12th man of politics

At 39, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is too young to be an Elder. Somehow, one can’t get used to him being a Parliamentarian, nominated or otherwise. For one, he is too reticent to ever speak up, leave alone speak out.

Second, he plays with a straight bat, something that is virtually alien to the atmosphere he would be stepping into. Third, it is almost as unbearable to call Sachin an MP as it is outrageous to see a textbook sound Rahul Dravid sweeping-scooping a ball in IPL in the most un-cricket-like manner!

Thinking from Sachin’s end though, being a part of the 700-odd top group of the nation is not a bad retirement plan and his acceptance of the offer by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last Wednesday is all that the master blaster will give as an indication of him gradually stepping out of the cricketing crease for quite another innings in quite another stratosphere. And, after all, it is not the little man’s fault that he is too celestial for anything worldly, and that includes the country’s Parliament. It is also not his fault that politicians of today have so sullied their image in public mind that worshippers of this great cricketer fear he will get tainted by mere association with them.

However, the more tangible reason why Sachin should not be in Parliament is that we just don’t want him to ease out of cricket. Other than that, he is just too much of an introvert to be able to contribute anything meaningful in this new avatar. In fact, he will be as uncomfortable as a politician as he was as a skipper. Those who claim to know him insist that he seldom lets his views known, never ever lends voice to any dressing room politics and rarely aids or attempts to solve controversies. Even during his most high pressure days preceding his 100th century, he never voiced his plight to anyone, not even to his close friends. In fact, the only time he has opened up to talk about an issue that the entire world was debating was when he admitted he was almost went nuts with tension about getting the 100th 100 monkey off his back. Even then, so rare was his candid confession that one took a double take.

What a legend so quiet and so dignified will do in a free-for-all portal of power is an uncomfortable question to answer. To say that Parliament will bask in the pre-eminence of this great man and, thus, it is good for him to have become an Elder would be like saying that Sachin should now play hockey instead of cricket to bring back the glory to our national game. Parliament is not meant to bask in reflected glory but is meant to use the glory of a luminary in its ranks in raising, debating and solving complex issues of the nation, to use the brilliance of these experts in getting an insight into a problem that may not unravel so easily to a layman and to use their iconic personalities to mould public opinion for the benefit of the nation.

Perhaps, the view that Sachin should have instead been given the Bharat Ratna for his contribution and achievements stands ground, considering that it would be somewhat alien to see him waste away on the benches of the Rajya Sabha, and waste away not because he has no opinion on anything but because he may have a strong viewpoint on what is being discussed but not the DNA to vocalise his thoughts. Sachin as a silent spectator is unthinkable, scary and almost an anti-national thought when it comes to cricket. One can add the adjective ‘agonising’ if he turns out to be a mute Parliamentarian.

But then, Sachin is not known to take decisions in a hurry. If he has accepted the offer, it would not merely be for the temptation of power or the lure of a handsome retirement benefit. Because, the power he at present wields on the Indian public is far greater than a mere politician of any hue would think of for himself. So, it has to be his conviction that this is the way to go. To what effect, we will have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar is the first ever active sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, with nominated Elders mostly coming from cultural, educational, corporate, media and showbiz backgrounds. In that, it is a good tiding but how far will Sachin, nominated under the social service category, be able to argue the sportsman’s cause is a question looking for an outing.

Precedent shows that eminent personalities from non-political backgrounds have rarely made their presence felt in the penultimate portal of power (Lok Sabha being the ultimate). Lata Mangeshkar, for example, never would have spoken a word on the floor of the House and must have rarely attended the sessions in her six-year tenure as Rajya Sabha member. But that did not dim in any way her aura as a legendary singer. One prays the same for Tendulkar — because it will be national heartbreak were he to be caricatured for his reticence off the field. Some icons need utmost protection because they are rarest of rare. Sachin falls in that category and one only hopes that he will be one Elder who becomes a role model in what he does when he is not playing cricket. Yes, it is a huge expectation yet again but Sachin knows how to not break under pressure. He also knows that he is one mortal who will never be allowed to be anything less than God.

Source: The Sunday Pioneer, 29 April, 2012