Monday, March 2, 2009

Sachinesh


Ganesh's tattoo

It is common knowledge that Sachin Tendulkar has a huge fan following all over the world. There are different types of ST-fans. I quantify the continuum of ST fan to:

just another fan -> 'i-like-Sachin-of-the-old-nowadays-he's-not-that-aggressive-yaaar' fan -> dedicated 'haan-i-remember-all-his-innings' fan -> a serious & passionate fan -> Tendulkar zealot -> Fanatic (e.g. ones who like to use their blood to write letters to ST)

Except the Fanatic, I know people who fit into the other mentioned categories.

I belong to the 4th category. Anyone who have followed SRT's career closely, understands - to a certain extent - the evolution of ST's batsmanship over the years and admires the way ST plays the game will fall into that category. The defining characteristics of a 'serious & passionate fan' are:

  1. Watches every ST innings. If there is no live telecast in cable, resorts to live video streaming. No live video streaming as well? Cricinfo to the rescue. He will be glued to the text commentary and would squirm in his seat whenever there is long pauses between updates. (God Bless all those souls who stream India matches live online for free...you guys rock!).
  2. When Sachin plays, nobody says a word in the house. No one should ask the score. No questions about Sachin. "Yenna, Sachin out-aaa?" (Is Sachin out?) is the most provocative question to this ST fan. Once a friend asked me that, I followed up with a barrage of words that would make some sailors feel shy.
  3. Superstitions: When Sachin is batting: person A (if present) has to sit on the blue stool, person B always sits on the ground, the blinds are half shut, cell phone is in silent mode and the irritating kid from the neighbours is not let into the house.
  4. Some of us have the 'intellectual' ability to predict how ST will do on the day. From the colour of his gloves, the stripes in his shoes, colour of the grip, the way he looks (i.e. shaven/unshaven, haircut (it's stupid I know!) )...the intuitive mind of this ST fan observes everything and passes a prediction. It is right, most of the times.
  5. The heart rate is high during these crucial moments of ST's innings: the first ten deliveries of innings, the first few deliveries after lunch/tea/drinks break, vulnerable sixties and nervous nineties.
  6. Strongly believes that LBW should removed from the rule book. ST has had more than his share of shocking decisions esp the LBW's. It makes sense that it should be banned.
  7. The least favourite last name is Bucknor. Cricket's Morgan Freeman is a good umpire. Unfortunately his decision making seems to err whenever he umpires ST. The name Steve Bucknor has appeared in the black books of any ST fan numerous times. Thank God he is retiring. Good bye Steve!
Over the last few days, a good friend of mine, Ganesh, has made a transition from a serious & passionate ST fan to a Tendulkar Zealot. How? Why? You may ask. Here is the story.

26th February 2009. It was the eve of Twenty20 game between India and NZ. G was walking past the hotel where the Indian cricket team was staying in Wellington. By sheer coincidence he met Sachin Tendulkar in the lobby entrance of the hotel car park. G could not believe his luck. He got Sachin's autograph. He wanted a pic with Sachin but his wretched camera wouldn't work. G requested Sachin to sign his arm and told him that he'll get it tattooed. Sachin gave a quizzical look, smiled and signed his arm. Having Sachin Tendulkar's autograph tattooed had been G's long-time dream.

Ganesh after meeting ST
1st March 2009. Basin Reserve, Wellington. The Indian cricket team is due to arrive at 1330hrs for the practice session. G was among the hoard of fans waiting for the Indian team bus. ST stepped out of the bus. "Sachhiiiiiiinnnn", fans roared. Sachin, with a smile on his face, recognised G in the crowd. G was over the moon. He was initially speechless for two reasons. Firstly, Sachin r-e- m-e-m-b-e- r- e-d him. Sachin, a huge celebrity, meets so many fans everyday. To him G is just another fan. Still, Sachin recalled. Secondly, G got Tendulkar's autograph tattooed the previous day.

"Yes I did". G proudly flashed his tattoo. Sachin gave a hearty laugh and proceeded on. G was overjoyed. Not just because Sachin recognised him and saw his tattoo, but he believed he had done something very special. He believed that the tattoo is the symbol for the admiration he has on Sachin Tendulkar. With the tattoo, he felt he'd made a transformation into the next level in the continuum of Sachin Tendulkar fan.

G's tattoo attracted attention from many people. During the practise session, G was interviewed by Times Now. You may see him on TV or his story published in the papers. G met Sachin later and took few photos with him.















Ganesh with Sachin



Today, G transformed from a true ST fan to something very special - a Tendulkar Zealot. For a very brief moment, Ganesh became Sachinesh.

Good on you mate!

--

Update 1: Feel free to leave a comment/message to G. He checks this blog regularly. Cheers!

Update 2: Press photo of G and the tattoo. Look at him...he's beaming with pride. LOL.


Update 3: Here is an article by Indian Express which mentions Ganesh's tattoo.

30 comments:

  1. din knw so many types of ST's fan existed..nd it was an detailed study of each typ..
    cumn t talk abt d SACHINESH-GANESH...d first fan evr to cum up wid such an act, in my knowledg..nd im so wow'd at it nd ne one wud..y wudn ne one wen Sachin himself was taken..tho im nt a real big fan of sachin, seein such things happen, is slowly turnin me to be one too..:p...this instance talks fr itself of how humble a Big Star cud be..nd im so happy fr gan tht he got such an oppurtunity to xperince wid d STAR, bein nt nly his dream cum tru bt a recognition frm his Super hero..:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Bro...This is amazing.I cant believe you actually wrote a post on my dream come true weekend.This is awesome work by you,thanks a lot.And yea,it was an amazing experience.Not only I achieved what I wanted to for a very long time but I was also lucky enough to watch the little master practice at the nets.His focus and concentration at the nets was just awesome.Watching him practice was too good :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. sarah, thx for visting my blog and leaving a comment.

    yea. this had been ganesh's lifetime dream. I've never seen ganesh so happy in my life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. G,

    I was, still am, kicking myself for not being there with you. Glad you liked it. My pleasure!

    ReplyDelete
  5. sri..was just going through your blog ...and its amazing dude..all ya topics and discussions are just too good..you have a wonderful flow with the language and at writing...i enjoyed reading all your posts especially SACHIN's,Rahman's and d V'DAY post..keep it up dude..:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. sarah, thank you for the kind words. please keep visiting :)

    shanky, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That was one passionate outburst about a cricketer by his ardent fan.As a middle aged woman who has seen this amount of interest from different generations old and young reaffirms the Indian male's fixation of cricket.Yeah Sachin may be a different humble guy but to see the visiting cricketeer's behaviour and attitude to anything different than adulation is a let down.Hope G's tattoo heals well .

    ReplyDelete
  8. Three cheers to Ganesh and sriram for posting such awesome blog .. whenever i meet this guys i feel so close to cricket . Bravo guys .. keep it up .

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shanky, you coming to AKL for easter? We should Gully it this time as well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just love your blog. Its A-MA-ZING!
    And the Sachinesh story is awesome :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Haha good one sriram..very well written..while reading i could just imagine how it happend..what ganesh's reaction would've been..man ganesh!! one lucky 8@574rd!! Having become a celebrity himself hope he doesnt forget us aye sriram :p lol!!

    Sid

    ReplyDelete
  12. Swetha, Thanks!

    Sid, lol. Thats exactly what I told G yesterday. Pulling his legs..

    ReplyDelete
  13. O-SUM dude..
    Great article....very well written..
    Definitely deserves an OSCAR(if they had something like that for blogs)
    I can imagine how G felt after achieving his life-time dream and reading this blog!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Noel. G must shout you a beer since you took the all important photo :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great blog indeed! You have got a gift...keep using it.....keep blogging.....

    ReplyDelete
  16. wowww!!! semmme gethu.. chanceyyy illa. v cant imagine this in chennai. description was nice...very funny. sachinesh - hhahah nice anme.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Arun...thanks a lot.This was my long time dream and I am glad it came true.These are days I will never forget and moments I will cherish forever!!

    Yea,Sri has great writing skills.A talent none of us knew he had, dont think even he knew!!!Guess being away from family and friends helped him discover his inborn talent :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. arun,

    thank you! :)

    ganesh,

    i think it's time for 'that' community to be formed. lol. too many fans bro. too many fans. :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. great article Sri...

    being Ganesh's flatmate during that time was amazing, i have never seen Ganesh so excited and happy and it was great to be a part of it.

    moreover, i personally feel that this event has been god's blessing for him at that time.

    cheers.:)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I think these pics are fake !! i can judge that from the those two pics of sachin... all background has been smartly modified !!

    ReplyDelete
  21. ash, yeah man. G was over the moon. he really needed that boost at that time.

    soddy, hehe. good on you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. @ Ash: Thanks bro. I am glad you were part of it all and were there to celebrate with me. It certainly was a great experience and a fantastic moment!! I reckon it was Gods blessings too and could not have come at a better time.

    @ Soddy: Soddy...with all due respect I cant help but feel sorry for you. I dont have to explain or prove anything to anyone as the people involved knows the truth!!

    @ Sri: It was phenomenal!! A dream that I kept as a secret actually came true!! Words cannot explain those moments!! And LOL for your comment at soddy...

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thats an awesome story for such a committed fan, he is one exceptional player and im suprised hes still going as well as hes ever been.

    But for someone to share a moment with him is priceless, never forget it!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ganesh, I don't think you know me! But man... I am so jealous!! :P Eventhough, I don't follow cricket as much as you guys do, Sachin is my favourite player for two reasons..one because he is awesome and two because he is just too awesome lol. Plus he is short like me :P It is really a blessing! The best thing was you having his autograph tattooed when he saw you next. Sri, your writing has me captivated and yearning for more. Nice work! Enjoy guys :D

    ReplyDelete
  25. james, yep. it is priceless! thanks for the comment.

    pearlsoflife, thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Sri Ram

    This is the first time I read your blog and no wonder its about our own Tendulkar. He is simply awesome and I loved every single word you mentioned about his fans when Sachin comes out to bat. :)

    I am Ritesh Chandra, writes for Cricages.com. Read your comment in 'An Open Letter to Sachin Tendulkar'. I would love to invite you to write more stuff on Sachin and anything related to Cricket.

    Please contact me at Ritesh@gmail.com

    Thanks and Regards
    Ritesh Chandra (SACH Is LIFE™)

    ReplyDelete
  27. OMG! A tattoo...like a permanent one? I thought after the 80's nobody did this...In the 80's I have seen people(mostly rickshawkarans) having MGR tattoo...This is unbelievable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes yes! ive never seen a Sachin fan like him :)

      Delete