The meaning of Sachin

摘要

How do you cope in a world without God? That is the question Indian cricket fans (otherwise known as Indians) are asking after, on October 10th, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he would retire next month from international cricket. Millions will remember where they were when they heard the news. Mr Tendulkar, a curly-haired and diminutive Mumbai-kar, has long been known as the "God of cricket" in a country almost maniacally obsessed with the game. It really is hard for outsiders, especially those unschooled in the world's greatest game (Banyan submits), to appreciate the huge extent of his appeal. When Mr Tendulkar walks out to bat for India, as he has 780 times, seething stadiums erupt, boiling over with cacophonous Sachin-love (as a means of identification, Mr Tendulkar's surname has long been superfluous in India). Perhaps 400m watch on television, risking power surges to India's jerry-rigged grid, which end abruptly the moment Mr Tendulkar gets out, as millions switch off. "Batsmen walk out into the middle alone," wrote C.P. Surendran, a Malayalam poet. "Not Tendulkar. Every time Tendulkar walks to the crease, a whole nation, tatters and all, marches with him to the battle arena." No sportsman has ever been more revered.