By Akshay Sawai
In December 1988, Sachin Tendulkar took strike against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium. It was clear he was a legend-in-the-making. Though a slight and agonisingly shy boy of 15, he had fierce talent and confidence.
Importantly, he had passion for what he was doing. That passion was his most remarkable asset, one which fuelled his epic longevity. In June 2012, Tendulkar took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. This time, there was more cynicism than optimism.
On the face of it, Tendulkar the MP had everything at his disposal. He had the country's respect. He had funds. He was near the end of his career and therefore in a position to give other things more time. He was at an age -39 - when people start to evolve into mature beings (unless you are Sajid Khan). But Tendulkar the MP was different in one respect from Tendulkar the cricketer - his heart did not seem to be in it.
A part of Tendulkar must be surely wanting to give back to the country that gave him so much. But he timed his Rajya Sabha innings wrong. While he was indeed on the cusp of retirement, he was much more likely to take a long break than spend hours in the simian bedlam of Parliament. He should therefore have politely declined the offer and taken on the job when he was ready to do it in earnest.
After the recent criticism over his poor attendance in the Rajya Sabha, Tendulkar could have done two things. Make a statement saying he was serious about the job, or accept that it was not working out as planned and offer to relinquish it. But he chose a third course of action - of going on leave, further annoying critics.
Hopefully, when his leave ends, he will do justice to his position. But Tendulkar is at least a genuine achiever and relatively free of taint, and one who declined at least one of the perks of the job - a bungalow in Delhi.
The same cannot be said of some of his colleagues in the Rajya Sabha. Kanimozhi spent six months in Tihar jail under accusations of money laundering in the Spectrum 2G scam.
Vijay Mallya is the king of not-so-good times for his creditors. We have in the house Munqad Ali, who appointed his sons as PAs. There also are Naresh Agarwal of the Samajwadi Party and the Goa MP Shantaram Naik, both of whom blamed rapes on the behaviour or attire of the women involved.
Who is a bigger culprit? An MP who has made his country proud but is a habitual absentee in the house? Or an MP who warms the benches but whose morality and efficiency are dubious? This is not to condone Tendulkar's blatant disregard of his responsibilities. But if we are putting him in the dock for his negligence of duty, we should do the same with some other MPS as well, a few of whom are guilty of bigger offences.
(Observations on sport, culture or anything from the assorted platter of life.)
In December 1988, Sachin Tendulkar took strike against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium. It was clear he was a legend-in-the-making. Though a slight and agonisingly shy boy of 15, he had fierce talent and confidence.
Importantly, he had passion for what he was doing. That passion was his most remarkable asset, one which fuelled his epic longevity. In June 2012, Tendulkar took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. This time, there was more cynicism than optimism.
On the face of it, Tendulkar the MP had everything at his disposal. He had the country's respect. He had funds. He was near the end of his career and therefore in a position to give other things more time. He was at an age -39 - when people start to evolve into mature beings (unless you are Sajid Khan). But Tendulkar the MP was different in one respect from Tendulkar the cricketer - his heart did not seem to be in it.
A part of Tendulkar must be surely wanting to give back to the country that gave him so much. But he timed his Rajya Sabha innings wrong. While he was indeed on the cusp of retirement, he was much more likely to take a long break than spend hours in the simian bedlam of Parliament. He should therefore have politely declined the offer and taken on the job when he was ready to do it in earnest.
After the recent criticism over his poor attendance in the Rajya Sabha, Tendulkar could have done two things. Make a statement saying he was serious about the job, or accept that it was not working out as planned and offer to relinquish it. But he chose a third course of action - of going on leave, further annoying critics.
Hopefully, when his leave ends, he will do justice to his position. But Tendulkar is at least a genuine achiever and relatively free of taint, and one who declined at least one of the perks of the job - a bungalow in Delhi.
The same cannot be said of some of his colleagues in the Rajya Sabha. Kanimozhi spent six months in Tihar jail under accusations of money laundering in the Spectrum 2G scam.
Vijay Mallya is the king of not-so-good times for his creditors. We have in the house Munqad Ali, who appointed his sons as PAs. There also are Naresh Agarwal of the Samajwadi Party and the Goa MP Shantaram Naik, both of whom blamed rapes on the behaviour or attire of the women involved.
Who is a bigger culprit? An MP who has made his country proud but is a habitual absentee in the house? Or an MP who warms the benches but whose morality and efficiency are dubious? This is not to condone Tendulkar's blatant disregard of his responsibilities. But if we are putting him in the dock for his negligence of duty, we should do the same with some other MPS as well, a few of whom are guilty of bigger offences.
(Observations on sport, culture or anything from the assorted platter of life.)
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