Ten Seconds with God: A Life time spent!

There are some days. Some days which do not begin as normal days. And the normalcy never returns.

The most coveted moment was closing in and the anticipation was brimming. The expectations, the ecstasy, the reverence… everything was palpable as I took off this morning to a function where the Lord of Cricket, (now) Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, Sachin Tendulkar was to interact with a chosen few from the bank I work with. My nomination, as I am told was the easiest one. “Send him, and he would be indebted to you for life…” someone making a decision would have said – and I agree.

Like a devotee, the morning saw me rise early. Nice bath, close shave and without a breakfast later I was on merciless Delhi roads, amongst the relentless traffic to meet my deity. Some one on google map played a nasty joke as it led me to a wrong address five kilometers away from the intended destination. The infamous Delhi roadside navigators did their bit to send me to different albeit opposite directions. Angered and frustrated, I turned to my agony aunt – Shailesh. Surprisingly, I found him with a cool mindset, which decided to focus on the sole purpose of getting me there. He googled the telephone number of the intended address and gave it to me rather nonchalantly. A life saving performance in retrospect!

An hour late, I managed to find myself in the same room and a few feet away from the Lord. Clad in blue denim and a white Tee, he was patiently and honestly answering the questions that inquisitive devotees were putting up. I realized there were a fifty more like me in the room. Humbled by the occasion, I stood there watching him – Sachin Tendulkar in flesh and blood, not more than six feet away.

It was like being in front of a Deity, something like what I feel at Vaishno Devi cave or Shirdi temple… after enduring the difficulties of the route, you just stand there and wonder – should you waste your time in asking something or just register the presence? It wasn’t a choice in the end as I stood captivated by the visual. A few flashes of cameras around me instigated me to click some photos from my own camera packed in my backpack for the occasion.

He talked about the difficulties at the start as he pursued cricket seriously, of how he almost thought that Test match cricket was too demanding for him before Kapil Paaji and Mohammad Azharuddin guided him. Of how losing his father in middle of a world cup was the most difficult time for him and how lucky he is that his family revolves around him and his time. The questions were endless and the answers were honest, but like all good things the Q&A came to an end.

Almost as a cue from a cliché, one good thing led to another better thing. There was an opportunity to interact with him one on one as he signed autograph for every one present. I clicked some more pictures as I waited for my turn. Finally, came the moment as I stood next to him and congratulated the Group Captain for the honour he was to receive during the day.

He smiled and said “Thank you” and took my hand which I offered for a shake.

“So, all set for 2011 world cup”, I asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, sure” he smiled as he began to sign his autograph.

“Can I have a photograph?” I was getting greedy.

He looked at my camera, which was now in hands of my friend in the crowd and struck a pose.

That was it. An interaction, no more than ten seconds but it was as if the time had stretched to an eternity. A desire fulfilled, a contention set in and a moment frozen in time. All the questions that I had in my mind, everything that could have been asked, all those inquisitive curiosities rendered irrelevant.

We have known time in two parts, BC and AD. For me, time will be recognized with two new dimensions: Before meeting Sachin and After meeting Sachin. Normalcy…? Well, it will never return. Ten seconds with Sachin Tendulkar does that to you. Ten seconds with God: A life time spent!

© Shailesh Nigam, Varun Khanna (for respective articles)