Ode To Sachin

A banner in a remote village of Kerala Greets the worthy son of Maharashtra Fluttering in the mountain breeze His smile excels the morning sunshine A teenage fan of Sachin In that tribal hinterland Had hung the banner aloft On swaying tree tops As the hero of her heart Was all set to begin His last test innings In far-off Mumbai miles across Her love for the star was evident In the manner the passing winds Fondled his gleaming visage No doubt what connected the fan And Sachin across miles of the land Was the breeze that flowed unseen The breath of the Nation A profound Indianness Born out of centuries Of lovely cultural co-existence Whether he scored a ton Or a lesser yet precious seventy four Sachin once again proved He could bind the Nation Keep it spell-bound Together in a fondly clasp A feat not a single soul Of our land can these days Dare claim to perform Be he a leader or a saint Faith, age, language Or region had no place In this adhesive embrace Which the magic of Sachin spun As the Nation listened to his farewell address With bated breath, thumping heart And overflowing eyes They would replay the speech again and again Be together and shed tears For days and days to come So their India will sure endure Held together by an eternal bond Sachin, you batted in days When the game got commercialized By money-makers who reduced The number of overs to suit their whims Flouted discipline and rules Made pawns out of batsmen Who hit left and right to spin their tons Like buffaloes let lose in muddy ponds You stood the tide Never pawned your artistry Immaculate form and grace Dedication and punctuality In a manner resolute Acclaimed internationally Played the game with the demeanor Of great Englishmen of yore Least swayed by the luring machinations Of the greedy who indulged In match-fixing deals And got embroiled in politics and scandals Involving women, loot and wine You proved yourself A great son of India Akin to the Mahatma A role-model for the new generation A beacon that should now Show the way and lead them ahead To their destiny in togetherness The Nation roars in unison Sachin can’t retire and leave He is the fittest person to lead Having his mettle doubtlessly proved The mantle of the Nation Has fallen on your shoulders The mandate has never been so clear So pick the new bat of our love, Sir Autograph it in the shining ink Of your courage, truthfulness Deep wisdom and composure Get into the Indian crease and hit Sixes into our skies and beyond Please do proud Of the great land of the Ganges We are out on the grounds Holding the tricolor Under the vast Indian skies To run with you our torch-bearer And celebrate your triumphs The breeze and winds will follow As we together make our morrow Breathing India in unison