Here was a Sachin. When comes such another?

"Maaaa... Sachin khel raha hai na?" I'd shout right from the staircase while coming back home from school. No, I wasn't a Sachin Tendulkar fan. But I knew that the tricoloured man waving the tiranga in the most spectacular manner - Sudhir Gautam - was his 'sponsored' devotee...and irrespective of whom we worshipped, we all wanted India to win. Even the World Cup was a collective dream. For such is the power of dreams!

Yes, a good-looking India heading for a win used to spice up our evening snacks. And an impending ton from 'Ton-dulkar' was the biggest source of joy, motivation and yes, that promise - "Match ke baad I'll study. Pukka. Please T.V. bandh mat karo na." If and if... because there's many a slip between the cup and the lip, Sachin failed to reach the mark, it used to be a day wasted. And more hours were wasted trying to eke out what went wrong. "O shit! What went wrong with that bouncer? Why did he not duck it?"... And when Sachin was in the twilight of his career,"Man! Is it tennis elbow again? " or "His shoulder! He should stop trying to dive around. He's no good anymore."

24th February 2010. The first double ton in One-Day Internationals. Sachin again let his bat do the talking and prove why he is the 'Father of Firsts'. Reminiscing the moment still gives us goosebumps because a double ton in a one day game was unthinkable at that point of time. And legends are always ahead of their time. No wonder why the clock seems to have stopped since the Master Blaster hung his boots. No wonder why it is seemingly impossible to recreate our childhood. No wonder why there's a bittersweet lump in our throats every time we revisit the era on YouTube.

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SACHIN. We're lucky people. You've given us tons of little bedtime stories to tell our children and grandchildren. "Here was a Sachin. When comes such another?"