Sachin Tendulkar – The God of Cricket – had a very sound childhood. His father – Ramesh Tendulkar – gave him many valuable lessons and brought him up with very dignity and support.
Sachin’s father said to him that he would be more happy if people say “Sachin is a good human being” than “Sachin is a good cricketer”. Hence, being a good human is more important than being a good professional. He also said that even after achieving success, we should be humble and only then people will give you love and respect even after we are done with our careers.
Sachin was not only the youngest but also the naughtiest of the 4 children. His siblings – Nitin, Ajit and Savita – were all older than him. His father was a Marathi poet, critic and professor and his mother worked for LIC. They believed in humility and modesty. They never gave up on him. They never shouted at him and were patient dealing with all his mischiefs.
Sachin loves his mother’s home-cooked meals, especially fish, prawn curry and ‘baigan bharta’. His love for music also comes from his mother’s sung songs when she used to sing to make him sleep on her lap.
Sachin’s elder brother – Ajit – used to be the backbone of Sachin’s gameplay. Even after his last innings, they discussed what mistake he did when he got out knowing that he will never play for India again. Ajit is 10 years older than him and was a club cricketer but sacrificed his career to help Sachin fulfill his destiny of being one of the greatest ever.
Sachin had his first Tandoori Chicken dish with his elder brother Nitin when they were waiting for the latter’s flight which was delayed and eventually became one of his favorite dishes.
Savita – Sachin’s elder sister – gave him his first cricket bat which she brought from Kashmir when she went for holidays. He used to consult her for advices on critical matters while growing up.
Sachin’s father had a brilliant sense of reason which was his biggest virtue and now he behaves in the same way with his children. Explaining, rather than shouting or scolding.
Sachin also loved tennis. He was in dilemma choosing between cricket and tennis. Ajit had a solution. He gave him a cricket bat and a tennis racquet. He threw tennis balls at him and told him to once hit with bat and once with racquet. He found that Sachin enjoyed cricket more than tennis. Hence, he took him to Mumbai Summer Cricket Camp and from there, Sachin’s cricket journey started.
