Amitabh Bachchan summed it up nicely. "I'd be embarrassed if you compare Sachin with me for I have not achieved half of what he has." Yes, he was being modest. No question about it. But there aren't many in India about whom India's greatest living icon can say such a thing.
There isn't anyone else for whom Lata Mangeshkar will, unasked, sing a couple of lines ofMera saaya. As Lataji told me with a smile, "He loves this song."
And there is no one else for whom Asha Bhosle will frame the words of her favourite song in her own handwriting and send it across, hoping he'd put it up in his music room.
Sachin Tendulkar is a pan-Indian love affair. Rather, he is trans-national. He is the only cricketer to get a standing ovation in every cricket-playing country in the world. For us Indians, he is a national obsession and has been so for the past 24 years. Despite a billion people living his life for him, he has performed at his best for two decades and more. He has given Indian cricket a voice that reverberates around the world and has single-handedly given our cricket a kind of reverence seldom rivalled in the annals of the sport.
For no other person could we have assembled the line-up we have in this very special effort. The best of India and the world loves Sachin. And the best of the best, across professions and disciplines, would want to wish him a very happy 40th birthday. His continuing passion and enthusiasm imbues the cliche, 'Forty is the new twenty', with a new meaning. That's what we call the issue. Happy birthday, Sachin.
Boria Majumdar, Guest Editor
SACHIN XL His continuing passion and enthusiasm imbues the cliche, 'Forty is the new twenty', with a new meaning. That's what we call the issue. |
OPINION He saw the artistry closer than the rest—a tribute to warm, humane Sachin |
SACHIN XL The Bandra boy's globe-trotting exploits, mapped for future generations |
SACHIN XL A hundred reasons, a hundred Sachin centuries, explained |
 OPINION Awe, fear, respect...he inspires it all among us Australians |
OPINION The cult of 99.94 endures, but Sachin has had a greater impact on the game |
INTERVIEW The former Indian coach and ex-SA opener on what he thinks about Sachin the man and the cricketer |
 OPINION Sachin reminded us English that if you're good enough, you're old enough |
OPINION Injury itself did not frustrate him, not being able to play did |
 OPINION Sachin exceeds cricket. He's our square yard in sporting heaven. |
OPINION A rival from the other end of the pitch reflects on Sachin's reflexes |
INTERVIEW The former Kiwi captain on his idol —a rival he has always loved seeing bat, even if that means suffering |
INTERVIEW As Murali himself turns 41, one giant of the game pays tribute to another @40 |
INTERVIEW One of the best bowlers in the shorter formats, on his Mumbai Indians mate |
OPINION Sachin reserved his best for Australia. Three of their best salute the incomparable |
INTERVIEW It was one of modern cricket's best contests, a matching of skills that will go down in the annals of the game. |
 OPINION Sachin and Manmohan, two for the times, made India a global player |
INTERVIEW The Big B speaks about his favourite Indian cricketer and how he feels about being compared to Sachin. |
OPINION Sachin has nothing left to prove. A last African safari would bring joy. |
INTERVIEW The true successor to Usain Bolt was all gung-ho when asked if he'd be keen to talk about Sachin on the eve of his 40th birthday |
OPINION Pressure has been his constant companion. Yet, he has never ever let it get the better of him or his bat. |
OPINION This national icon also wields a racquet and has a mean forehand |
 OPINION India's coming of age story, in many ways, mirrors Sachin's |
OPINION Boria Majumdar meets the man who first realised Sachin's genius |
OPINION Lawyers both, and politicians on rival sides, Jaitley and Sibal are united in their love for Tendulkar |
OPINION For Sachin, self-interest has never taken precedence over an India win |
INTERVIEW The BCCI boss shares his memories of Sachin's career and his cricketing legacy |
OPINION The insuperable singing sisters of Bollywood sustain the high notes for their favourite cricketer and fellow Mumbaikar |
OPINION Two cricket-mad filmwallahs replay their favourite Sachin montages |
OPINION Sachin: our antidote to life's setbacks |
 Sachin in pictures: with mates long ago and wrapped in family |
QUIZ Off the beaten track, these 40 questions try to test your knowledge on the legend and his legendary prowess with the willow. |
SACHIN XL Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel, Laxmipathy Balaji on the little master |
SACHIN XL Sachin and Outlook, on a parallel course of history |
SACHIN XL Little high, little low: stories, anecdotes, sidelights |
NATIONAL
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