Letter from Sachin Tendulkar himself to all his fans!!! [MUST READ]

Dear fans,

I am saddened as I write this letter. I know I have disappointed you with the series loss against England and my performance isn’t what you have always expected of me. I have always given my best for the team, but the results are not in my favor this time around. People are clamoring for my retirement and I can’t agree more with them. I have not been living up to the standards that I have set for myself through the years and I am indeed answerable to the fans.

I apologize to you for my dismal performances, and for failing you time and again. It is a general misconception among people that I have grown complacent and taking things for granted. But I can assure you that I am the same person who made his debut at the age of 16 as an excited teenager. I have been following my routine right from the day I made my debut till today. Nothing has changed, neither the preparation nor the mind-set. Maybe age is finally catching up to me, something I have been trying to fight for the major part of the last five years. I have been training harder to keep myself fit and strong in order to be able to give my best.

Cricket has been my calling right from a young age. I still remember the day me and Vinod were playing together in a Harris-Shield trophy match, where we put up a 600 run partnership. The immense enjoyment of being on the field all day long with my best friend was all I could dream about for the next few days. That was the day I decided to play cricket for the rest of my life, for I loved it more than anything; food, chocolates, bicycles- things that a fourteen year old could long for.

Years have passed after that and things are not the same anymore. I have matured both as a person and as a player. But the hunger still remains the same. I still want to do well and give my best whenever I walk on the field; something that has been my mantra all through the years. I have achieved so much in cricket- the fame, the money and the compliments came to me on their own. I am proud of my records when I look back at them today. The only thing I almost missed out on was the World Cup; I got there too in the end, with a team as determined as I was, who strove along with me to achieve the glory that I was unable to attain for almost 22 years.

But the real struggle was after the World Cup, when I had to suffer through another lean patch, which I am going through even now. People wanted me to go now that I have gotten my wishes fulfilled. They said it was the right time for me to retire, since my dream has been achieved. But I felt I can contribute more to the cause of the Indian team. The team needs some good youngsters to fill the places of seniors when we retire, and someone should be there to guide them, or so we felt. It might be a wrong decision but it was for the greater good. Perhaps we realized our mistake when we heard “the seniors are selfish to block the place of talented youngsters!”

Our only thoughts were about setting the team up for the youngsters and getting the tough tours to England and Australia out of the way, so that the youngsters can have a smoother path into the test team. But we did not consider our own problems, which were the roots of our own destruction.

It was a tough time for us after Australia, losing both VVS and Rahul. It brought me back down to earth, and I started contemplating retirement. But I had some solace after the century against Bangladesh, though we were unlucky to lose the match. Two series later, we were facing the same predicament against England at home and it was humiliating to lose the series. It was a nightmare for us, having had to endure the cricket crazy fans’ reaction. People started talking about my retirement again, claiming that I was selfish and I had to go sooner rather than later. They even said I am choosing my matches for the fear of facing quality opponents. It isn’t true, of course. I am an old man who wants to spend some quality time with my kids. They should know me enough to call me father and I do not want to miss their growing up years. Therefore, I take some time off between series to be with them.

I have to admit that I am a bit selfish, for I have been playing the game for the better part of my life. I have not known anything other than cricket. Every day I wake up to take up a bat and I sleep after arranging my kit bags. It has been a penance for the last 25 years and it would be hard for me to just give up everything. Retirement would be equal to death for me, as I have lived cricket all my life. Frankly, I do not know what to do with myself once I retire. Will I be able to secure a job as a TV commentator, a trend that has been catching up with some former players, or would I be a successful coach? Nothing pleases me like playing cricket and I am not sure whether I am made for other things in life. I have watched many players retiring, but I never had to think about how they would have felt while retiring. It was an irrelevant thought a few years back, but now I know how exactly each of them would have felt.

I know it’s time for me to go, but as a fellow Indian, I ask this of you dear fans; I am not able to let go of cricket after all these years, and even talking about it makes me feel worse. I just need some time to sort my life out, to decide on what to do with myself once I retire. I am not here for the fame or for the records but for the passion that I had and I have for this game right from the day I picked up a bat. I am making up my mind and I need a little more time to announce my retirement. It is a humble request from a dedicated servant of cricket and I would feel happy if you oblige me.

Thank you

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

[This post has been copied from Official Page of Ravichandran Ashwin (faccebook dot com/ashwinravi86)]

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Mujhe bacha lo...main jeena chahti hoon!!!

"Mujhe bacha lo...main jeena chahti hoon (Save me...I want to live)," is what the 23-year-YOUNG gang rape victim by bus driver and his accomplices’ in presence of her male friend in a moving bus between 9-10 pm on busy roads of Delhi told her family! She is still incapable of speaking; she also made enquiries about her family and the condition of her male friend through scribbled notes last night. I hope these are not her last words or last unfulfilled wish.

©Money Sharma, DNA

Though her condition has deteriorated in the past 24 hours - doctors completely removed her intestine as it had turned gangrenous - her family is still hoping that she will win over the odds and survive. She is suffering from excruciating pain. Trauma. Doctors described her as a fighter.

Her father works with a private firm as a loader at IGI Airport. Her father told Doctor that - They had spent all their savings on her education and were hoping she would financially support the family. They were hoping that after her internship, she would get a good job. And will run the family. She has two younger brothers – one of 18 and another of 20. With following incident the family lost everything.

A girl and her male friend are waiting for a bus to arrive on a crowded square so as they can go their desired place. A tinted glass, curtain fitted bus; which is not allowed for transport purpose (and it was also used as school bus) arrives. This girl and her male friend climb over it. He sit on front sit on left side and she on rear sit. Both were completely unaware of what they are going to face in next hour. That will change their life, their family’s life, police officers patrolling in that area, ministers, media, or even law bodies. After picking up them they were the only (except six persons) in that bus. One of those six abused her male friend. He defended them. Following it those goons hit him with an iron bar. Traumatised him. And then gang-raped the girl. This was not the end of this cruel act. The girl’s vagina was bombarded with same iron bar; even tucking it in her vagina upto her small intestine and large intestine was discredited. Then they threw them out of running bus; naked. Their bodies remain there for next one hour, being a tourist place for the walking-by people. Temperature was as low as 12 degree. No one even helped them or informed about this incident.

Awww!! This will certainly bring thorns on anyone’s body. Primary requirement – They must be a human. But I don’t think those six rapists were any close to it.

Above incident happened in Delhi. The prime capital of India, second fastest developing economy. Predicted to overtake China in 2025. With world's largest standing volunteer army. Delhi being second metropolis in India after Mumbai and sixth in world. Spread in over an area of 1,484 km² (573 sq mi). And then this inadvertent incident!!

©makeupandbeauty.com

Rape 'kills' a person while forcing her to continue to live with 'shame' - a concept which has been embedded in social 'values'. It is a unique situation in which the victim herself is lead to felt ‘guilt’ further. The reason perhaps lies in the patriarchal society to such an extreme where females have been considered as 'objects' made for 'use' of males. That is the reason why many victims of such crimes are made to feel as 'hated'.

Society is getting sordid. Barbarism is catching in roots. Many of us will agree or disagree to it. But still ask yourself. I remember a quote by Mahatma Gandhi –

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

These things can’t be simply prevented by harsh laws or strict police actions. The cancer has penetrated deep in society. The underlined fact is we as a person has to change ourselves. And that starts from changing ourselves. It includes very simple practices. Stop using MC, BC. Stop verbing assaulting words after “teri maa ki”, “teri behen ki”. Stop taking a girl as “maal”. This makes us no different from those six persons; only extent is on lesser scale. She is not voluptuous. Instead respect her for who she is. What she stands for and what she actually deserves. Morals. Etiquettes. Follow them.

And thing won’t either change by signing petitions on ‘Causes’ or any poll or changing your display picture to ‘black dot’ neither by writing any blog.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday cleared the state government's proposal to set up five fast-track trial courts for speedy trial in rape cases, even as it made it clear that it would continuously monitor the gang-rape case and gave the police two days to furnish a status report on the probe.
Women can call 100 to seek assistance to go home at night Cops to crack down on all vehicles with tinted glasses, curtains 24-hour police cover for areas around malls, discos, eateries, cinemas. More security between 8pm and 1am. After 8pm, PCR vans to patrol main roads around Metro stations, major colonies. Number of PCRs to be raised from 635 to 940. 5% staff from specialized police units to be deployed on night duty till 1am. All police vans to have GPS units. Anybody looking for a vehicle in such an area will be asked if they need any help. They can also stop PCR vehicles for help.

1,300 roads need to be illuminated. While some are being fitted with streetlights, cops are planning another security audit. Commercial buses have to keep their lights on while plying at night. Cops to undertake verification of drivers, staff of buses.

©ZeeNews India

These all steps after a total of 21,397 rape incidents were reported nationwide only in year 2009. A study undertaken by the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring stated a woman is raped every 34 minutes in India.

Rape is the fastest growing crime in India with a 700 percent growth rate since 1971 the NCRB estimates that rape incidences per day have risen from just 7 per day to 53. Of the 414 rape cases filed in Delhi regarded as the rape capital of India only 34.6 percent of the 414 cases produced convictions. Even after this in less than 24 hour period after the gang rape of the victim at least 2 girls under the age of 18 were gang raped with one of them being murdered.

Basic preventive measures that girls are asked to follow. Have a male friend accompany you. Ineffective. Don’t go late at night (8pm won’t be called as that LATE). Crowded places are safe zone. Feeble. Cover-up. Very few girls might have burkas. India is the country where instead of pounding the wound it is subjected to home-made recipes. Sonai Gandhi and Sheila Dixit blames girls for this (Pretty right. They will never be subjected to such calamity. You need to be full of wrinkles, traverse in red-light vehicle and certainly I doubt they have never been wooed by any male in their lifetime). So, atleast they are safe. Barbarism should not be answered with barbarism.

 

Many are demanding for execution to them. But I would demand for rational, strict but civilized action. Don’t know if every rape case should be executed as capital execution; but these probably deserve it!!
"rarest of the rare" is the basic criteria for capital execution. Which I don't think this case probably comes under. Strict rules can surely be implemented and then executed.

Hope atleast after this bombastic outrage the Government will take the issue on priority basis and women molestation will be reduced significantly.

If today we won’t, then it never will be!

Getty Images

[P.S. For information gathering WikiPedia is primarily used along with TOI with few other websites.]

The same post was published in Speaking Tree (spirituality blog by Times Of India) and it ranked fifth most read in world in two days!! :)

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Keywords: capital punishment, delhi, delhi gang rape, execution, bus, tented, december, heinous crime, sanket thodge