This is what Sachin Tendulkar could not say in Parliament
Despite the fact that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar managed to score a “golden” duck in his maiden innings in the Upper House of Parliament – not to forget that he has been an MP in the Rajya Sabha since August 2012 with a abysmal 8 per cent attendance record – the cricket god did manage to get the word out, through a Facebook Live video.
On December 21, Tendulkar’s plan to speak about the “right to play and the future of sports in India” was foiled by a bunch of loud Congress MPs who chose that exact moment to demand an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “uncalled-for” comments on former PM Manmohan Singh. House chairman Venkiah Naidu’s repeated attempts at trying to control the din failed and ultimately Parliament was adjourned for the day.
But that did not stop Tendulkar. On December 22, at 1:43pm, the MP broadcast a live video on his official Facebook page with the words: “It is my endeavour to transform India from being a sport-loving nation to a sport-playing nation. I urge you all to participate in this effort and help make my dream, our dream. Always remember, dreams do come true! Jai Hind.”
In this video, Tendulkar thanked his father for the support he gave him and went on to speak on several issues he wanted to in his planned "Short Discussion Motion" the day before. “My father, professor Ramesh Tendulkar, was a poet and a writer. He always supported me and encouraged me to be what I wanted to be in life. The greatest gift I got from him was the freedom to play, the right to play. And I will always be grateful to him for that,” he proclaimed.
Tendulkar spoke about India’s health, adding that his vision is that of a healthy and fit India. He directed everyone’s attention to India’s diabetes problem, stating that India is the diabetic capital of the world with over 75 million people affected by this disease, while standing at the number three spot in global obesity. He emphasised that the economic burden of diseases like these will hamper the nation’s growth and progress. He also cited a UN report about the economic impact of non-communicable diseases in India that predicted a dent of $6.3 trillion from 2012-2030.
His solution to this is to raise the fitness level of the nation by turning India into a country that values sports. “Humare fitness ke sessions light ho rahe hai and khane ke sessions thori heavy hote ja rahe hain, humein ye aadat badalni chahiye (Our fitness sessions are declining while our food sessions are on the rise, we should change this habit),” he said, adding, “Make everyone more active and participative. Inculcate and develop the sporting culture of the country.”
Tendulkar showed his appreciation for the Northeast and its sporting culture, saying: “The Northeast of India, which has only four per cent population of India, has a vibrant sporting culture. It has produced many sporting heroes, including our boxing idol, Mary Kom.”
Continuing on, he proposed a framework of three “I”s – invest, insure and immortalise.
"We must invest our own time and effort and ensure our wellness and each one of us must to start adopting one active sport and play regularly," said Tendulkar. "Our citizens and schoolchildren should have access to more sports infrastructure. Open spaces and playgrounds should be retained and along with smart cities, we should look at building smart sport cities," he added.
The 44-year-old also praised women athletes, saying, “Daughters of India have shown what they are capable of with champions like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Sakshi Malik, Mitali Raj and the list goes on and on. When dreams don’t discriminate, then why do we.”
Tendulkar ended his speech on an encouraging note: “‘Sports can create hope, where once there was only despair,’ said Nelson Mandela. Each child should get the right to play a sport at school. Parents have always asked their kids if they ate, studied well. It will be the biggest day for me when they start asking if their kids played during the day or not along with the other two things. I want to thank all of you for listening to me. Together, we need to build sporting culture in India and transform the way we live and play. Jai Hind!”