Sachin@50: Bharat Ratna Se Sammanit Sarvpratham Khiladi (Hindi)

For more than two generations of Indians, and cricket fans from everywhere, Sachin Tendulkar is a name that has always opened hearts and doors, everywhere on the planet. Even before the days of the social media revolution, Sachin was truly a global icon. Whether you were in Sydney or South Africa, Kolkata or Kingston, Sachins name alone was enough to spark a conversation. That charismatic teenager, with his nose bleeding in Pakistan in 1989, burst into the global consciousness and subsequently transcended the boundaries of the sporting world as a batting sensation. Just as Jesse Owens, Ali, Pele, and Maradona did, Sachin made Indian cricket a global household name that can never be underestimated. This wasnt just because of the runs he scored. How he scored those runs was more important than how he scored 100 international centuries with unparalleled skill. How would we celebrate Sachins 50th birthday? As a childlike, natural talent who scored a plethora of centuries while still a teenager? Or as a legend who led India to numerous victories? Or as a genius around whom a truly formidable Indian side was built in the 1990s? For a generation of fans who grew up in the 1980s and 90s, it was Sachin first, then everything else. Many of them may no longer be alive, but the stories they shared with their children will endure forever. On Sachins 50th birthday, its time to include his wife in those stories. Heartiest congratulations to his beloved love interest from all across India and beyond. Like Sourav Sachin, his stories are indelible!