Forget surprise celebrations or gifts, Tendulkar likes to 'play it his way' even on birthdays

Sachin Tendulkar in action (Pic: AFP)

For most 40-plus family men, a birthday celebration away from home is a low-key affair. But Sachin Tendulkar can't afford such luxuries. It will not be a quiet celebration for the 'Master Blaster' this year as an adoring nation is already pouring out its love, paying tributes in unique ways to their own ‘God of Cricket'. Tendulkar's golden birthday will be studded with solitaires, statues, books, and more even as his own brand valuation soars high as he completes a half-century.

As India and the cricket-playing world celebrate the cricketing wizard's 50th birthday, it is easy to run out of words. So how has the batting maestro celebrated his birthday over the years?

"I don't remember having a proper party in school days. I think the only time I celebrated my birthday was in 1990 in Sharjah. I didn't, the CBFS did. They had arranged all that. It was during Australia vs New Zealand Tri-Series. All three teams were present. It was not planned. Sara and Arjun are at that stage of their lives where friends take precedence over everything. I haven't had any surprise birthday parties to date (laughs)", recalled Sachin, during a freewheeling conversation with Mid-Day.

Barely any sporting career has been so meticulously scrutinised and commented on with the advent of year-round telecasts capturing every glittering moment on air. Always a somewhat reticent figure who opens up among close friends, Tendulkar has kept a low profile since he retired in 2013 after a farewell Test in Mumbai, and apart from featuring in advertisements, which are a testament to his ever-growing popularity, has not been much in the news.

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Yet, the embarrassment of riches Indian cricket experiences today is in good measure because of the conviction he planted in a million hearts and the grand spectacle he provided to a nation beset with diffidence in the late 1990s when India's rise in the sport looked far from certain.

Streets would turn empty and social life came to a halt. Heartbeats became louder and expressions more vivid. For it was one of those moments, when either there will be unbound joy or the gloom will reign supreme. No kidding. No, it is not any political upheaval that leads to such a frenzy. But only when Tendulkar was on his way to another glory. Ask any Indian today. Or better, any 90s child. Journalists like us or any other cricket analyst have yet to find out what has made Tendulkar such a phenomenon in own different way.

Forget his records, they are simply milestones. The true romance of Tendulkar's story lies in his journey, not the destination.

Does he have special plans up his sleeve as he achieves a milestone moment in his life journey on Monday? No answer, he only beams a wide grin back at me in response. Typical Tendulkar.

Also Read: Yuvraj calls Tendulkar his 'guardian angel', challenges him to a golf game on 50th birthday