NEWSMAKER
‘It was surreal’
RESHMA S. KULKARNI
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With his likeness now finding place in Madame Tussauds, London, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar talks about what this honour means to him.
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‘It feels great because Madame Tussauds is known to include only those who’ve achieved something great in their lives…’
PHOTOS: S. SUBRAMANIUM AND SHASHI ASHIWAL
Ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has added several feathers to his cap in the course of his illustrious career; but, his being ‘immortalised in wax’ at the Madame Tussauds museum in London, definitely is the biggest plume yet! The master-blaster’s wax figurine has found a place of pride in the museum’s portals after a huge demand from millions of guests to have him there!
Sachin’s figurine was unveiled in a glitzy ceremony at a suburban Mumbai hotel earlier this week. Incidentally, this is the first time that a figurine was taken outside the museum to be unveiled.
Process of creation
Asked about this, Liz Edwards, PRO of Madame Tussauds, said, “Each year we have a poll where we ask our guests who would they like to see this year in the museum? Sachin Tendulkar’s name kept popping up for quite some time now and finally, this year things fell into place.” Liz further said, “Time was a major factor in the process of creating this figurine. Sachin is an extremely busy man and when he expressed his inability to come to London to unveil the figurine, we decided to make an exception and bring it to meet him in Mumbai instead!”
The demand for Sachin’s figurine grew after the batsman crossed the 12,000 run-mark in Test cricket. When quizzed on an earlier occasion as to his inspiration in achieving this magnificent milestone, Sachin had revealed, “As a kid when I started playing cricket, our coach and my brother at home would constantly tell us to follow Sunil Gavaskar’s passion for the game and his achievements. I grew up being told that if I had to make my country proud and happy, I had to achieve something at that level in cricket. I guess that teaching lingered on subconsciously to drive me towards achieving this milestone.”
On the occasion of unveiling the figurine, Sachin was at his eloquent best as he happily chatted, mostly in his mother-tongue Marathi, about the experience. “It came as very pleasant news when Madame Tussauds contacted me four months back about wanting to make a wax-statue of mine. I was very excited about the endeavour but also worried because I did not have much time to spare for measurements ... However, the team was extremely professional and knew their job perfectly. We had a two-hour session where we discussed the pose they’d like me to be in; what would I like to wear ... The statue dons my helmet, gloves, tee-shirt and, most of all, my precious bat! Then came the measurements — it was a novel experience to have every inch of my body, down to a little tooth measured! But I thoroughly enjoyed each moment,” beamed Sachin who, incidentally, is the first Indian sportsperson to have found a place at Madame Tussauds. “It feels great because Madame Tussauds is known to include only those who’ve achieved something great in their lives and thus, it translates that my humble achievements count as worthy enough for the honour. However, more than for personal reasons, I’m happy that through me, the sports arena of my homeland has received this honour.”
When asked if he had ever dreamt of having his statue at Madame Tussauds, Sachin quipped “First, I’ve never been to Madame Tussauds; and second, while I cherish every honour bestowed on me, including this one, I’ve never played cricket with an eye on awards and rewards.” Sachin further expressed a desire to now visit the museum soon after the IPL and meet the sculptors who “seem to have magic in their fingers! Looking at one’s reflection in the mirror is one thing but it was surreal to see my life-size statue! ”
Chasing his dreams
Asked if he had any other dreams remaining, Sachin remarked “One should never stop dreaming; for the day you stop dreaming, you stop living. I cannot claim to have done it all. There’s much more I want to do. In fact I’m all for chasing my dreams till eternity. I don’t just see dreams but also wake up and get going to achieve them. That is more important! At this stage, I’m only dreaming of winning the World Cup for India!”
On the occasion, Sachin did not forget to mention his parents and family who he said “have stood behind me through thick and thin. I can never be grateful enough to my mother and late father as also my siblings, who guided and supported me at every step; my wife Anjali who stood rock-solid behind me when the chips were really down. It is thanks to these people, my well-wishers and gurus that I’m at this stage today,” said a clearly overwhelmed Sachin.
Asked whether he considers the statue his best birthday gift ever (Sachin’s birthday falls on April 24), he remarked “This is indeed a great gift but my parents, siblings’ and wife’s love and my children’s affection remains the most-cherished gift of all time!”
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