Dedicated to two of the most wonderful people in the world
Rahul Dravid- without whom I wouldn’t have learnt the art of patience, without whom I wouldn’t have started watching cricket in the first place, without whom I would not have learnt how to look at guys and call them “cute”, without whom cricket, is incomplete.
Gokul Ram- without whom I wouldn’t have got the emotions to write this, without whom Dravid would have not had the most ardent fan of his, without whom the loss of Rahul would not have been so impossible.
Patience is an art. It is the most difficult of all arts. It is the most respected of all arts. It is the most difficult to master. The master of patience will have nothing to fear. He will have nothing to worry about. This master will find his place in all the hearts of human being. He will live and make other people see his way of seeing things. He will pour out his heart and soul for the cause of other people and will live to show what it takes to respect and be respected.
From “jammy” to “the wall” to “Mr. dependable”, Rahul Dravid has come a long way. He has built a wall in the hearts of the people and never once did he shatter the wall of trust that millions of people built in their hearts for him. A small cute boy he was when he first walked into the field in the year 1996 against the mighty Lankans. He has transformed into a soft leader, an amazing architect of the game, the irreplaceable aspect of the team, the wonderful beginner of the game, the scintillating striker of the ball, the mesmerizing defender of the ball, the biggest and most enthralling wall of the country, of the world. Now, it is the pain of reality that stands before us: his 20 years of cricketing carrier is over. The wall will never come back to protect us, to soothe our anxious mind during times of India
Not once did the over nosy media find fault with his personal life, not once was he scrutinized for wrong doings, not once was he reprimanded for carrying out something which he shouldn’t have. My best friend always says that a man will become totally brilliant only when his skills are accompanied by the best of characters and the diligent of manners and behavior. His respect for mankind, especially women, is what places him millions of miles apart from the common man.
Yes, he is a father, a husband, a son and a grand son, apart from being a cricketer, but what he has left behind in the annals of history is a combination of all the traits of a wonderful person and a person whose footsteps will be followed but in vain by millions of ardent fans of him.
Moved to tears, we were, when the news of his retirement came out. He was calm and composed, never once losing his control. But the people around him and the infinite fans watching in front of the television sets found unanswerable tears falling from their eyes, unable to fathom the degree of the loss. This is One of the biggest losses to the history of cricket and has created such a deep impact on the minds of the people to such an extent that the minds have rendered impossible to come out of the shock of the loss. Sure, people will eventually move on and live a life without Dravid, but will never be able to stop themselves from thinking of him at every turn of their lives.
Mahan sages tell that life is a circle, a Man is born, he lives, cherishes and then perishes, but in this case, Rahul Dravid will never perish. He will live in our hearts for ever, even after we are gone.
With unexplainable ache,
Aishu
