As the mammon-worshipping mavens of the cricket board turn a team sport into an individual one in Bombay, as a cash-strapped media engages in a cloying overkill of its original cash cow, as the devout get confused about ‘God’, the BBC asks a simple question.
Was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar—in whose name a Test match is being played, a gymkhana usurped from children has been renamed, a postage has been issued—is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar really the greatest ever batsman?
Or, just a fine batsman of the TV age who handled the “pressure of a billion” with quality and equanimity, who never put a foot wrong, whose humility and modesty despite his accumulated millions, and whose motivation was an object lesson to those of us who give up easily?
In the midst of all the hagiography—no different from the bhajan sandhya, sangeet, mehendi and shaadi of a typical Punjabi wedding that Rupert Murdoch‘s Star TV is famous for, with guests from all over—it’s difficult to find a word of criticism, as Tendulkar stands on a mountain of runs, records and reputation.
Still, it must be asked: was he really that good?
The BBC’s Ben Carter throws up three key sets of numbers:
# The highest rating given by the International Cricket Council ratings to Tendulkar was 29 in 2002, after a series against Zimbabwe—below not just the invincible Don Bradman, but also his contemporaries Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, in that order.
# When Patrick Ferriday and Dave Wilson compiled the 100 greatest centuries, again factoring in “intangibles” like conditions, rivals, pitch quality, match impact, series impact, etc, only one of Sachin’s 51 centuries came in, at no. 100. Lara had five.
# When Jaideep Verma compiled the the “impact index”, measuring performances with other performances in the same match, Tendulkar (5) had fewer series-defining shows than Rahul Dravid (8) although he had played more matches. Even Inzamam-ul-Haq fared better.
So, the best, the greatest?
Really?
Read the full article: The 29th best batsman
Also read: Gavaskar vs Vishwanath=Tendulkar vs Dravid?
churumuri 
Ahh no….may be not the best, maybe the worst, but still, there was a time when TV set were switched off once he got out, because we knew no one else had that thing which could win matches for us. We love him, and nothing can change that….and this article most certainly cant.
For detailed answer to this very question, read this blog post of mine..
http://wp.me/p3f7X7-69
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No one takes into account off the field performance.
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For a “BBC cricket correspondent” the author reveals a marked lack of elementary understanding of stats . Also for such an esteemed organization the author has committed the rather amateur error of forming his premise first – and then cherry picking stats and arguments configured to fit the premise.
1) The entire “Number of runs” and longevity issue is merely another feather in the Tendulkar cap. As far back as 2002 Wisden had him ranked as the 2nd best batsman of all time behind the Don.
2) Through the 1990s , for batsmen who played THROUGHOUT the 1990s ( MINUS minnows Ban/Zim) Tendulkar averaged 59, to Steve’s 52 and Lara’s 51. i.e for an entire decade Tendulkar was 15% better than the “next best”. Needless to say – only the Don can boast of such sustained dominance over his peers.
3) Till 2003 Tendulkar was way ahead of the pack. From 2003-07 numerous batsmen piled on runs in the most batting friendly period in history. During the same Tendular, racked by injuries , averaged 39 ( again MINUS minnows Ban/Zim). This as compared to his 59 avg. through the 1990s. MINUS Ban/Zim some 50 batsmen averaged better than Tendulkar in this period.
4) It is in this period of unprecedented runs that numerous batsmen “suddenly” caught up with Tendulakr. So a superficial look at overall stats suddenly show all in the same boat.
5) The ICC player ratings are not “Peak” ratings as in for a certain period. They are the peak ratings attained cumulatively from a players debut. So, if a batsman had a poor debut the ballast will create a drag on future points. Tendulkar had a poor start to his career even though he played a few great innings . The consistency was still not there for one so young.
6) Matt Hayden is at No. 10 in these peak ratings – ahead of Lara at 23 and Tendulkar at 29. Hayden had a poor start to his career but the matches/runs were few enough to create little drag later. Ponting at No.4, Sangakkara at No.6, Hayden at No.10, Yousuf at No.11, Hussey at No.17 -all achieved their best ratings in the mid 2000s . As mentioned earlier – amidst the greatest run fest in history. Did they face tougher bowlers and pitches than Tendulkar.
7) So- again the author reveals his lack of elementary understanding of how the stats are created. If you take Tendulkar’s peak years such as say 1994-2000, or 1996-2002 you will get quite another “peak” rating as compared to when cumulatively totted up from his debut in 1989.
8) The author has conveniently picked one particular “analysis” ( out of countless). Must have taken a while to find one particularly suited to his premise. In any “analysis” – the weightings are mostly arbitrary. So, though one may agree in principal on most parameters – the weighting is subjective and will change depending on the individual. There are countless other analyses showing Tendulkar on top.
9) Regarding any individual innings. Any individual innings always has luck as a factor. For eg Tendulkar’s 136 may well be regarded as a superior innings to Lara’s 153. The sole difference being one catch taken , the other dropped. But even if we arguably say that Lara’s few innings were “better” – the same may be said about numerous batsmen – Richards, VVS, Sehwag, Botham, etc. etc. Make what you want out of it. Thereafter – any conditions, any where, any time , any bowling , any format- It is difficult to look beyond Tendulkar.
10) Lara may well have had a few spectacular innings, but then so did many others inc. Sehwag. Also Lara’s flamboyance tends to obscure faults which cricket “fans” should actually realise: Lara had s distinct weakness against real pace ( 145+ ks – not medium pace). Lara does not have a single 100 vs. any genuine pace bowler till 2003. Then on he has 4 against Lee and Flintoff on the most batting friendly conditions imaginable. Tendulkar has multiple classic 100s against virtually every genuine pace bowler of the past 25 years.
11) On NON –continental “flat tracks”. Tendulkar does better than Lara in Aus, NZ, Eng, Saf is the same. This despite Tendulkar’s last couple of horror tours to Aus and Eng.
One may go on. But to summarise:
1)The author has an insufficient understanding of elementary cricket stats and how they are derived.
2)It is rather amateurish for a BBC journo to make the cardinal error of reaching a premise first and then looking around for data to fit.
3)All of the above does not even bring ODIs into the picture. It is ludicrous to look beyond Tendulkar as the greatest limited overs batsman. The only co-owner of this title is Richards.
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What was truly embarrassing was the adolescent gushing of the TV news anchors in India.
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‘jana maralo, jatri maralo’
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A person who refused to pay tax for his gifted Ferrari and finally sold that gift…it is a JOKE giving him the award….god save this country
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Article in bad taste. No.1 cricketer Don had already told that next to him, Sachin comes. Statistics also proves the same. Poor Sachin, after getting Bharat Ratna, these articles crop up. We should appreciate the person who entertained people, who brought so many people to the grounds.
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This article made my day! Ben Carter should be given a Bharat Rathna! Ben Carter is my Tendulkar!
I always instinctively knew Tendulkar was an embarrassment to any objective person! World’s best 29th batsman is perhaps quite the correct standing that can be safely given to the dwarf run accumulator. As usual even more embarrassing types aka fans of Tendulkar are pleading his case! Srin takes the cake and the bakery! Srin has created a new branch of statistics called the “SourGrapistics”
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Narayan:
Have heard so many times the utter rubbish about the Sachin refusing to pay tax and violating Building norms etc. Both are untrue.
The truth is he was gifted a ferrari when he broke the record of 29th centuries of Bradman. He wished to bring it in to India. But, he learnt he had to pay 110% duty on it to bring in. So, he requested the govt. to waive the duty as he had not ‘bought’ the item. It was given as a ‘prize’ to him. He based his decision on the general exemption rules of Customs where the trophies, shields etc. won by sportsmen are exempt. Mind you Sachin had the option of selling the Ferari in Europe itself and not having to pay the duty.
However Govt. agreed to waive this duty, considering it to be a winning. It was challenged in a high court by a PIL, and to avoid embarrassment to its prize recipient, fiat paid up the duty. Sachin got a ferrari delivered in India by Fiat. Effectively it is no different than you getting your prize delivered at your door step.
So, In the end the duty was indeed paid.
There is also this ridiculous allegation about he overstepping building rules in construction of his house. Even this is mischief-monger press!
Sachin’s architects submitted a building design that asked for FSI exemption for the gym portion of the building. The Mumbai Corporation declined to give the exemption and it was never built. This was during the plan approval process. And a different plan was submitted.
AFAIK, He has never ‘refused’ to obey the law. The hate mongers can always conjure up things. Just like folks who hate Malala in Pakistan.
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God! Cricket, India and Bharata Ratna! That says it all!
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get life…don’t go along with rating given by bbc …form your own researched opinion…work at least couple of days to see credentials Sachin has obtained in 24 years….
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For the amazing feat of granting Sachin a Bharath Ratna, I hope Pranab Da gets a Bharatha Ratna also.
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I know nothing about cricket or its statistics. But a man who has been focussed since he was sixteen, worked hard and honestly, achieved an iconic status yet remains grounded, and who heartwarmingly acknowledges every person that has helped him along his way surely is a great role model for young people and that is why I think the Bharat Ratna sits well on him than it might on some others.
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@harkol
A small correction.
The ferrari was not prize it was a gift to him by Michael schumacher.
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Sachin was a master batsman, a true professional, a youth icon, a great businessman — its a proven fact.
Bharat ratna to sachin means demeaning an award which celebrates human endeavour, which is bestowed to Indians who have made a positive difference in the lives of Indian citizens.
ITS TIME TO CALL A MORATORIUM ON FURTHER DECLARATION OF BHARAT RATNA.
CNR RAO getting the honor is like sanity prevailing amidst the chaos. Man completed his primary education in Kannada medium, always supports Kannada cause, a true achiever.
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Why is it that a Anna Hazare or Dhyan Chand or Viswanathan Anand or Leander Paes or Vajpaee will never get the Bharat Ratna?
Here are some revealing indicators…..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2508477/Populism-triumphs-honour-Sachins-Bharat-Ratna-raises-questions-Congress-playing-politics-Indias-prestigious-civilian-order.html
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/sachin-tendulkar-beats-ms-dhoni-to-become-indias-wealthiest-cricketer-with-160000000/1189079
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/madhya-pradesh-polls-sachin-tendulkar-to-campaign-for-congress_886068.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DJ03Df04.html
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-25/news/29702961_1_sachin-tendulkar-ferrari-social-networking
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Harkol,
You made an idiotic argument! According to you Indians can willy nilly bring gift items won abroad without paying duty? Come on! In such cases the prudent thing to do is to get an equivalent gift in cash and pay tax on that as earning aka prize money!; not request a tax waiver! Imagine if every sports person in India does that? talk sense man!
Kulla gets the duty waived (1st benefit) and then sells the car (2nd benefit)! That is fraud!
Why I think the dwarf sod is over rated:
1. Scored runs 95% of the time when it never mattered
2. Hammered lesser non-playing test nations like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. (I know u types will call them test-playing but in the larger scheme of things they are Bihars of test cricket!)
3. Unattractive to watch with his grimaces and various monkey antics at the crease aka bereft of elegance in his stance and batting
4. Sure Kulla makes a stroke now and then but even then he is very laborious
5. Contrast this with Lara or Richards who are fluent and natural
6. Always played selfishly 99% of the time
7. Hugely over-rated player on the planet!
8. Tiger on dead pitches hammering bowlers at will
9. Hugely low on entertainment value
10. Typical nonathletic static kind of sports person only India can produce!
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Enigma:
AFAIK, (I may be wrong), it was given as a prize by Fiat, but the keys were handed over by Schumacher, who was Fiat’s ambassador.
It was a PR opportunity for fiat for sure. And ultimately fiat paid the duty on the ferrari too.
Doddi Buddi:
>You made an idiotic argument!
I did not. This was the argument forwarded by Sachin’s tax advisors to finance ministry and Finance ministry accepted it. But, it was challenged (Rightly) in courts as PIL and fiat paid the duty on it.
Listen, I am not saying Sachin was eligible for an exemption. What I am saying is there is nothing dishonourable about appealing, if your advisor’s think that’s an option.
The car that he sold was duty paid (check for yourself), though initially govt. agreed to waive duty, as fiat decided they did not want to embarrass Sachin with this dilemma, and paid the duty themselves. And there is nothing that stops you from selling something that you own – that’s not dishonourable at all. What are you to do with something that you don’t use any more?
And oh BTW, many actors and sportsmen in India, have claimed tax exemption on the basis that they are ‘artists’. Even Sachin tendulkar claimed an exemption on his incomes that were derived from advertisements, on the premise that he earned that as an artist not a cricketer.
These exemptions are in the realm of tax law, and if the law allows an exemption, there is nothing dishonourable or illegal about claiming them.
And do reflect on who is being ‘idiotic’ (and also libellous), in calling a highly accomplished individual as a ‘fraud’, even if one ignores derogatory references like ‘kulla’ and dwarf…
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DB,
Tread with care, Harkol may attempt to sue you for venting your opinion about a public figure on a public forum. Possibly on the grounds of Bere-avara mana nashta mukkadhame. After that he may go after the whole internet.
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“CNR RAO getting the honor is like sanity prevailing amidst the chaos. Man completed his primary education in Kannada medium”
CNR Rao might have completed his education in Kannada medium in his early period, but he then went to BHU and then to Purdue University- all of them in English and not in Kannada! That is not the criterion to judge whether some one deserves this award which is already tarnished before it was awarded to these two.
A number of those who had had their education in Kannada medium went abroad and stayed there. Others, who had had their education in English medium stayed in India and worked in India.
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Harkol,
What Kulla has done amounts to committing a fraud. Yes just as you say he is an artist: a con artist claiming all sorts of exemptions. And ..”Even Sachin tendulkar claimed an exemption on his incomes that were derived from advertisements, on the premise that he earned that as an artist not a cricketer…” so he being of the good looks got these endorsement money is it? You are just as a venal sod as your ideal!
Dude the plain truth is Kulla has got away with these things with many fawning supporters. This nonsense should stop!
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Despite a personal wealth of over 1000 crores, with bare minimal income tax paid so far, thanks to blessings of the Madam, Prince and corrupt Cong-I ministers: the amazing greed of the Kulla incrementally increases by the day!
http://profit.ndtv.com/news/industries/article-celebrities-beckon-indians-to-travel-sites-372711?pfrom=home-topstories
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DB,
Perfect analysis of sachin’s feats. He has never made any worthwhile contribution to the team and his feats have rarely been beneficial to the team. With his fans, rational thinking has taken a back seat.
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Its a custom of Indian cricket to never pay tribute to anyone besides those from their own country. That’s why in a test match in India, the crowd goes into stunned silence when they lose a wicket. Even in Pak and SL, they atleast clap but not in India. Terrible sportsman ship, and rightly their great is not recognised by those outside India. I guess what goes around comes around
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Doddi Buddi:
Govt. provides IT exemptions on various things, and we call claim it. Standard Deductions, Home loan deductions and variety of other possible deductions & exemptions.
Sometimes, the deductions that we claim are accepted, at times rejected. For eg. Fuel expense reimbursement. Even though a person may have actually incurring more expense, the govt. only allows certain amount as exemption. And in some cases it allows exemptions to greater degree (in its wisdom).
Paying tax is ones duty as long as it is part of taxable income and It is part of the tax structure of the nation. And complying with it while availing best benefit is called tax planning.
It is not immoral and it isn’t by no stretch of imagination ‘cheating’ to do tax planning. It would be cheating only if you hide an income (ie. not disclose it). Claiming exemption is not hiding. It can be allowed or disallowed concerned dept. And IT dept normally asks for more tax in such cases. Last year I was asked Rs.300 additional tax! But, this year, by their own calculation tax dept decided to refund me Rs.2,700 (I hadn’t claimed it)! But, my refund for over rs.3laksh is pending for over 4 years now. Weird are the ways of tax dept. But, invariably the rule is it is criminal not to disclose income. Paying tax on it or not is subject to tax law. There is no instance of Sachin breaking tax laws. At best you can say he refused to do charity to Tax dept. or Govt.
But, calling someone a cheat is clearly criminal defamation. And to call someone a ‘kulla’ is narrow mindedness (Chikka Buddi) Not broad mindedness (Dodda Buddi).
So, yee chikka buddi bittu bidi.
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Anonymous Guy: If someone can keep carping & casting aspersions about a third person’s character, then someone else can very well point out how they are being stupid.
It isn’t about me filing a defamation case, just as it isn’t about Doddi Buddi or you being able to prosecute Tendulkar for tax fraud. The question is where is ‘fraud’ or ‘cheating’ in tax planning or claiming exemption.
WE ALL DO IT.
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Till the other day, the Bharat Ratna could only be conferred on an exceptional achiever from the field of art, literature, science and public services. Now, that has changed, thanks mainly to the efforts of two Cong-I ministers and key Sachin flunkies Viz., Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken and BCCI vice-president and Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary affairs, Rajeev Shukla.
Shockingly, with canny foresight, the rules governing eligibility for the highest civilian award were quietly modified two years ago apparently to keep the doors open for the cricket maestro to receive the honour on his retirement. Sachin was expected to retire two years back but analysts have suggested that he postponed because of the massive commercial commitments.
On 19 July, the sports ministry has actually recommended hockey legend late Dhyan Chand over Tendulkar for the Bharat Ratna. The ministry had to name only one sportsperson for the Bharat Ratna to the Prime Minister’s Office and for them Dhyan Chand, who passed away in 1979, was the undisputed right choice. The wizard of Indian hockey had won a record three gold medals at the Olympics — in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Despite recommendation by the sports ministry of Dhyan Chand’s name for the award, the government finally decided to confer Bharat Ratna only on Tendulkar.
Why?
The Grand Old Most Corrupt Party of India knows well that Tendulkar will continue to be associated with its government in the public mind. At present, the Congress party wants that Sachin Tendulkar should send signals, direct or indirect, to the voters ahead of the doomed 2014 elections to support the party.
It was an election stunt the lame-duck, Mauni Prime Minister as usual, staggered up to the mike to announce the award, just 150 minutes after the post-match revelry. It is these crooked clowns in government who messed up with their unholy haste. Tendulkar could have been given the award next year instead of now. It was so cheap, populist and uncharitable to be so charitable in just minutes from when he left the field!
The new BCCI vice-president and Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary affairs, Rajeev Shukla (name by Anna Hazare as one of the 11 most corrupt and slimy in the cabinet) on Saturday thanked the UPA Government for conferring the prestigious Bharat Ratna to the cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, and said that ‘he is the most deserving person in decades’, for the nation’s highest civilian award. Obviosuly, shameless sycophancy has hit a record and needs an award too.
Few are aware that Sachin’s image or videos…etc is part of the commercial property of his employer, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (richest sporting body in the world and managed by politicians as businessmen, not sports men!), and the sight of him taking his final steps on a cricket field have always been bound up and commodified for sale. Any photographs of Tendulkar will be taken and distributed under the BCCI’s strict and exclusionary auspices. Eyewitness radio and print reports likewise. Television footage, which will be available to paying subscribers globally, and will be accompanied by BCCI-approved commentary carrying prohibitions against free speech that were so authoritarian that the former Australian captain Ian Chappell refused to work under them.
Why should this matter to anyone other than the media companies who risk being shut out?
Sir Donald Bradman said that nobody owned cricket; players and administrators were the game’s temporary custodians. Ownership, if any, resided with those who nurtured the game at all levels; when it comes to a game, ”ownership” is probably the wrong word in the first place.
This will be the final shadow over Tendulkar’s legacy: that his last match was something of a phantom commercial rather than a pure sports event, visible on the ground only to the BCCI’s corporate customers, politicians, Bollywood stars, D-company mafia, betting syndicates ..etc, all planned and shaped by their selected spin merchants or political masters. No wonder, the tickets costing Rs. 10,000.00 were sold in the black for RS. 50 lacks in an anarchy were black money rules the economy.
In a country where the highest award has never been given to the ‘Unknown Soldier’ and by that I mean all the men and women in the armed forces and the police who selflessly and cheerfully have given up their today’s for our tomorrows obviously it is obscene to compare hitting a ball with a bat. Off the top of my head, have we ever honoured the Keelor brothers who took on Sabres with second generation Gnats and won the air battle? More recently, the brave cops who gave up their lives in the Mumbai hostage crisis? That’ll be the day.
That is apples and oranges, you don’t compare. The thousands of broken promises to the next of kin of our forces by these greedy politicians could fill more volumes than Paradise Lost… and paradise has been lost for a long time. The congress-I has been in power for more than 50 Years and now 10 years continuously.
If cricket and dying for your country for an enemy’s bullets or writing great inspiring poetry or being the quintessential freedom fighter or guiding India into the science or atomic age are all in the same park then Tendulkar is no less in his success ratio. But playing cricket, making more than Rs. 1000 crores officially, cheating on income tax..etc, can’t be compared to a poor soldier or cop who earns a mere Rs. 4,000 a month and sacrifices in action with a family starving.
Businessmen Sachin is smart too. India’s online travel market is expected to cross Rs 55,000 crore by 2015, and Sachin has a 7.5% Stake in UAE based Musafir.com founded by the controversial trio of Mohammed Al Thani, Sachin Gadoya and Albert Dias. While we all know that celebrity investing is more or a barter trade, incidentally, one of the founders has been in and out of the Hawala business. Sachin has also investments in Smaash Entertainment, Universal Collectabillia, multiple farms, mega malls in India apart from hotels in Middle East and Europe. Although a Cong-I sponsored Member of Parliament, no one really knows his benami real investment details, but he indeed has a palatial bungalow in Dubai’s super-expensive, VVIP Jumeirah Beach locality. He also owns fine dining restaurants in Mumbai and a sports bar in Bangalore.
So how is our Bharat Ratna Tendulkar cooling-off after the retirement frenzy?
The poor middle-class lad from Mumbai, who used the city bus to attend matches, has already said that he wants to spend half his time in London, tour the world in style, especially Europe and Prague, because that’s his dream destination.
Meanwhile, two days ago, the batsman, accompanied by wife Anjali, headed straight for the hill station of Mussoorie soon after landing at Jollygrant Airport in a specially-chartered plane. Yes, billionaires use only special jets. Tendulkar would be staying at his business partner Sanjay Narang’s hotel in Mussoorie. Name the major city in the world and there are business friends for our super-rich celebrities, corrupt politicians, especially if they have a Bharat Ratna!
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Folks, for some one who lives in the West, I never understand this idol worship of this cricketer. It can only be compared to adding him to your trimurthy group of Brahma, Vishnu and Easwara plus this guy!. Not sure what else he has done to his country besides playing cricket which earned him a lot of money. The country has a plethora of problems, and one hopes that since he has retired and he has time on hand, he would be interested in helping to work with the unfortunate masses who are very much less fortunate than he is, to find solutions to at least one of their problems
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Even as the nationwide controversy surrounding ‘Bharat Ratna’ refuses to die down, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has finally tried to downplay the raging debate saying “This is not the end of Bharat Ratna process. This is rather a beginning.” He added “I don’t think that anybody disputes the fact that there are others who also deserve (the award). It’s appropriate at that time that others should also be considered.”
Well, it is high time, the Cong-I led UPA comes out with a cheat-sheet for those seriously aspiring for the Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India or Gem of India in English). Perhaps they will do so before the expected total rout of the ruling party in the upcoming elections. Arguably, key parameters for selection will include (but not limited to) master of corruption, Income tax defaulter, scamster, caste-oriented publicist, crooked politician, shady businessmen, influential sportsman, hawala trader, anti-national, terrorist, match fixer, hooch distiller, airline proprietor, real estate tycoon, film star, onion trader, chit-fund founder, ex-tihar jail inmate, underworld don, smuggler, party spokesman, maulānā, swami, missionary, communalist, criminal lawyer, rapist, naxalite, dacoit…et al.
In the past, there were occasional rumors of the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) advising the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit to probe sensitive revelations of a very senior and powerful Indian batsman from West Zone being discretely involved with a global match-fixing syndicate after apparently being named by multiple players from South Africa, England, Pakistan and India too. The rumors briefly appeared again after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa. Regretfully, the most powerful, corrupt politicians who run the BBCI swiftly ensured the rumors or blips are completely out of the media. To date, no one has any idea who the key player was while all the pseudo probes are history.
BTW, getting back to the master batsman (who always retained his position despite many a horror tours, especially to Aus and Eng) and his latest achievement, does anyone know if he ever ‘visited’ the Parliament after his MP oath-taking ceremony was showed live on TV screens along with the smiling Cong-I ministers scrambling to fit into the TV screens?
Let us hope someone in the cricketing fraternity will advice the cricketing star that for all that he got, he will do at least an iota of justice to the nation and give back something worthwhile, if only he starts a free-coaching academy for poor kids who currently can only dream of survival in our country. Provided he spares at least a day in a week of his busy commercially-oriented global schedule.
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Harkol,
Looks like your personal tax matters have colored your views about taxation in general. Whether you (or Sachin) evaded taxes is not my concern. Let that be.
Your long winded reply didnt really give a sensible reply to any of the simple assertions DB made about Sachin and his being worthy of a Bharat Ratna. Let that be too.
Calling a public figure a fraud on a public forum for actions which can be verified and were questioned in the newspapers is not libelous. Unless you are living in some place where it is. Let that be too.
“WE ALL DO IT.”
Yes, that is the stance we Indians use to justify anything that we do and then blame the ‘government’ for all our ills.
Lage raho.
PS: His nick is Doddi Buddi, not Dodda Buddi. He is living up to it with his always witty but at times controversial comments.
DB,
Looks like Harkol wont sue you after all. He is just being libelous himself by insinuating that you are libelous.
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AG:
I ‘do not’ Evade taxes. Each and every paise I own is white, and accounted for. You have a weird sense of what tax evasion is about.
Tax evasion is an illegal activity of concealing or misreporting income.
The right term you are looking for is called ‘tax avoidance’ through tax planning. Which is very legal and moral. You are not in obligation to do charity, just as you are not in obligation to pay taxes any more than what law requires you to do.
Calling anyone a cheat or fraud in public, without possessing evidence of such action is libellous. If it is not what is libellous? Saying so in private banter?
Don’t be under the impression that calling yourself Anonymous Guy protects you from law! You can be traced in matter of minutes if someone wants to pursue. And one doesn’t get a right to call a public figure as a fraud either. A public figure may not be able to claim privacy in all matters, due to him being in the public eye. But, he can certainly claim a loss of reputation/integrity by statements that are tending to defame him. Many cases have been won. Check – http://www.toplawfirm.com/whatisdefamation.html
I didn’t say Sachin or I will sue! He may not care, as the saying goes – dogs bark when elephant walks by. Neither can I sue as I don’t have locus standi.
But, not getting sued doesn’t mean the act of calling someone a fraud/cheat any less libellous. It is you who is ignorant of the law. Calling someone Kulla/Chotu/Dwarf isn’t libellous (for that may be a fact and being short doesn’t defame him), but in reference to Sachin, saying he committed a fraud is certainly crossing the legal line for defamation.
My opinion – Sachin is worthy of Bharat Ratna. And you guys are welcome to say he isn’t worthy. And that’s your opinion against mine (and of the majority).
You are welcome to even say his achievements are not great, and he is at fault for being short! All shows a narrow minded evaluation, but your opinions nevertheless. However, you are not welcome to call him a cheat or a fraud. That is a personal attack on someone’s integrity.
>that is the stance we Indians use to justify anything
When I said “we all do it” – it was specific reference to tax planning to avoid getting taxed. Not cheating on tax. It is not unique to Indians. It is done all over the world.
Just check your tax returns (if you are an honest tax payer) and realise how many exemptions you claimed. Can you be called a cheat for having claimed exemptions that law allows? Answer that specific query.
And you certainly show poor perception of English too. Libellous means an untrue statement tending to discredit/defame someone. But, calling something as untrue (thus libellous) can’t in itself be libellous. Only person with poor perception of law & English can argue that!!
>His nick is Doddi Buddi
As far as I know, well known meaning of Doddi is ‘cattle cote’. i.e. a place that’s full of cow dung. He can’t possibly mean that is the level of his intellect. So, I am assuming the better – that he means dodda buddi (as in big intellect). Perhaps I am wrong on that!
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Kallis is much better than schin
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No doubt Sachin had created lot of records and he ensured himself to get maximum mileage from sponsors. Others in the past also have delighted every cricket fans by their master strokes and styles, like Vinoo Mankad, Manjrekar, Subash Gupte, R.B. Desai etc, but unfortunately there existed no sponsorship arrangements in their time to make them rich or unforgettable.
D.V. Raghavan
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‘X’ Guy, it is quite obvious Harkol is cut from the same cloth as his hero Kulla! He probably expects all of us to genuflect before the Worlds 29th Greatest Batsman! In other words, he is actually saying tax cheating be declared a national sport in India! Earlier I had criticized Gadkari and his supporters trying to defend the globular fraud who was operating through 15 plus shell companies, saying the man is unfit to be BJP president as he lacks moral integrity. Ditto with Kulla! Just because his tax consultants advise him to take the easy way out, he need not do it. He needs to do the right thing! Contrast this with P Gopichand who refused to appear in Coke ads! That’s integrity! Instead we have the pip-squeak of a self-anointed cricketing genius (29th?) endorsing all kinds of shit!
Many thanks to well-researched posts by Rajesh & Rao Saheb Patil. There will be a tsunami of RTI applications that will question the inexhaustible money supply of the Cricketing God who has obviously been quite prosperous taking multifarious routes! I am afraid our latest Bharath Rathna will come under much more direct attacks from knowledgeable financial journalists very soon. Harkol can watch and squirm. Libelous? Hardly! More like hilarious defence!
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Yella sari, but why a special interest in Prague, of all places. Strange Kulla this one….
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Globally, it is a well-known practice among all top sportsmen to channel the obscene earnings from brand endorsements through shady accounts in Isle of Man and Mauritius, rather than pay income tax.
In India, mega 7-Star brands targeting the elusive, super-rich like Audemars Piguet, BMW, Royal Bank of Scotland and ‘noted’ companies with political affiliations like Reliance Communications, Musafir are all significant contributors to our Kulla’s earnings which is ‘officially’ said to be around 20 Million USD while ‘unofficial’ estimates put it around an unbelievable Rs. 2500 crores!
And now that he is a Member of Parliament (who neither attends parliament nor does an iota of useful work for the aam aadmi or country yet gets all the perks, security, red beacon..etc) the IT dept will never ever dare raid any premises or scrutinize earnings.
Strangely, all the MPs propped-up by the Shahzada a.k.a the Don Quixote of #10, Janpath, have an impressive lifestyle indeed. The billionaire’s dogs too go on the special private jet to Mussoorie!
http://www.thatscricket.com/news/2013/11/21/photos-sachin-tendulkar-s-vacation-mussoorie-069980.html#slide424017
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Gaby,
I am baffled by Kulla’s choice! May be he bought a castle or a famous brewery! Who can tell!
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Harkol,
What Kulla did was fraud. He got the car duty waived as it was a gift and sold the car (aka gift) for a profit. Even if he sells the car for 100 rupees he made a profit. Q.E.D.
Now, if he had given it to his children or some body as a gift, it would be above board. Do you get it now? Kulla can sue the entire Internet with his money! I am among millions of Indians who is saying this! I don’t know where this will leave you but you can be called a financial genius!
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Just heard that the trio of Manish Tewari, Rajeev Shukla and Ajay Maken have now gone a step further and advised Pappu, Madam and Finance Minister Chidambaram, to avail the super-premium services of Kulla and splash nationwide ‘awareness advertisements’ on behalf of the Govt..er…Department of Income Tax and e-Filing!
Considering the ban of massive expenditure, political advertisements and EC’s code of conduct, the canny, stealth move is indeed brilliant.
What could be more fitting to the crooked Cong-I than make use of an iconic, income tax cheat?
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Cant say if what Tendulkar did about this car prize is right or wrong, but Harkol sure has a couple of wild notions:
1. It is okay to do something wrong as long as you think everybody does it.
2. Everyone should stop commenting anything negative on the internet about celebrities and public figures because it might be ‘libelous’.
DB’s argument seems simple enough and it hasn’t got any good response yet other than everybody does it.
This does not preclude Tendulkar from getting the Bharat Ratna, which does not have very specific guidelines as to who can win it. Ever since the government added “for performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour.” to the description couple of years back, it can be easy to justify giving the prize to anyone.
Whoever wins or loses, clever politicians win the day.
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DB, Would it be libelous to call Tendulkar a kubja, or should we just stick to kulla to not incur Harkol’s wrath?
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‘X’ Guy,
Kulla has better flavor I think! LOL
We can certainly recommend Harkol for a Bharat Rathna? May be that would be libelous as well !
I am wondering if we can recommend Kapil Sibal to seriously consider Harkol for a superior position in his version of IPS? I mean Internet Police Service! LOL
D B-D
Great insightful post!
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah today lauded MP Tendulkar and said he deserves the Bharat Ratna. On the other hand ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh has advised Sachin to stay away from politics because “Your already controversial name will be besmirched!”
The Allahabad High Court is now considering a PIL challenging the decision to award the canny Kulla, the Ratna Award!
http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Bharat-Ratna-for-Sachin-Tendulkar-Allahabad-High-Court-reserves-on-PIL-challenging-decision/34360
Coincidently, the Mumbai Police, which is probing the alleged hacking by a CA student into Anil Ambani’s e-filing of Income-Tax returns account, has stumbled upon another CA student who not only accessed the top industrialist’s account, but also of popular cricketers and film stars suspected of tax evasion including Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. There has been intense speculation of extraordinary tax fraud by the celebrities running into thousands of crores. And latest reports say that Mukund Pawar, Senior Inspector at Cyber Cell of the crime branch handling the sensitive case is now under massive political pressure for swift closure.
Away from the media limelight, the income tax-cheat, master batsman and billionaire jewel-of-India, who is now chilling-out in Mussoorie till Christmas with tax-payer paid VVIP security is: having the last laugh ;-)
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Watching the news tonight and a item about a web site launch, it was natural for me and my kids to initially assume that Sachin was offering all his priceless mementos and collectibles for some charity.
But I was shocked to note that he is using a commercial outlet called collectabillia.com to sell them, to the highest bidder, globally!
Well, a common man will never ever sell the gifts he gets. But ‘the God with the golden bat’ is not an ordinary soul!
What is even more shameful and indeed shocking is that the celebrity merchandise and brand extension firm called Universal Collectabillia is owned by Sachin! The investors include a Facebook investor and ‘noted’ American venture capitalist Accel Partners.
I think it’s high time the extremely greedy ‘Jewel-of-India’ designate was seduced or dragged in to the nationwide “Times Now-Prime Time” show and have the extraordinary Arnab Goswami expose him completely!
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on Monday reserved its order on a PIL challenging the award of Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
In these dark times, let us hope at the judiciary (Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and D K Upadhyaya in particular) comes to the rescue of the Aam Aadmi and restore some sense of fairness in our country where a insensitive ruling party defends openly or stealthy, all the crooked including self-confessed rapists!
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Pawar,
Nothing surprises me about the “Cricketing Genius”!!
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Finally, the Judiciary gets into picture…let us hope justice and fairness wins!
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/madras-hc-to-hear-plea-against-tendulkars-bharat-ratna-tomorrow/437265-78.html
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