Sachin Tendulkar is enjoying his life after cricket. Not for him the angst of missing out on one’s glory days, or chafing at being superannuated.
1. Nothing like starting your retired life hanging out with the President and picking up a piece of silverware that, you know, declares you a Bharat Ratna.
2. Finally, there’s enough time for a good holiday.
3. There’s also time to get your hands dirty at the normally out-of-bounds BMW factory where they apparently even let you build your own personalised car.
4. Fellow legends finally get an opportunity to squeeze into a frame with you and get photographed.
5. Buy a football team. Call your famous friends to watch games. Drive some fans crazy with excitement. Fun.
6. There is time to catch up with old friends who continue to show you how much they really respect you.
7. There’s also time to cut the birthday cake with the family after over twenty years of birthdays spent on the road.
8. Added extra: the luxury of being home to bring in the special family festivals.
9. You get to nurture and honour the next generation of sports stars.
10. Cricket matches can be watched LIVE, with a suit on, in the confines of an air-conditioned box.
11. Cricket can once again be all about fun and games, and not obsessing over one’s performance.
12. When bored, there’s always the option of stepping out and reminding yourself how much you are loved.
13. And finally, the good thing about retirement is...you are never alone! There is always an excuse to throw a party and relive your glory days.
(This article is being reposted from The Quint’s archives on the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s 45th birthday. It was originally published on 29 May 2015.)
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