Sachin's fans in Mangalore offer prayers to Lord Subramanya for the former's success.
Though the West Indies were bundled out for 187 in Sachin’s last test match, the low score of the visitors was not enough to cheer up cricket fans in the Coast. They were in a pensive mood all afternoon till their “god”, Sachin Tendulkar, arrived at the crease.
The fans had waited with baited breath to watch their star make his last outing a memorable one by scoring nothing short of a century, and they were in no mood to settle with anything less.
The collective tension was relieved when Sachin started scoring singles and twos with an occasional four.
“This is his usual flow of game. It means he has set his mind on a big score I only wish that he scores more than a century. I have offered prayers for his success at Mahalasa Narayani and Mangeshi temple in Goa, where Sachin had been a big devotee,” said A Balakrishna Pai, a cricket administrator of the Dakshina Kannada Cricket Association.
Pai said Sachin was in a better shape than Sunil Gavaskar and Salim Durrani at the age of 40 and has a lot more cricket left in him. “But, what is done is done, all we can do is to pray that he gets his departing ton in his last match.”
Many a devotee like Pai offered prayers at Kukke Subramanya temple and the Ananthapadmanabha temple at Kudupu near Mangalore, hoping for a Tendulkar ton.
“We have learnt cricket from Sachin like Ekalavya learnt archery from Dronacharya. It is our duty to pray for our teacher, and we have performed a pooja for his success at the Ananthapadmanabha temple here,” said Mahesh, a member of a local cricket club.
Four members of Uber Friend’s Cricket club at Upinangady, 50 km from Mangalore, took the first bus to Kukke Subramanya on Thursday and offered prayers.
“Somebody in the temple showed us the ‘Naga Kallu’, which Sachin had consecrated during the Sarpa Samskara pooja he had performed in Kukke Subramanya in 2009,” said Nagananda, leader of the team.
In Mangalore, visitors started pouring in at pubs, hotels, bars and offices, and street side TV shops where Sachin’s final match was being aired.
“My pub was filled with customers till 4.30 pm when the game ended for the day. I noticed that the crowd had begun coming in only when India lost the first wicket. It was as if they were waiting for Sachin to come to the crease,” said Shashikanth Shetty, manager of a pub in Mangalore.
“Our staff also co-operated and served the customers with a smile. But I did notice that they were hurrying with the orders during the breaks or when Sachin was at the non-striker’s end and got back to their posts hurriedly to watch him play,” said Prashanth Shenoy, owner of a restaurant in the city.
Owner of another pub, however, was not amused with by all the excitement. “Cricket fans hung around in my pub throughout the afternoon, ordering nothing more than a couple of pitchers. I put off the happy hours for the day and perhaps tomorrow also it will be off,” he said.
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