Sachin Tendulkar may have retired from cricket. He will no longer don an Indian test cap. We will never hear chants of Sachin, Sachin in cricket stadia; even statisticians will get some rest. Mothers will no longer worry about the milk boiling over being glued to television sets to see the Master Blaster. And India will not skip a heartbeat when Tendulkar misses a shot.But the reality is that the idea of Sachin will never be irrelevant. Sachinism will be something people will always look up to. Mothers will still urge their children to find a Sachin in themselves. Fathers will want their lads to be gentlemen sportsmen and wives will always seek that perfect Sachin in their husbands. Sachin Tendulkar was and will remain more than a cricketer or for that matter even a sportsman. With the passage of time, many new Sachins will emerge but as long as they are bred in Sachinism, they will endure. This is what Sachin Tendulkar has left behind as he moves on to the next phase in his life. He has left behind a legion of admirers not just for the manner in which he struck bat to ball but also the indelible impression he left on the hearts and minds of all who saw him. Both on and off the pitch and that is what is important.To my mind, this country is a terrible inflexion point. We are bereft of inspirational icons. We are devoid of talent that is real; reverential and respectful of other people. Merit slowly has been replaced by brute strength. Humility is now a word in moral science text-books and the leitmotif of the average Indians has weakened beyond repair. In a country where political discourse has touched a new low; where almost every institution is crumbling, Sachinism will perhaps be the antidote and a perfect one at that. The defining quality of Sachin is diligence with dignity. Something we need to invest our public and personal domains with. In addition what separated Sachin from any one I can fathom is his perseverance. We are increasingly becoming captive to time and impatience. Such values erode: They never build. In times like this, the best salute we could pay a man who gave us endless pleasure both on the field and as a humanist is to glean some fine examples from his very rooted and real life. I believe the essence of Sachinism is diligence coupled with dignity: the same values we so desperately need in politics and industry not to mention the media.In a competitive world such as ours, winning will always be lauded but then we have to remember the means will and should be as important as the end. We have become a nation of destinations but never the journey. One core belief that Sachin always exuded was that he was undertaking a journey and was not merely ticking off the passing milestones. It is this belief that a nation such as ours must embrace. Our children must be taught the value of goodness being the essential edifice on which to build greatness and for that character must return to our lives. A strong moral character and the willingness to become unpopular at the cost of being isolated.And in many ways, my definition of Sachinism is much like the man Sachin. Simple; focused and consistent.So even though Sachin may not come as often on our TV sets as he used to, now more than ever before is the time to embrace Sachinism.Thank you Sachin. For being Sachin. Continue to inspire; ignite and invoke. The Sachinism in each one of us so that we become a nation of believers. And morph from mere patriots to true nationalists.

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