Sachin Tendulkar's bat,tie and t-shirt auctioned for orphan children

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's bat, tie and t-shirt were auctioned for Rs. 15 million on Sunday in bid to raise funds for orphan children in Pune. The money earned by the auction went to the NGO SOFOSH (Society of Friends of the Sassoon Hospitals) which runs an orphanage. Speaking at the event, Tendulkar said, "Every person in this world is given a talent by God. After the talent has been identified, the talent has to be worshipped. To take the talent to bigger level is in our hands."

The orphan children had made an audio-book on Tendulkar and it was presented to him. Moved by the gesture of the children, Tendulkar said, "Inspite of various challenges, the grit and determination of the kids to make an audio book about me and then to share that joy with me was a big moment for me." Tendulkar became the first sportsperson to receive a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Cricket's most prolific run-scorer bid an emotional farewell to the game at his home ground in Mumbai last year, ending a glittering 24-year career during which he bagged almost every batting record. A perfect role model for the country's youth and the sport worldwide with his impeccable image on and off the field, Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2012. He left the game after playing more test matches (200), scoring the most test (15,921) and one-day international (18,426) runs, and compiling more test (51) and one-day (49) hundreds than any other player in cricket history.