Sachin Tendulkar on the joy of giving

Sachin Tendulkar on the joy of giving 2010

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar referred to the necessity of having others around to share happy moments, during a media briefing here in connection with the Joy of Giving Week.

He also assured the Indian men's team engaged in World Cup hockey action of support from fans like him in good and bad times. The batting maestro spent time with children from non-profit organisations on Tuesday as part of a fund-raising cricket clinic.

Tendulkar hoped that when his record of scoring a double hundred in ODIs is broken, he would be happy if it was by an Indian. "This way the record will remain in India," said the maestro about his feat accomplished during the ODI series against South Africa.

‘An Indian record'

"I don't say it is my record, it is an Indian record. As long as an Indian breaks my world mark, I will be happy," he said.

Tendulkar spent time with children and Whirpool executives at MCA's Cricket Recreation Centre at Bandra Kurla Complex. "You need people around to share the happy moments. For me it happened with the kids and executives. I noticed the spark in the children, let them enjoy doing what they like."

The half-day clinic as part of the Joy of Giving Week was auctioned online on eBay and netted Rs. 12 lakh for Apnalaya.

He admitted to experiencing tense moments watching the Indian team take on Pakistan in the hockey World Cup. "I follow other sports and like any fan, want Indian teams and sportspersons to win. The World Cup hockey match against Pakistan had its tense moments. I was happy when India won. Let me assure you of support for the Indian players and team at all times, especially during bad times when players need support the most."


Reward the whole unit

Tendulkar stressed the importance of rewarding performances for the whole unit in team sports. Responding to a question about cash incentives for Indian goal-scorers at the World Cup hockey announced by a State Government, he said: "Credit should go to the entire team, including support staff and substitute players. Each of them cannot be scoring goals, but play a specific role in helping the players who score."

The Joy of Giving Week held its first edition across India from September 27 to October 3 last year, raising over Rs. 10 crore in funds and resources. Tendulkar had launched the campaign with a personal contribution to sponsor the education of 200 children each year, according to the media release from Give India.

"Many of us give money, but giving time can be more difficult, which is why I offered a day of my time and skills," Tendulkar said.

Later an audio-visual was shown of a Joy of Giving event in Bangalore, where children from poor families played at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.

"India had greats like Padukone, Gopi Chand and now Saina Nehwal, who is doing well internationally. One of the kids faced the camera and talked about his ambition to become India's next Padukone. As a kid, I was just like him, dreaming of playing for my country and doing something for India. It would help if more kids talked about becoming the next Gopi Chands and Nehwals."

N. Venkat Krishnan, campaign co-ordinator of Joy of Giving Week, asked him about the reason for supporting the cause without hesitation and without any fee.

"This started at home when my daughter (Sara) did not want to celebrate her birthday and instead wanted to do something for kids from tough backgrounds. She told her friends not to bring gifts, instead asked them to hand over money equivalent to the gifts planned for her. She spent time with poor kids at Govandi, used the money to have a fun fair for them."

Tendulkar referred to our tendency to complain about what God has not given us, instead of thanking God for whatever he has given.

Give India Chairman and ex-chairman ICICI Bank, N. Vaghul, and Bain Capital MD, Amit Chandra, talked about the Joy of Giving initiative. The Joy of Giving Week this year will be held from September 26 to October 2.