Someone who once had all the batting records of the world, Sachin Tendulkar drove, cut and pulled the deadliest bowlers on earth with elan. On Thursday, Tendulkar will ‘debut’ on a rather unfamiliar pitch as he debates on the right to play and where is India’s sporting future headed.
The Little Master, whose Rajya Sabha attendance has not been as prolific as his trips to the Wankhede Stadium, has cornered a lot of attention with his intention to talk about Indian sports and the path ahead. Get live updates here.
Since he retired in 2013, Sachin Tendulkar has tried to be at the forefront of social issues. From buying football teams, endorsing batteries to highlighting the need for cleanliness, the cricket legend continues to be revered throughout India.
02:13 PM IST: Tendulkar, who retired from cricket in 2013, has found Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ranvijay Singh Judev and the Congress’s PL Punia to support his cause, and they too have associated themselves with his notice.
02:09 PM IST: Naidu has asked the house to quieten down to allow Sachin to initiate the discussion. The former India opener looks on bemused.
2.05 PM IST: Venkaiah Naidu, vice-president of India and speaker of the Rajya Sabha, is addressing the house.
1:52 PM IST: The Rajya Sabha is adjourned till 2 PM.
On December 19, he visited Donja village in Osmanabad, Maharashtra which he has adopted under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
Tendulkar has committed Rs 4 crore from his MP LAD funds for the infrastructure development of the village. Donja is the second village adopted by Sachin Tendulkar after Puttumraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh.
“My visit to Donja has been a heart-warming one filled with promise and hope,” he said of the half-day spent there on Tuesday. Donja is 330 kilometres from Mumbai.
“Many miles we’ve gone towards building a better life for the villagers and many more to go but this is a great step in the right direction,” he added.
This will be the first time Tendulkar will be initiating a full-fledged debate in Parliament. Tendulkar’s notice suggests that the former cricketer wants a constitutional right that guarantees inclusion of sports in education curriculum and the availability of sports infrastructure for all children.
Incidentally, two months ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon children to take up sports and other physical activities as he expressed concern over the rising number of obesity cases among Indian children.
