Is Sachin Tendulkar Too Young for Bharat Ratna or Should He Have Received it Much Before?

Even as the Prime Minister's Office will shortly commence its discussion on whether Sachin Tendulkar is the rightful recipient of the highest civilian award, there is also a great deal of opposition that is not being highlighted.

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Sachin Tendulkar has amassed more than 30,000 international runs and is on the cusp of 100 international centuries. He holds the record for being the only batsman to score the only ODI double century which he did last year in Gwalior against South Africa.

While as a cricketer, Tendulkar has stretched the boundaries of achievement in the game to constantly draw comparisons with the late great Sir Don Bradman, if Sachin Tendulkar were indeed awarded the Bharat Ratna, it would be the first time that a sportsman, let alone cricketer, would receive that honour in India.

It may be recalled that Tendulkar was awarded with the Padma Vibhushan a couple of years back. Now with the highest national award looming, it would seem that Tendulkar is the rightful owner of the award for being the largest, plausibly the most influential icon in the country, even a youth icon who seem him as a clean, sincere, talented and hardworking and humble role model.

But there are sounds of disgruntlement even before the official announcement about the recipient is made known. Apparently there are those in the opposition who feel that it would be premature to award such high honour on the Indian cricketer who they feel is still quite young, although he has completed a phenomenal two decades or twenty years in international cricket, which is an astounding achievement in itself.

There are others who continue to hold it against him that India have not achieved as much as they should with him in the team, this despite the fact that cricket is a team sport given to the vagaries of eleven players on the field and their levels of cohesion.

There are still a few voices who claim the likes of Kapil Dev should not surpassed because after all, it was the all rounder who led India to the World Cup success in 1983 and that Tendulkar had only received another award a couple of years back and that there should be some time gap to suggest the extension of his achievements.

However, given Sachin Tendulkar's image as a towering personality, a classic human being, and the torch bearer of the country's hopes and ambitions and showing how humility can survive despite the kind of financial success that could not even be imagined, it would seem the Bharat Ratna would merely be a matter of bestowing of what is already known - that Sachin Tendulkar is the Bharat Ratna!