We must keep Mumbai’s legacy intact as we modernise: Sachin Tendulkar

Introducing a series on Mumbai’s trailblazers who share what anchors them in a changing city. Sachin Tendulkar tells HT why Mumbai remains closest to his heart

Mumbai: Growing up in the quiet neighbourhood of Sahitya Sahawas in Bandra East to starting a career in cricket at the bustling Shivaji Park in Dadar, Sachin Tendulkar became Mumbai’s favourite son.

Growing up in the quiet neighbourhood of Sahitya Sahawas in Bandra East to starting a career in cricket at the bustling Shivaji Park in Dadar, Sachin Tendulkar became Mumbai’s favourite son. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

One of the most famous names in world cricket, he is also a global icon, who has the privilege now of choosing to live anywhere in the world. His heart, however, beats only in Mumbai.

Before attaining unparalleled stardom, Tendulkar did everything a typical Mumbaikar usually does — sip on chai at Irani cafes, scan through street food options at roadside stalls, relish the rains and head out for long drives.

In this freewheeling chat, the batting great took out time to talk about the city which he still calls home.

What has Mumbai meant for you over the years?

I took a lot of things for granted through my early years in Mumbai. It is only when I started travelling to different places eventually that I understood varied cultures and ways of life.

My childhood was made special thanks to my friends and family. My memories of childhood are meshed with my memories of Mumbai of that time. The city prepared me for what was to come. A lot has changed since then but we are in a fabulous spot. I may travel the world, but I want to always return to Mumbai.

Why is that? What is special about the city?

You realise what you miss only when you spend time away from Mumbai. My family and friends are here. When you spend time away from the city, things eventually start looking monotonous. That’s when you want to return.

How have you seen the city evolve -- from the time you were a child growing up in Sahitya Sahawas to now?

Big time. I started picking up little things I saw around me when I was five or six years old. I was exposed to scholars who lived in the neighbourhood. My own father was a writer. A housing society near our residence called Arctech, housed many architects. Before it was turned into residences, it was a hostel for students of the Sir JJ School of Arts. Close by was also Patrakar where journalists lived. So, I grew up amid an eclectic crowd.

We would take a lot of pride competing against each other representing our housing societies. Kids from MIG Colony would also join us. All that is a thing of the past. Now, the area is surrounded by 30-40 storey skyscrapers. I could never imagine this kind of transformation while practising at MIG.

At the time, behind our colony in Bandra East was a large swathe of open land. There was nothing till Sion. We used to take walks there, and sometimes witness snakes emerging from the jungles. Today, who would imagine that! Everything started changing around 2003-05.

Comparing that time to now is like comparing chalk and cheese.

And that includes the place where we are sitting right now – the Jio World Drive, BKC.

Exactly. There was nothing here, save a drive-in theatre behind our building. I would stand on my fourth floor balcony and observe the cars. That’s how my interest in cars grew. I remember precisely the few models that used to drive in -- Fiat, Ambassador, 118 NE, Standard 2000 and Contessa. A few people had Impalas and such. My brother Ajit and I would spend hours spotting the cars. Sometimes, we would take walks around the highway (Western Express Highway, near Bandra). All those memories are fresh till today.

Many places in Mumbai have a rich history and legacy. Eminent personalities who have shaped our society have lived and continue to live here. As we modernise and new buildings come up, public and private entities should think of ways to ensure how to take the legacy forward. For example, in Bandra East, new communities or buildings can continue to retain Patrakar Colony, Sahitya Sahawas, Arctech, etc, as names. This way, we have one foot in history and the other in the future.

Since you have a fascination for cars, which is your favourite place to drive in Mumbai?

The Bandra Worli Sealink is a fabulous road to drive on. It is convenient, without traffic and therefore stress free. I went for a drive with my friends just the other day; we were driving at 50 km/hr, and drove all the way to the airport. My drives are often unplanned.

What are your Mumbai monsoon to-do things?

I make myself a nice cup of coffee. It sets the mood. Any conversation about monsoons throws me back to my childhood in Sahitya Sahawas, where we played football and cricket – the two signature sports of the season. Nothing stopped us, not even the waterlogged streets. Sometimes we played hand tennis as well.

Are there any places you visit now that you couldn’t earlier?

Sometimes, I visit Shivaji Park in the odd morning hours. I had missed out on visiting (Ramakant) Achrekar sir’s place on Guru Purnima day. So, when I returned from England, I called my friends and decided to visit Achrekar sir’s memorial, just the other day. I also visit Siddhivinayak temple often.

Shivaji Park is where it all started for you. What is the uniqueness of that ground compared to others?

It was my life, and continues to be. That is where it all started for me. I would get there at 7am during our summer holidays, practise in the morning, play a match, practise again, and then play TT at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana. So I would be there from 7am to 9-9.30pm. My friends and I never got tired. We felt the exhaustion only on our walk back home.

As a cricketer, I first came to grips with the size of the ground at Shivaji Park, compared to Cross Maidan or the gymkhanas, where boundaries are short and you could run without getting tired.

Shivaji Park had long boundaries, so running between the wickets was the umpire’s discretion. Sometimes when he felt the ball hadn’t crossed a spot (to award a boundary), we had to run more. It made us physically strong and mentally tough. One full round of Shivaji Park was good enough for us, but Achrekar sir would intentionally not let me run before practise. We had to normally do one lap before and after our session.

But with me, he was different. The moment I reached the ground he would ask me to pad up and get in the nets. He would get me tired, and then tell me, “You missed the pre-session lap.” So with the pads on and bat in hand, I would do two laps.

That’s the only time I wished the ground were smaller. But it helped. In retrospect, when I played at Wankhede or anywhere else, I actually felt that the ground was not that big.

Between the pitches of that ground (Kamat Memorial CC), Wankhede or Melbourne Cricket Ground, could you easily make out which is Shivaji Park’s pitch?

Absolutely. With my eyes shut; because our pitch was completely worn out. Additionally, sir encouraged us to get connected with cricket in a much deeper fashion than any other coach would. He made us roll the pitch, water it and put the nets. It deepened our connection with the sport. A lot of the players those days had a common kit bag, not personalised ones. One of the buildings in the neighbourhood belonged to Jitu Thakre. His family decided to give out one small storage area for us to keep our kit.

I still remember the stink of the sweaty bag. I can never forget it. The bag would never be fully dry as it was used throughout the day. No Sharadashram kid can forget that smell.

You were a fan favourite on any ground. But how special was it playing in front of your home crowd at Wankhede?

Very special, without any doubt. The old Wankhede stadium also had its own charm. I played most of my cricket in that stadium, not the new one. It was unbelievable when I started playing international games in the 1990s (I played a few Ranji Trophy games in the late 1980s). Sometimes the stadium became so loud that one had to, very discreetly and subtly, close their ears. I’ve done that too, facing an energetic and loud crowd. That energy inside the stadium was something else. It got us going.

We have watched that Ranji Trophy final against Punjab, and the double hundred against Australia at CCI. Can you share the difference in experiences between playing at Wankhede and CCI?

CCI was different. I remember as a 14-year-old, I was playing for Shivaji Park Youngsters against CCI at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana. I had scored some 65-70 runs. Madhav Apte sir was keeping at that time, and he saw that innings. Then, Mr Milind Rege, Raj bhai (Raj Singh Dungarpur) and Apte sir got together and decided to bring me to CCI. In those days, under-18s were not allowed to enter the dressing room or be in that area at CCI. So they had to relax that rule for me. From thereon, things changed for me — a CCI membership and playing for CCI.

Your bond with Mumbai cricket is special. Even through your 200-Test career, you would go out of your way to still make time and play for Mumbai.

I took a lot of pride in playing for Mumbai. There was not as much international cricket in the early and mid-1990s as there is today. I played as and when I was available. There were occasions when I returned from New Zealand at night and turned up for Ranji Trophy the next morning. That zeal has to come from within. It meant a lot to me. I enjoyed being there as well as the Mumbai dressing room. We practised as hard as one possibly could. And we enjoyed it.

Every Mumbai cricketer’s journey starts with travelling in BEST buses and local trains. Do you remember those times, and do you still remember the bus number you would take?

Very much so. 314 and 315, between Bandra and Shivaji Park. 97 limited was the fast bus. I cannot forget the first time my brother took me to Shivaji Park for trials. He was teaching me where to get down and stuff like that. I was only eleven-and-a-half or so.

On many occasions, the passengers or the bus conductor would shout at us for carrying such big kit bags and our filthy clothes. Our only advantage was that, since our clothes were filthy no one would want to come close to us. But we enjoyed all that. I enjoyed travelling by train too. I used buses and trains for travel till I was 14 or so. Subsequently, when I started playing Ranji Trophy, my father said, “Now you will travel by taxi.” We did not have deep pockets at the time which would allow me to take a taxi, but my father insisted. He said if I were to stay in the right frame of mind to play a Ranji match, I should not be using public transport. Thereon things started moving very quickly.

It must have been difficult to handle the kit bags in local trains.

I know! But we managed. There were occasions where I had no choice but to stand by the door. Even when I had the choice to take a seat, I would continue to stand by the door. It wasn’t ideal, and my parents would be worried constantly. But I wasn’t an easy kid to manage.

Did you have any favourite places to hang out back in the day?

That was always Shivaji Park – more for the company than the spot. We had limited places to hang out at the time. After practise sessions, it would be Shivaji Park. If we were playing a match at Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan, then we would land up at khao gali.

We would save up money for food and share it among ourselves. We would pass around one bottle of soft drink between us, putting markers on the bottle – each one of us could only drink to that point, in one massive gulp. We mastered that art!

What’s your favourite Mumbai street food?

Khao guli’s pao bhaji. That smell drove us mad back then. It still does.

We also know your expertise in being able to distinguish a vada pav of Dadar from one of Bandra.

Yes, I can, because the chutney and masalas inside are different. Many guys have tried fooling me, but haven’t succeeded.

Mumbai is also famous for its Irani cafés.

Yes, there was an Irani café around the corner of Shivaji Park. Coincidentally, there’s a hospital just there on the first floor, where I was born. There were Irani cafés even next to the Metro cinema and Excelsior.

So we had our spots. We knew where to go, and where we could get good Irani chai, which was orange in colour, accompanied by bun muska. In fact, we discussed this in our friends’ circle recently and felt that at some point we should revisit those places.