Being a great player on a field is one thing, but true greatness is measured by one's actions off the field. The players that I hold great respect for include-
- Imran Khan, lost his mother to cancer in 1984. Cancer was known as a rich-man's disease in Pakistan. During that time, Imran was witness to the lack of specialist treatment available to the poor. 10 years later, he founded the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, a charitable institution that serves the poor.
- Steve Waugh, his association with Udayan, a home for children who come from Calcutta's leprosy colonies. Since 1998 he holds a special relationship with the kids at Udayan, known as Steveda among them.
In stark contrast, I am yet to hear of an Indian player who has lent his name to a social cause. The "god" Tendulkar is more famous for his evasion of a 120% duty on his Ferrari. Aren't men like him supposed to be guided by principle? I am yet to hear of Sachin's donations to society, oh yes! I have heard of him donating bats, pads and the like. But could anyone bring to my notice any mention in the media about Sachin parting with generous amounts of his wealth for charitable causes? The same goes for every other popular player in the country. There is no shortage for social issues in India, from killer diseases like AIDS to female infanticide, issues which could be addressed more effectively through awareness. Has any cricketer stepped forward with dedicated and prolonged commitment to a single social cause? The popular Indian cricketer has one ready formula, he'll play charity matches, it's easy and baggage free.
All our successes hold a greater value because they are bestowed upon us by society, especially in the case of social figures(politicians and players alike). It is every successful man's moral responsibility to return to the people, by virtue of sharing his wealth or by lending his voice to social causes. It is an obligation, payback for the rewards society confers upon them.
While a hollow sense of satisfaction would be achieved by saving Rs 1.13 crore, the legitimate joy that one would experience with the knowledge that despite all their patriotism 300 children in Calcutta would be cheering for you when on the field,....immeasurable.
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The contribution to the society in particular and humanity in general need not be only monetary. One of the finest example for this is Muralitharan, who helped the Srilankan Tsunami victims both in monertary and moral terms. Here is his quote when the Tsunami struck and a question was asked about him playing cricket next day - "Something like this has never happened to my country. In my opinion, it is not the right time for cricket. I was seeing on the TV today some of the people who are alive in Galle, and there is a lot of organising to do, a lot of feeding people. A lot of our cricketers are from that area". This clearly shows the humility of this cricketer and also that nothing is greater than humanity.
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