My Childhood died today

i Came across this on Orkut: Probably the Biggest fan of Sourav Ganguly speaks his mind…

Our great dada is retiring and the void which has created will never be filled.. I want to congratulate dada for his fantastic career, he was a great player and was a very inspirational leader. The world cricket will remember him for his sheer determination and never say die attitude.. To be very honest with u i m going through very ambiguous feeling.. I m both happy and sad.. I m happy for dada who has had a memorable last test series.. Not many cricketers get such a chance to have their farewell … I want to thank dada for whatever he has done for me…

FRIENDS, on this occasion I want to tell u the story of a 10 year old boy.. A boy who was considered to be dumb, very quiet, reserved. People never missed a chance to make fun of that guy.. Whenever he tried to do something there were always many guys around to pull his legs.. No one understood him.. A boy who seriously had no self-confidence.. Teachers had already told his parents that ur son wont be able to do anything in life..

He used to sit quietly without saying a word and used to wonder that he is a big loser in life.. Nobody had any sympathy for him.. Perhaps he was too young to do anything abt it. In year 1996, it was time when had just completed his 5th standard examination and had summer vacations, he was watching a cricket match by chance..although he had no interest in cricket wat so ever then. The 1st test was over and 1 of the middle order batsman had to go back home for some personal reasons.. Indian think-tank had to play someone else in the playing 11 and that some1 was none other that Sourav Ganguly.

That boy observed that there was lots and lots of speculation abt his place.. Few of the team members said that he made it to the side becoz of regional quota.. Few of them said bengalis r soft enough to play cricket.. Some of them said that he just cant score runs in the leg side.. and some said he doesnt have an attitude to play for India as he refused to carry drinks on the field in 1992…

The boy deeply moved from inside, he felt sympathy for young sourav and he prayed for him to play well. He was very curious abt it and asked every1 about basics of cricket. It was the 1st time he was watching a cricket match as dada walked in.. Very soon dada was on song.. he played some fantastic shots and scored a brilliant 100 on debut.. Young sourav played so well in the off side that there was hardly any need for him to play in the leg side.. Just when i thought he scores on just 1 side he pulled Alan Mulally for 4.. The boy was happy.. He was happy that some1 whose condition is similar to him is doing well.. He was more curious to know about dada’s life and soon discovered how he was dropped in 1992.. He read sourav’s post-match interview and decided that he too will try to do something for himself.. His childhood when was very repressed before just got life.. The child inside him was just born and suddenly there was whole lot of energy in him. He tried to understand wat his real problem was and decided that he will work very very hard to do well in class..

Very soon, sourav scored another 100 in his 2nd match and that really was a confidence booster for that little kid.. He had started to believe in himself.. He used to wake up 5’o clock in the morning and studied day in day out..

Soon the result was there to be seen… The boy who always struggled to get passing marks got above 80% and was in top 5.. there was suddenly increase of 35%.. everybody was surprised by the change.. Parents and teachers all were happy and were praising him.. Eventually everybody was ready to help him more and more..

It was 2002 when he had board exams and he scored 84% in board. He was in top 5 in school.. The same teachers who had ridiculed him by saying that he had no future were praising him..

The boy was so very much thankful to dada that he never missed his single innings and even used to keep fast for him when he didn’t play well.. Dada was his religion now.. He used to kiss sourav’s poster in his room after waking up daily and always used to thank him for the self belief he gave him..

Soon Sourav became india’s captain and started of very well.. I remember the boy wearing a black band on his arm for about a week when sourav was not able to convert his start into a big one..

Soon the Australians were in India with 15 wins in a row… The time seemed to be not helping dada at all.. there were charges on him having an affair with Bollywood actress Nagma and his marital life seemed to be in a spot of bother… this had huge impact on dada.. India lost 1st test match in Mumbai and dada didnt do too well.. There was hell lot of pressure on him.. But he came back.. Although he didnt score too many runs against australia but he didnt let that affect his captaincy 1 bit.. and india won in Calcutta despite having to face follow-on.. The boy had seen dada as a player but dada as captain was just improving day by day..

But dada has this habit of surprising every1 just when no one expects it.. just after australian tour india had to go to zimbabwe for 2 test series.. Dada failed miserably.. the boy was sad but he had lots and lots of faith in him.. Soon India went to South Africa for a triangular series.. The boy was really horrified.. Dada had to face bowlers like pollock, kallis, Klusener and Ntini.. He didnt want dada to open against a new ball.. The boy was even more concerned when he saw dada coming with sachin to open the batting.. There was lot written about dada being treated with chin-music and short pitch stuff… Match started and dada faced 1st ball and with a little foot movement just caressed it through the covers for 4.. Suddenly the grin on the boy’s face was gone and smile came on his face..

Dada had never batted like this before as he just moved his leg on the leg side and slogged all the bowlers all over the park and got his 100 in less than 35 overs.. And he played such innings in each and every match.. He had suprised every1 once again…

Just when everything was going on smoothly.. boy had his 12th science board exams but got very less marks.. less than 65% … and he had to struggle to get into a gud Engineering college.. just when he had lost all hopes, he got admission in a decent engineering college in year 2004.. just when the boy did reasonably well in his 1st 2 semesters.. he did horribly bad in his 4th semester.. same time dada was thrown out of the indian team in 2005 after the Chappel-Ganguly dispute… boy’s only support was gone.. and with kind of politics going on, it looked very tough for dada to make it to the indian side.. he made a comeback against pakistan then was again thrown out. But he worked hard again, played Ranji trophy and came back against South Africa…

This time he did few adjustments in his technic.. The bat follow through was a bit higher compared to his previous stance.. and as always he made a tremendous come back.. That was the only relief he got and it was much needed 1.. The boy somehow did alright in his last year and completed his Engineering in 2008.. He gave all the credit to dada for his success who is nothing less than the God for him..

Dada failed in Sri-Lanka and was not getting any younger.. The new captain MS Dhoni whom dada brought in international cricket had back stabbed him.. He soon discovered that he is unwanted in the team.. The friends were no more friends.. The boy knew that even this time dada will b dropped against Australia and unfortunately dada was dropped from even the probables for Australian series to play a match in Irani trophy.. dada was shattered this time… not even making to the probables hurt him deeply.. but he was out of blue selected against australia..

But dada was hurt badly.. He decided to call it a day against Australia in Nagpur.. No doubt selectors were happy after hearing this.. However I must say that he wont have been playing if he didnt had believe in himself. Its not that easy to motivate urself when u play for such a long time.

The boy had tears in his eyes when he heard the new of dada’s retirement but he was too shocked to be able to accept it. It was only at the start of the 4th test match that he realized that dada will no longer be playing for India.. and knowing the kind of personality he is, i m sure he wont reconsider his decision of coming back.. In a way its good that he is retiring himself otherwise he wud have been humilated again by being dropped.. Dada scored scores of 85 and a duck in his final match.. That was the end of a great great career..

The boy is all alone and had tears in his eyes when dada played his last innings.. With dada’s dismissal the childhood inside the boy died.. The big brother wont be there in reality to motivate him.. The boy is all alone now.. His childhood died today. He lost his childness with this…

And by now, u must have realized that that boy is none other than me..

Watever little I have done in life, i owe it to dada.. Watever i achieved wont have been possible without dada.. He taught me to belief in my ability.. The most memorable moment of my life was when dada himself called me to his dressing room, he hugged me and gifted me his t-shirt too on which he has written ” WITH LOTS OF LOVE – SOURAV GANGULY”, that was the same time when i got the best compliment of my life when he said “MANISH I HAVE NEVER SEEN A FAN LIKE U” and i started crying.. He told me at that time just to belief in myself and wished me gud luck in life.. Now we just have his memories.. Watever i will achieve in this life will b because of dada..

U r my God Dada.. U might be retiring from International cricketer.. but u will never retire from my heart… In this life, i promise u that i will stand by u till my last breath.. I wish u all the very best in life and i hope that u will do things with same passion just the way u played cricket… Salute to u great man.. a standing ovation.. Take a bow.. I salute u with Indian flag flying high in ur hand.. JAI HIND!!

P.S. :- It is my personal experience which i m sharing wid u.. Sorry guys if it is too lengthy… but do tell me if u like it.. Wud b waiting for ur comments… DADAGIRI WILL ALWAYS ROCK..

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