I have nothing to
say”,
That’s what Maharaj
said after landing today,
But his fans
numbering a plot full of hay,
Are with him, come
what may.
To them, he is a man
in a million,
In a vast and big
country of a billion,
He stands out
prominently like a polestar
In a quiet, dark
night, and so far.
Like a flashy jewel
he sparkles,
Brightly and
incessantly he twinkles,
Holding a
charismatic, mystifying power,
Like some tall,
magnetic, illuminated tower.
A boyish face full of
determination,
Lovely eyes never
lacking concentration,
He could reach your
very soul,
Entirely, by and
large, or as a whole.
A smile that charms a
numerous million,
Awaits patiently in
anticipation of occasion,
A winner, a leader, a
lover and a father,
No matter what, he is
an achiever.
A focused batsman and
a spirited bowler,
A man with sound
attitude and robust willpower,
He led his team to
many a victory,
There is no skipper
yet like him in his territory.
The Bengal Tiger
nursed and nurtured,
He struggled and
pushed and plundered,
Until a team was born
to accomplish more,
At the cost of his
own personal data score.
Things then altered
to the astonishment of every fan,
As Fate took over in
the form of a tall white man,
It darkened his
cricket career for a while,
And cruelly stripped
the captain of his smile.
That was precisely
when he became a teacher,
A skipper who
practiced but was no preacher,
He taught the youth
of a whole nation,
To place perseverance
above emotion.
Today, on your safe
return from abroad,
An ardent admirer of yours prays to God,
Sourav Ganguly,
let there be more of your tribe,
That brings his
family, friends and fans alive.
- Shampa Roy Sharma
