Few and far in between are men in a nation’s history, who change its course with the impact they have on the consciousness of its people, and who leave behind an unparalleled legacy. One such man is Sachin Tendulkar. Heroes rarely exist in real life, but here’s a man who came so close to being one in the true sense that most of his fans almost deify him as a god, and believe me, in a country of multiple faiths and multiple gods, where people take their religion quite seriously, that really is a big deal! Both adulation and criticism rarely got to this man, and all the overwhelming number of records that he not just broke, but completely obliterated leave you with so much to talk and yet all you can think of is his humility, courage, determination and patriotism. Volumes upon volumes have been written about his cricketing abilities, and the batting wizard that he is, so in that sense this post doesn't dwell upon those topics. What this post does explore instead is the legend of Sachin Tendulkar through the eyes of a true fan, which gives us a perspective into what he was doing to the heart and minds of a billion plus people, and which is really the essence of what he represented.