Constructing National Identity in Sachin Tendulkar‟s Playing It My Way

Abstract

Cricket is one of the most popular games in India that brings people together in multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi cultural India. Cricket, which emerged due to British colonialism, has become an important element in the lives of people living in India. An over increasing popularity of cricket has connected India to the rest of the world. This has become a way of life of people ranging from the developing countries like Bangladesh to the developed countries like Australia. This has become a popular cultural not only in England, where the game originated, but also in the South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The popularity of sports has led to the emergence of famous players like Sachin Tendulkar who is known for his extra-ordinary performance in cricket. Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography Playing It My Way unfolds the role of cricket for building national consciousness and unity in India. This research paper explores how cricket has become instrumental to national integration in the multi-cultural India. The development in mass media and glamour in modern time valorized cricket so much that it is a common belief system for all Indians. It is a significant tool to explore Indian national and international identity across the globe. This research takes the ideas of Ray B. Browne’s concept of popular culture, Marshall W. Fishwick’s ‘heroes’ and ‘icons’ as two pillars of popular culture among seven pillars and Richard Dyer’s idea of how star is constructed and functions in the society are used as a theoretical tool to analyze Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography. Thus this autobiography highlights celebration of cricket as a popular culture in India which enhances the nations’ identity.