Constructing National Identity in Sachin Tendulkar‟s Playing It My Way
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Department of English
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.