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Sachin Tendulkar's biggest fan


If the word 'passion' had a face to it, it would be Sudhir Kumar Gautam's. He is 30, lives in Muzzafarpur in Bihar and without doubt, is the biggest fan of Indian cricket and Sachin Tendulkar.
Sudhir Kumar Gautam is a minor celebrity at the World Cup matches. Photo: Rahul Fernandes
Sudhir Kumar Gautam is a minor celebrity at the World Cup matches. Photo: Rahul Fernandes
It's not difficult to spot him at a cricket ground. His dressing style and paraphernalia is almost trademark-worthy. Before every international match he spends three hours painting his face and torso in saffron, white and green. The shades may vary sometimes, but you'll always find two words and an iconic number marked boldly – Tendulkar, India and 10.

Sudhir has a favourite barber near every stadium in the country. The day before a match he gets a haircut in the shape of the India map and carries the tricolour and a conch. The cameras almost always pan towards him when they have to capture a magic moment and he has become a bit of a mascot for Indian cricket.

For a country that is perhaps the most obsessed with the sport, India hasn't had an instantly recognisable fan. Pakistan has 'Chacha Cricket' (Chaudhry Abdul Jalil), dressed in his green shalwar kameez and flowing beard. Sri Lanka has Percy Abeysekara who brandishes the flag wherever his team is playing. Sudhir is well aware of them . "Mujhe Chacha jaise banna hai. Mera lakshya hai ki main Bharat ka sabse bada prashansak banoo," he says, even as he waves the tricolour while watching two members of the Indian team inspecting the pitch. "I want to be called 'Indian Cricket Brother'," he says, explaining that he's too young to be called 'chacha'.

Today Sudhir travels across the country for most of the matches India plays. He once worked as a teacher but with the Indian team now playing cricket almost all year round, he couldn't cope with the demands of a full-time job. He says cheering the Indian team is his lifelong vocation. "Jab tak shareer main jaan hai, main Team India ka saath nibhaoonga," he says, without any drama. 

So how does he meet his travel expenses? Simple: he travels by train and goes ticketless! And how does he get entry into the ground? Again, simple: He gets tickets from his idol, Sachin Tendulkar. "Mera aur unka rishta bhakt aur bhagwaan ka hai," he says. For someone who lives on a shoestring budget, Sudhir surprisingly carries two mobile phones. What's not surprising, though, is that both have cricket songs as caller ringback tones.

Sudhir's fixation with cricket began in 2003, when he was in the final year of his BA. He says he watched an India-Australia game in Mumbai and also met Sachin for the first time. That was enough motivation to discard academics. Over the years they've met several times and he has also visited his idol's home in Bandra. Sudhir can rattle off dates of past matches with ridiculous ease. Try verifying them and you can't find any discrepancies.

With the body paint, Sudhir often looks more like a statue than a spectator. But there have been occasions that have moved him – moved enough that he has broken through security cordons and run on to the ground to greet the players, only to be detained by the police. Each time the Indian team has bailed him out.

Needless to say, Sudhir is very busy during the World Cup. He cycled all the way from his hometown to Dhaka for the opening match against Bangladesh. It took him nine days to traverse the distance, and he spent his nights at different police stations along the route. 

While his cricket mania may have earned him fame, Sudhir's family isn't pleased. His parents and two brothers are not fond of cricket. "Woh mujhe gaali dete hain. Lekin main ek kaan se sun kar doosre se nikaal deta hoon." Ask him about his marriage plans and he's clear: "Main shaadi nahi karoonga. Meri zingadi cricket ko samarpit hai. Agar shaadi ki, toh main apni patni ke saat match dekhne nahi ja paoonga."

He has a rival too!

It's not just the BCCI top brass that has rivals and factions. Sudhir often competes for attention withDharamveer Pal Singh , the other darling of the Indian team. Dharam, who also travels around the country, suffers from polio. He too gets his match tickets from members of the Indian team. Some of his expenses are borne by the players. Ask Sudhir about the enmity and he gives you a dignified, almost corporate-like, answer: "Haan, humaare beech khataas chal rahi hai. Main aur kuch nahi bol sakta hoon."

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