Anjali Tendulkar: The Woman Behind The Little Master

Thursday, August 18, 2011, 11:20

Anjali Tendulkar is not a very oft quoted celebrity wife. The little that we hear from her is always in the form of human interest stories and the rare interviews. But she is the powerful woman behind the successful man whom we know as the 'God' of cricket. Anjali Tendulkar may not make head lines like her husband every now and then but that does not eliminate the fact that she has a major share in his success. As Sachin Tendulkar's wife she has been his 'biggest support' throughout his busy career. Let us explore the woman behind the successful man and see how she has played her part in his success.

Love At First Sight...At The Airport!
It is a famous story told and retold many times that Anjali Tendulkar did not recognize her future husband when they locked eyes at the Mumbai airport way back in 1990. Sachin was returning home basked in the glory of his maiden century in England and Anjali, still a medical student was there to receive her mother. Her knowledge of cricket then was zilch and that is what bowled over our hero.
The rest is history.

Becoming Mrs. Anjali Sachin Tendulkar...
This adorable couple dated for 5 years before getting married in 1995. Early in their courtship Anjali learned to deal the pressures of being the woman behind a successful man. The simple pleasure of life like a quiet trip to the pani puri stall or a movie was difficult then of course impossible now. During this period she read up a lot on cricket to keep up with maestro in making and that helped later. Sachin Tendulkar's marriage to Anjali took place in spite of an unfavorable age and height difference where in Anjali was 5 years elder to Sachin and 3 inches taller!

The Most Difficult Decision...
The toughest decision was taken probably when she decided to give up her medical career after going through the hard work of medical school, to be the support system that her husband by virtue of his celebrity status required. She chose to be a full time homemaker and also an excellent mother for their two kids Sarah and Arjun.

Living With The Legend...
It must be an experience of an life time living with the legend of a man like Sachin but not without ups and downs like all marriages. She has been there for him when he was going through a bad patch, was surrounded by controversies or the team was not doing well. The last apparently affects Sachin the most being the dedicated team player he is. Today when India has won the World Cup with Sachin as a part of the team, there can be no greater honor; it is probably time to give this strong woman her due.

Anjali Tendulkar is a living example of how there is a woman's mute sacrifice behind every man's success.