Today: Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, a one-of-a-kind cricket fan, who worships Sachin Tendulkar and follows the Indian team wherever it goes. All set for the India-Sri Lanka series this month, he is ready with three liters of saffron, white, green and blue!
IMAGE: Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary at the 2015 cricket World Cup match between India and Ireland. Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
"I have already bought three liters of saffron, white, green and blue colour paint boxes. These are in preparation for the upcoming cricket matches I plan to watch.
As cricketers buy new bats, gloves or batting pads, these paint boxes are the gear I will utilise at the stadium. When the chips are down on the field, or it's celebration time, I am ready with our tri-colour painted on my body.
A Test match is like a test for me too. Because of the early start (9 am) I have to start painting my body the previous night.
I need to apply two coats of paint, so it needs enough time to dry. In the morning, the last thing I paint is my face. I write India and Tendulkar.
It generally takes me four hours to paint my body and face for One-Day Internationals. The T20s are easier. I start painting in the morning and by evening I am all set for the game.
I generally apply the paint myself, but need help to paint my back. Friends are always willing to help. The NRIs and Punjabis in Australia and New Zealand were more than willing to help me during the 2015 World Cup.
Today I am a recognised face and an icon of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, though I rose to fame as a fan of Sachin (Tendulkar). He is my God.
It all started in 2002 after I cycled 1,200 kilometres all the way to Bangladesh to meet my idol. I was always a cricket fanatic. Like many Indians, I would switch off my television set when Sachin would get out.
My friends would tease me about this. They once challenged me to meet Sachin. They chided me but I took it one step ahead and made it happen.
Soon my photograph was in all the newspapers and though Sachin didn't play that match due to injury I went ahead to watch it. How could I not? After all, my photographs were in all the papers!
IMAGE: Sudhir Kumar Choudhary, left, with Indian and Irish fans at the Seddon Park stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand. Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
I went to Mumbai to meet Sachin during the India-Australia-New Zealand tri-series in 2003. I was at the Wankhede standing with my cycle, but no one paid attention to me. Later, a journalist was kind enough to tell me that Sachin would be at the Trident hotel.
I went there with my cycle. The guards would not allow me to go close to him. I pushed them and managed to get the attention of my God. I immediately touched his feet and then his wife's.
Then Sachin invited me to his home. I could not wait for the next morning. It looked like an eternity. I reached his home and parked my cycle next to the gate. His guards didn't let me go inside. I waited there from morning until evening.
The neighbours saw me and offered me water and food. The guards also started getting worried as I didn't budge. They finally called up Sachin and told him about me and my cycle. He remembered and asked me to come inside.
I had dreamt of only meeting Sachin once in my life, but here I was sitting in my idol's house and he was offering me food. I could hardy eat as I was so nervous and excited at the same time.
He gave me tickets for the next game.
He asked me, "Sudhir, do you want to watch more matches?" I told him I had to appear for my graduation examination. So he said, "Exams are more important, go ahead and appear for your exams."
But then I thought, when would I get an opportunity like this again. It was like God knocking on my door and offering me tickets for the rest of the series. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I grabbed it with both my hands. I will always rate that moment as my biggest achievement.
That day Sudhir, the Sachin fan was born!
I would have thanked my stars if I would have got his autograph and a photograph clicked with him, but my fortune changed and today I am known as his most famous fan.
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