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Indian cricket star caught out by
Ferrari
By Raju Bist
MUMBAI -
For millions of Indians, Sachin Tendulkar is like a god.
Whenever he takes the field at a cricket match they are
confident that he will not let them down ... and on most
occasions he does not.
 In the longer form of
the game, 29-year-old Tendulkar has scored 30 Test
centuries and notched up 8,000-plus runs at a career average of
58 since making his international debut at the age of
16, while in one-day cricket the batsman has hammered
32 centuries and scored more than 11,000 runs, making him
one of the most successful cricketers the sport has ever
seen.
Even off the field, Tendulkar is a role model. Even
though he is right up there as one of the richest sportsmen
in the world - mainly through endorsements - he
has never flaunted his wealth, even after he signed a
landmark US$7.5 million deal (for five years) in 1995
with World Tel, which then held the television rights
for World Cup cricket.
Tendulkar always keeps his wife and
two children away from the media glare. Similarly,
when he donates to charity, which he does
frequently, it is done quietly, unobtrusively, without
any public relations machinery working
overtime.
A
source of inspiration for the juniors in the Indian
cricket team, he always encourages them with support and
tips. "Whether it was the match-fixing scandal or the
selection of the Indian captain, Tendulkar was always
miles away from controversy," says cricket writer
Pradeep Sonawane.
Which is why, when he recently
asked for a waiver of customs duty on a Ferrari, the
soft-spoken Tendulkar was taken aback at the storm that
he inadvertently unleashed. The car, a Ferrari Modena
360 F1, was a gift from automobile giant Fiat of Italy
and the Indian government immediately conceded to the
diminutive batsman's request. But sports lovers, sports
personalities and the media lambasted the government's
decision to waive Rs 15 million (US$310,000) worth of import
tax. "It's just not cricket," they protested in a
united voice. From Fiat India's perspective, it wanted
to get across the message that it is of the same group
that makes dream cars such as the Ferrari, especially as
Fiat in India is almost a generic name for the
matchbox-like cars produced under the Premier and
Padmini labels.
It all began on July 8 when
Tendulkar took in some Grand Prix action at the
Silverstone circuit in England, after which the Formula
One giants presented him the car. The Ferrari, they
said, was a bonus for equaling cricket legend Sir Donald
Bradman's feat of 29 Test centuries for Australia.
The cricketer also had dinner with Formula One
superstar Michael Schumacher, spending over an hour with
him. "Everyone knows what a great sportsman he is. But
he's a great person as well - very down-to-earth and
easy to talk to," said Tendulkar later to a group of
sports writers. "It was a very memorable meeting. He did
not know much about cricket but was keen to learn about
the game. I tried to explain some aspects about cricket.
It was good fun."
Tendulkar tried to make it all
sound very casual, but there was more to it than a
chance meeting. For both, Tendulkar and Schumacher,
endorse Fiat's world car, the Palio. There is also talk
of the two appearing together in a Palio advertisement
in the near future. Their photograph, along with the
Ferrari Modena 360 F1, was splashed all over the cricket
world's media the next day. Could Fiat have asked for
better publicity?
Tendulkar had inked the Palio
deal in July 2001, shortly before the Italians unveiled
the car in India. At that time, Fiat felt that Tendulkar
was a perfect brand champion. "His dynamic, creative
stroke-play [in cricket] fits in with the new approach
that Fiat will soon adopt in India. He is number one;
that's exactly what Fiat is aiming to be," M P Bianchi,
Fiat's Mumbai-based managing director, said in a press
release. Tendulkar was seemed equally pleased. "I have
always been a big fan of Italian cars, especially
Ferrari, and am happy to represent Fiat and Italian
motoring," he told the media.
Today, apart from
the Palio, Tendulkar endorses Pepsi Cola, MRF tires, TVS
scooters, Britannia biscuits and a host of other
goodies. Some say that he is being too greedy, but
Tendulkar is merely cashing in on a mad craze for
cricket and cricket luminaries. In India, it is only
film personalities and cricket stars who attract the
crowds, and, by extension, the advertising big bucks.
But it's not as if India has not produced
champions in other sporting arenas. Geet Sethi has been
the world billiards champion five times, and Michael
Ferreira four times. P T Usha broke the Asian women's
200 meters and 400 meters records. Leander Paes and
Mahesh Bhupathi won four Grand Slam tennis doubles
titles. Prakash Padukone won a prestigious international
badminton tournament, the All-England Championships,
while the present title holder is another Indian,
Gopichand Pullela.
Vishwanathan Anand is a
former world chess champion. Last year, Koneru Humpy became
the youngest woman grandmaster at the tender age of 14
and is the current world junior chess champion.
Kunjarani Devi is a world class weightlifter in the 48kg
category, while Jaspal Rana and Anjali Vedpathak are
Commonwealth champions in pistol shooting.
Yet the adulation and sponsorship money that
these sporting greats attract is a mere fraction of
that of Tendulkar and a few other cricketers. Every time the
Mumbai lad signs a new sponsorship contract, he pockets
at least Rs 25 million. Present Indian captain Saurav
Ganguly receives Rs 15 million for each endorsement and
his deputy, Rahul Dravid, makes Rs 7.5 million.
Bianchi could not have asked for a better brand
ambassador for Fiat. At the Auto Expo 2002 motor show
held in New Delhi at the beginning of this year,
Tendulkar could simply not get away from the Ferrari
Formula One car used by Schumacher that was displayed at
the Fiat pavilion. Cricket's "Master Blaster" spent a
long time posing with the Ferrari for the horde of
photographers. Somebody in the audience yelled out to
him: "Feel like driving it?" Pat came the reply: "Would
love to.''
Back home from Silverstone, now
actually the owner of a Ferrari, which was officially
presented to him by Schumacher, Tendulkar contacted the
Indian Minister for Communications and Information
Technology, Pramod Mahajan, who hails from the
cricketer's home state of Maharashtra. Mahajan, to quote
a sports writer, "used his good offices" with the
finance minister and the customs duty on the car was
dropped.
There were immediate protests. "This is
just not done. He is the richest cricketer on earth.
Surely he can afford to shell out Rs 15 million," says
Rajinder Singh Dhillion, who organizes cricket tours of
schoolboys to neighboring countries. "It would be
understandable if the Ferrari had been awarded to
Tendulkar for his prowess on the cricket field, of which
we have no doubt. But this is obviously a gift from a
business partner," says Rohan Subramaniam, a
Mumbai-based sports enthusiast.
Like
Subramaniam, there are many others who recall the
correct manner in which the government had waived the
customs duty for ace batsman Ravi Shastri after he had
been awarded an Audi car at the 1985 World Cup cricket
tournament. They also point out that Sunil Gavaskar, one
of the greatest cricketers ever, was not offered this
munificence. In 1996, the Indian Association in England
presented him with a Mercedes Benz as a gift for his 25
years of service to Indian cricket. Gavaskar had to pay
substantial duty on it. But unlike Tendulkar, he did not
ask for any help from the government.
There are
a select few, like billiards ace Ferreira, who blame not
Tendulkar but minister Mahajan. "It is unfortunate that
the tremendous political leverage generated by cricket
has lured the honorable minister into making statements
that cannot stand dispassionate scrutiny," he wrote last
week in Mid-Day, a popular tabloid.
Talking to
the media, Mahajan initially tried to justify the
largesse by saying that it was the government's way of
honoring Tendulkar for reaching an important milestone
(making his 100th test appearance recently). But then it
was pointed out to the minister that three other Indian
players, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar,
had already crossed that barrier.
Mahajan then
changed tack. "People must understand that we cannot
have a second Sachin. He is unique. I am a little
surprised over the controversy this waiving of the duty
has raised," he said. "I support the finance minister's
decision fully. In fact, I am instrumental in
implementing it," Mahajan added.
A reporter
asked about the rule that says all gifts must be taxed.
Mahajan replied, "Sachin Tendulkar pays income tax,
house tax, every other tax. He is not exempt from any
kind of tax. I think this car should not be considered
as part of his usual earnings. This is something very
special given to him and needs to be treated so.
Otherwise, there is no special concession given to
Sachin."
But the skeptics are not convinced.
Such misuse of discretionary powers by Indian
politicians just cannot be condoned in a poor country
being made poorer by rich citizens shying away from
paying their taxes, they assert. According to one
estimate, only 12 million Indians, or just 1 percent of
the total Indian population, regularly pay their taxes.
Last year, the total direct tax collection (which
includes, apart from income tax, corporation tax, wealth
tax, gift tax and other taxes) came to a measly Rs 561
billion.
Three months after Tendulkar was
presented the keys to the Ferrari Modena 360 F1, the
controversy rages on. Only a few loyal fans remain by
his side. The others agree with the negative publicity
that continues to be heaped on him in the media and
other forums. Hemant Morparia, a Mumbai-based
radiologist who doubles up as a cartoonist, came up with
a much-appreciated drawing showing minister Mahajan with
a wide road as a backdrop. "We are not going to let
Sachin drive his Ferrari on our [bad] roads," the bubble
read. "So we have built this freeway exclusively for his
use."
On a serious note, legal experts opine
that the Ferrari episode is grave enough to drag
Tendulkar to court. That is because any government
notification can be challenged under the law. If that
happens, Tendulkar will have no other option but to
comply with court orders. Says a senior customs
official, "The government should rethink its decision.
They can only give up duty on sports goods, prizes,
medals and trophies won by a sports person. Sachin's
Ferrari does not fall under any of these categories.
This looks like a personal gift."
Aware of these
sentiments and anxious that a public-spirited citizen
may file a Public Interest Litigation against the
government order, a group of Tendulkar fans are now
coming to his rescue.
Members of the Sachin
Tendulkar Fans Association, based in the Mumbai suburb
of Bhayander, are planning to raise Rs 5 each from
Mumbai dwellers. The money thus collected will be used
to help pay the customs duty on the car should the
government be forced to backtrack on its controversial
decision.
In a long career Tendulkar has faced
many tight situations on the field, but none of them
match the present ongoing drama in his off-the-crease
life.
(©2002 Asia Times Online Co Ltd. All
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