Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar today dedicated the Bharat Ratna award conferred to him by the government to all the mothers in the country for the sacrifices they have made in raising their children.
Addressing a press conference a day after he bid an emotional adieu to international cricket after playing his 200th Test here yesterday, the iconic batsman said he was humbled to have been chosen for the highest civilian award in the country.
"Yesterday I said that, this award (Bharat Ratna) is for my mother, because of all the sacrifices she made for me. As a child, you don't understand life.. when you grow up, you realise all these things," he said.
"It is not just for my mother, but there are millions and millions of mothers in India who sacrifice many things for their children. I would like to share my award with them," said the 40-year-old batting maestro who retired after breaking almost all the cricket records.
"I'm humbled and honoured to be given the Bharat Ratna. The award belongs to the entire nation, I'd say."
Tendulkar also congratulated eminent scientist Prof CNR Rao who was also conferred the Bharat Ratna along with him yesterday.
"At this stage, I would like to congratulate Prof CNR Rao for getting the Bharat Ratna. It is an honour to get the award with him, his contribution to the field of science is immense. It's only that cricket is played in front of thousands of people while scientists like him worked quietly."
Tendulkar, who scored a combined 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries in a career-span of 24-long years, and Rao were yesterday conferred with the Bharat Ratna for their contributions in their respective fields.
