'Pointing to Where my Journey Began': Sachin Tendulkar Says Statue at Shivaji Park 'Fitting Tribute' to Ramakant Achrekar

Sachin Tendulkar feels that the decision to install statue of Ramakant Achrekar is a fitting contribution towards the celebrated coach’s contribution towards shaping “countless lives”. The late Achrekar is credited with shaping the cricket journey of Tendulkar that saw the latter become one of the greatest batters ever in the history of the game.

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Recently, the Maharashtra government announced that a statue of the celebrated coach will be installed at the iconic Shivaji Park.

“Pointing to where my journey began—Kamath Memorial Cricket Club at Shivaji Park. Soon, Achrekar Sir’s presence will be eternalised here with his statue—a fitting tribute to the man who shaped countless lives,” Tendulkar wrote in a post on Instagram.

Earlier this week, Maharashtra’s urban development department had approved  a proposal for a six-feet statue of Achrekar to be installed near gate no. 5 of the Shivaji Park.

The government said in its resolution that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will be responsible for the construction of the statue.

“Before erecting the said memorial sculpture, all necessary permissions/ approvals as per the rules/ regulations should be obtained from the Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,” it said.

“After the construction of the said memorial sculpture, the responsibility of its necessary maintenance and repair and provision of necessary funds will remain the responsibility of BV Ramath Memorial Secret Club.

“Independent funds will not be available from the government for construction as well as maintenance and repair of the said memorial,” the resolution added.

Achrekar coached a host of international cricketers including Tendulkar, Ramnath Parkar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Lalchand Rajput, Chandrakant Pandit, Pravin Amre, Sameer Dighe, Vinod Kambli, Sanjay Bangar, Paras Mhambrey, Ramesh Powar and Ajit Agarkar.

For his contribution to Indian cricket, he was conferred with the Dronacharya Award in 1990. He passed away at the age of 87 in 2019.