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As Diego Armando Maradona settles down in heaven after a tall life of six decades. Let us quickly run through his mammoth achievements. His journey for once reminds you of the famous quote by Vladimir Lenin, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.”
During one of those decades, that is the 1980s, his lofty skills, on the football field, transformed him, into the grace of divinity. The outpouring of grief after his demise was not limited to his native Argentina only, as he was a global icon. The zenith of his career was the 1986 World Cup, when his playing adroitness, inspired the team to play beyond its capability and conquer the fort. It remains one of the most consequential displays ever, in the history of soccer, by an individual, across the entire spectrum of team games. So, Maradona by far is the most impactful footballer ever.
His iconic status was not just on account of his heroics on the field alone. Maradona, had partnered Pele as joint winners of FIFA’s award for the player of the 20th century. It was the vicissitudes of Maradona’s life, both on and off the field that made him so relatable. For Argentina was in the grip of a military junta then, and in a seemingly, irreversible, economic decline. It had also received a drubbing in the Falklands War, and in these troubled times Maradona’s magic in the 1980s provided succour and hope to the country. He was drawn to Latin America’s, deadly and polarising, political leaders, and the feeling was only mutual. He cultivated relations with some of Latin America’s most prominent and controversial left-wing leaders, including Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, and Bolivia’s Evo Morales. Fidel Castro was like a ‘second father’ to him and he had tattooed his face on his leg.
Maradona’s uniqueness was unique in the manner, in which, people from all walks of life could use him to express themselves. England in the 1986 World Cup was at the receiving end of Maradona’s most discussed goals, the famous ‘Hand of God’ which was followed by a magical waltz past half the English team. “The hand of God” was a phrase used by the Argentine footballer Diego Maradona himself to describe a goal that he scored during the Argentina v England quarter finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Nineteen years later, Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, used Maradona’s goals in that match to explain how modern central banks functioned. He had a name for it: The Maradona theory of interest rates. Can Ronaldo and Messi match that?
Maradona was a temperamental genius and perhaps the most charismatic footballer ever. Pele had the Brazilian team of the century in the 1960s. Vava, Didi, and Garrincha were all legends in their own right. But look at Maradona. Take him out and none of the others in the team were real legends of the game. He carried the team on his shoulders. To win a FIFA World Cup on his own makes him what he is.
Maradona had to win the 1986 World Cup. In the 1982 World Cup, Argentina was nowhere. Beating England, Belgium and Germany was no mean feat but a super Herculean task.
Be in peace. Settle in heaven. Those who saw Maradona dribbling the ball in flesh and blood are indeed lucky. There won’t ever be another Maradona.
By Kamlesh Tripathi
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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com
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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:
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GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE
(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US that includes Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada, Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai and Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India)
ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY
(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; Available for reading in Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)
AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES
(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be the undying characteristics of Lucknow. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K.)
REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD
(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)
TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN
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RHYTHM … in poems
(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)
MIRAGE
(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories. It is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)
Short stories and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20 2020; Indica, 15.8.20; The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; Happy Days, November 15, 2020,
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