Dear Editor,
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has reached the 10,000 Test runs milestone, a signal achievement for any cricketer, for West Indies, for Guyana, for himself. Great work!
That milestone apart, Shiv has shown to the world, and moreso to the young, what dedication and a sense of purpose can attain. At the beginning of his cricketing career, Shiv was certainly not the most exciting batsman; he is still not. But his statistics tell a story much greater than excitement. In fact, Shiv’s achievement presents a lesson to the world.
Shiv never allowed the frequent lack of flair in his batting to be a deficiency. Instead, he used that lack of flair to tire and frustrate bowlers while he milked the bowling. His strength resides in his focus, concentration, sense of purpose and application.
His journey to where he is has not been a walk in the park. As is the nature of sports, even his most avid supporters got angry with him when he scored slowly. But, also, even his detractors hailed him when he scored centuries. He withstood the politics of the dressing room and the social events; he stood resolute when others would have quit. He survived upheavals in his personal life. He was never fazed when he was not selected. He took the punches and rolled with them. He stumbled, but he got up. And he did it with humility. He applied no short cuts. In effect, Shiv had his goal and no one was going to deter him.
Shiv has proven to the world that humble beginnings are no long-lasting hobbling factors. Shiv was born poor, was/is no academic, but today enjoys world recognition. And he did not steal to do it. He worked hard, and sacrificed. He had the support of his (deceased) uncle and his immediate relatives and friends. And he worked harder.
I applaud Shiv and, in doing so, I commend his journey as a model to our young people who quit at the least difficulty, and to parents who pamper their kids to the extent that they do them a disservice. Work as Shiv did and the glory will eventually be yours.
I salute Shiv, and I encourage him to continue to do what he does best: score runs.
He walks amongst us as a hero and we are proud of him.
Yours faithfully,
Taajnauth Jadunauth
