Sachin Tendulkar honours father Ramesh Tendulkar (Image: @sachin_rt/x)

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar marked Teachers’ Day with a heartfelt tribute to his father and first mentor, Ramesh Tendulkar, while announcing the Professor Ramesh Tendulkar Memorial Fellowship to support young doctors specialising in cleft and craniofacial care.Tendulkar took to X to reflect on the influence his father had on his life and career, stressing that his journey did not begin on a cricket field or with a coach, but at home.“When I think about the people who shaped my journey, I do not begin with a cricket ground or a coach. I begin at home,” Tendulkar wrote.Ramesh Tendulkar, a writer, poet and professor, played a crucial role in nurturing his son's passion for cricket while ensuring that the young Sachin understood the importance of character and integrity. Tendulkar recalled some of the lessons his father imparted to him during his childhood, particularly the importance of accepting failure while never compromising on honesty.“Failure is okay, but cheating is not. Never take shortcuts,” Tendulkar recalled his father telling him.

'My father saw something more'

Tendulkar said his father never attempted to dictate what he should become. Instead, he gave him the freedom and support to discover his own path.“I was simply a boy who loved playing cricket. My father saw something more. He did not try to decide what I should become. Instead, he gave me the space and support to discover it for myself,” he wrote.According to Tendulkar, that is the essence of a great teacher or mentor, recognising potential in someone before they are able to recognise it themselves. He also highlighted the importance of providing young people with access to mentors, coaches, education and healthcare, saying talent alone is not always enough to help someone fulfil their potential.

Fellowship announced in father's memory

As part of the Teachers’ Day tribute, Tendulkar announced the Professor Ramesh Tendulkar Memorial Fellowship in partnership with the Inga Health Foundation, a long-standing healthcare partner of the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation. Under the fellowship, one MD (Doctor of Medicine) each year will receive financial support for a year-long opportunity to specialise in cleft and craniofacial care in Srinagar.After completing the programme, the fellow will receive a certificate from the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation in recognition of their work and excellence.Tendulkar said the initiative reflects the Foundation's broader commitment to supporting healthcare professionals working in critical care while encouraging young doctors to pursue specialised fields of study.

'More than a fellowship'

For Tendulkar, the initiative is not merely about supporting medical education but about carrying forward his father's philosophy.“For me, this is more than a fellowship. It is a way of carrying forward something my father deeply believed in - that education creates opportunity, and that opportunity becomes truly meaningful when it is used to serve others,” he wrote.Tendulkar also spoke about the work he and his wife, Anjali, have undertaken through their foundation to expand access to sports, healthcare and education for children across India.He concluded his Teachers’ Day message by reflecting on how a teacher's influence can extend well beyond a single student.“The lessons of a teacher may begin with one student, but their influence can travel much further, from one life to another and from one generation to the next,” Tendulkar wrote.“Happy Teachers’ Day!”