In a cricket-obsessed nation like India, fewer people have received the fandom that Sachin Tendulkar has. He was regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world and is the youngest recipient of India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. In addition, he’s a mentor for the Mumbai Indians cricket team, who play in the T20 Indian Premier League.

Ahead of Tendulkar’s 50th birthday, he engaged with content creators at our Mumbai office and shared his experiences to inspire them in their career journeys. Similar to young cricketers waiting to be scouted by state, national and IPL teams, content creators are eagerly waiting for a piece of their content to go viral and be discovered by people and brands. 

As a company, we’re invested in the success of creators, and providing them opportunities to learn and grow. The session with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was one of them, especially as he turns 50 and looks back at the lessons he learnt along the way that helped him succeed in work and life. We hope this inspires creators in their careers, and the way they tell their story on Instagram and Facebook.

Paras Sharma, Director of Content and Community Partnerships, Facebook India (Meta)

A representative from SRT Sports Management (SRTSM), Sachin Tendulkar’s organization, said, “Meta wished to celebrate Sachin Tendulkar’s life with content creators from different walks of life. He remains an endearing personality resonating with people across age groups, languages, and backgrounds. This initiative was therefore an opportunity for Sachin Tendulkar and his fans to connect, through various content creators, ahead of his birthday.”

With this context, here are four tips shared by Tendulkar to help creators sustain and thrive in their journeys on Instagram and Facebook.

1. ‘My biggest clock was my heart’ – “My biggest clock was my heart. Every morning you should leave home with some expectations and return with some experience which can help you become the best version of yourself. If you keep looking to compare what others have done, you will lose your own path. Try to do what you want to do in life and excel there.”
2. ‘A good team will win you tournaments’ – “Individuals can win you matches, and a good team will win you tournaments. So, it is always good to have a good team around.  I have always believed that the person standing with me is someone I can trust. Because things don’t always go smoothly, and not everyone has good times. So, we have to support and protect each other and work as a team.”
3. ‘Don’t try to listen to thousands of people’ – “There are highs and lows in life, don’t try to listen to thousands of people. A bowler also bowls one ball at a time, so if 10 people tell me 10 things, how will I do anything in life?  Trust your people whom you are close to, and anyone else you respect.”
4. ‘The kid in you needs to stay alive’ – “The kid in you needs to stay alive. The passion needs to be there. If you enjoy your game, results will follow. There will be good and tough moments for you, but as long as the child is alive in you you’ll wake up the next morning and do what you like doing the most in life.”

The session at our office in Mumbai was attended by artists and creators like MC Stan, RJ Karishma, RJ Praveen and Karan Singh Magic. Tendulkar also collaborated with content creators like Barkha Singh, Viraj Ghelani, Yashraj Mukhate and the Orange Juice gang. Follow all of the content from the collabs by following #SachinxMeta and #50forSachin on Instagram.

This session was the latest in a series of efforts through the past few months to provide creators with exclusive  opportunities to hear from and collaborate with public figures like Deepika Padukone, sports icons like Sania Mirza and global artists like Quickstyle.