A veteran gets to shoot Tendulkar's big moment

As dozens of reporters watched Sachin Tendulkar wend his way towards the 100th, from the terrace of the media centre, a chair was brought out and placed near the safety railing so that it provided an almost perfect straight-on view of the action. Soon after, a doctor and two assistants helped an elderly bald man with a lush white beard sit in the chair. He was clearly ill and his health was regularly monitored by the doctor. He even threw up, but stayed in the chair watching the game. A camera was placed in his hand, and the man peered through it at the action.

He was Al Haj Mahammad Zahirul Haq, a veteran photojournalist for the Bangla daily Aaj Kaal, and had been the official photographer of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh. Around 80 years old, Zahirul Haq is diabetic and hypertensive, and was feeling unwell on the day; but being a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar, he wanted to be at the stadium to capture the moment when the landmark was achieved. Despite struggling to keep the camera in place, he managed to fulfil his dream of photographing the landmark. Immediately after, he was rushed off to the hospital for more thorough checks on his health. Talk about dedication.