Sachin Tendulkar's record one-day double hundred has clean bowled Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who had taken on the batting maestro over his "Mumbai for all" remark not long ago.

Thackeray said Tendulkar, 37, is already a 'Bharat Ratna' amid the growing clamour for awarding the country's highest civilian honour to the iconic batsman after he added another feather to his cap becoming the first cricketer to score a double ton in a one-day match.

"Hundred crore people of this country have already crowned Sachin as Bharat Ratna," Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana showering bouquets on the Mumbai batsman who received brickbats from Sena leaders for his "Mumbai for all" remark last November.

"Sachin does not need anyone's recommendation to be awarded Bharat Ratna. He is already one," he said.

Political parties vied with each other to demand that Tendulkar be conferred with Bharat Ratna after his achievement in a match against South Africa in Gwalior last month.

Several top cricketers including former Captain Saurav Ganguly also jumped into the bandwagon. Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan said last month that his government will recommend to the Centre that Tendulkar be given the country's highest civilian honour.

"Shivaji Maharaj used to vanquish Moghuls on battlefield. Similarly, Sachin is a warrior on cricket battlefield. Such warriors are born only in Maharashtra," Thackeray said in an atempt to glorify Tendulkar's Marathi roots.

"Shivaji wielded the sword. Similarly, Sachin wields the bat," the editorial said.

save our tigers.....................please.

Our national animal is fighting for its life.

From around 40,000 at the turn of the last century, there are just 1411 tigers left in India.

If we don’t act now, we could lose this part of our heritage forever.

Speak up, blog, share the concern, stay informed… Every little bit helps.

In the 1970's we came dangerously close to losing forever one of the world most magnificent creatures. Poaching, deforestation, and human expansion brought all species of tiger to the brink of extinction. Indeed, over the past century, 3 of the 8 sub-species that existed became extinct; the Caspian, Javan and Balinese tigers. Today, we are by no means out of the woods. All remaining sub-species of tiger are endangered, making the tiger species as a whole nearly extinct.

Saving the tiger means saving mankind..

Not only is tiger a beautiful animal but it is also the indicator of the forest's health. Saving the tiger means we save the forest since tiger cannot live in places where trees have vanished and in turn secure food and water for all.

If we make sure tigers live, we have to make sure that deer, antelope and all other animals that the tiger eats (its prey base) live. To make sure that these herbivores live, we must make sure that all the trees, grass and other plants that these prey animals need for food are protected. In this way, the whole forest gets saved! Saving the tiger means saving its entire forest kingdom with all the other animals in it.

Also forests catch and help store rainwater and protect soils. In this way we protect our rivers and recharge groundwater sources. Areas with less trees lead to floods, killing people and destroying homes. It takes away the precious soil, leaving behind a wasteland. The soil jams up our lakes and dams, reducing their ability to store water. By destroying the tiger's home, we not only harm tigers, but also ourselves.

The tiger thus becomes the symbol for the protection of all species on our earth since it is at the top of the foodchain. This is why we sometimes call the tiger, an apex predator, an indicator of our ecosystem's health