'Noteworthy' birthday gift awaits Sachin Tendulkar

Ratilal Parmar considers himself a unique Sachin Tendulkar fan. And with good reason; Parmar has currency notes whose numbers associate with the life of the legendary batsman. His latest acquisition is a 10-rupee note that bears the number 240412 which denotes the date of Tendulkar's 39th birthday. | Related | Sachin Tendulkar turns 39

Keeping track

"I wanted to do something different. That is why I started collecting currency notes that match his records and important dates. I have kept track of his entire career this way," 56-year-old Parmar told MiD DAY from Morbi in Gujarat on Monday. | Related | Life in pics

Special meeting

Though Parmar has met Tendulkar only once - during the India vs New Zealand 2010 Test at Motera, near Ahmedabad - he is hoping to meet the legend once again before calling it a day. "I want to present Sachin with the notes associated with his milestones, especially the 100th international ton (he has a note bearing the 160312 which is the date, month and year of his landmark effort)," he vowed. | Related | Wish Him

However, Parmar's passion is proving to be quite expensive for him. "This isn't easy to do. I must have spent nearly Rs 10 lakh to collect these currency notes. I knew some people in banks and they would help me find notes matching a particular event. At times, I would have to plead with them," he revealed. | Related | Poll