Obsession or hobby? Whatever it may be, Boria Majumdar, a noted historian and cricket-crazy analyst/author/fan/collector of memorabilia, deserves credit for chronicling events. His love for the game’s history is obviously a passion developed from the time when he followed cricket with interest. And then it became a reverence in the shape of research and documentation of the game’s progress. For Majumdar, cricket became more than a way of life and he has now encapsulated his dedication in the form of a book – History Of Indian Sport Through 100 Artefacts – published by Harper Sport, on the artefacts of Indian sports.
It is a worthy tribute to the history of sports. The collection is rich and rare – Sachin Tendulkar’s gloves with which he crafted his 100thinternational century or the gloves that Abhinav Bindra used when shooting his way to the Olympic gold at Beijing in 2008?
“The idea has been with me for a long time,” says Majumdar. “I was waiting for the museum to get started before I published the book. The idea is for people to read the book and then, if interested, to come and see the actual artefacts in the museum. Each of the artefacts used in the book are in the museum and that’s a very special thing as far as I am concerned. As a historian of Indian sport, it was always an ambition to use artefacts to document the Indian sporting story and I am glad I have been able to do it finally. The toughest part was to select the artefacts to include and the ones to leave out. Each artefact is precious and I tried to put myself in the readers’ position to do the selection,” Majumdar adds.
Bengal Sporting Magazine 1837
Do Indians respect history? “No,” Majumdar is candid.
“It is disappointing. The BCCI doesn’t have an archive. The IOA (Indian Olympic Association) is worse. The Sports Ministry or the SAI (Sports Authority of India) have done little to encourage sports fans to revere history. Stadium tours in India are a rarity. Heritage walks don’t exist. State bodies don’t have museums to preserve the incredible sporting heritage and it is sad that sport is still not a part of the mainstream academic curriculum.”
Copy of CK Nayudu’s bank account book
Cricket fan’s delight
Majumdar's museum in Kolkata is a cricket fan’s delight and a service to the game. He scores where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) fails despite having a Museum Committee which turned out to be a miserable project. The BCCI ought to have come up with a museum to preserve India's cricket history. Majumdar agrees, “Yes, for sure and for long the BCCI missed the opportunity. They had a museum committee which at one point had as many as 29 people in it. Now we all know why that was the case. It was an attempt to please the vote-bank, get the numbers in place for the next election. Nothing serious was achieved and not many in this committee had an idea what a museum should be like. It is sad to note that we don’t have a cricket museum under the aegis of the BCCI despite being the financial nerve centre of world cricket.”
Official programme of the Calcutta Football League, 1938
Having enjoyed the journey, Majumdar has done a wonderful job of presenting the artefacts for the sake of those who can’t visit his museum. “The best part of the journey was to select each artefact and document the stories behind each of them. Each in itself is a story. Sachin’s 100th century gloves or Abhinav’s Beijing Gold medal winning gloves – now will these achievements ever again be replicated in history? The answer is no. How these were acquired, what they mean to the Indian sporting story, what the future generation can take from these and can these inspire the aspiring athlete is the moot question.”
Official programme of Quadrangular Tournament 1934
His favourite artefact? “CK Nayudu’s bank account book from 1925 with a bank balance of 300 rupees. Can anyone tell us Virat’s bank balance! Let me say how I acquired another which is very close to my heart – the first ever sporting magazine published in India in 1837. I had gone to pick up rare books from a Kolkata dealer and when I went to his godown he asked me if I was interested in sports journals. On saying yes, he asked me to visit his bathroom! Stacked on top of the cistern was the whole series of The Bengal Sporting Magazine published in 1837.”
23dmc bookcover
Sports enthusiasts owe it to Majumdar for bringing them artefacts that document some of the little known aspects of the game and its heroes.
