Mumbai to get a museum on Master Blaster

By Krishna Kumar | Mail Today – Mon 30 Jul, 2012 12:59 PM IST



A museum dedicated to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar will soon be constructed in his home city, Mumbai.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has zeroed in on the Andheri Sports Complex in Andheri and another sports complex in Borivali for the project that was announced two years ago, civic body officials said, adding the work on it is likely to start soon.

The museum will have cricket memorabilia associated with Tendulkar such as the bats and pads used by him and his rare photographs since childhood. It will also feature his interviews, what people close to him say, and anecdotes about him, they said.

Significantly, it will also have an audio visual presentation of the cricketer’s achievements and records. As Tendulkar has himself said that the 2011 World Cup win is the most precious moment of his life, the BMC has decided to have a section dedicated to this win.

According to BMC officials, the museums will also display the cricketing history of Mumbai that will include the story of its ‘maidans’ (cricket grounds) and other cricketing heroes who have emerged from the city.

While it was the state government that announced the project in 2010 to showcase the achievements of the batting legend, the civic body’s move to find an appropriate place to house the museum signals that the Shiv Sena- controlled civic body has made peace with him.

The cricketer had drawn the ire of Shiv Sena for his ‘Mumbai-is-for-all’ remarks in 2009. While MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who is known to be close to Tendulkar, did not react, it was the Sena that targeted him. In attacks that were clearly personal, it questioned his contribution to Mumbai cricket and also asked him to just concentrate on cricket.

The Sena was also miffed that Tendulkar had not been responding to its letters informing of its desire to felicitate him. Earlier this year when he scored his 100th international century, the BMC once again wrote to him but when he didn’t reply, former Shiv Sena mayors said the civic body should not approach him again on the issue.

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