I read in the newspaper a few days ago that Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography is about to be released. Only ten copies will be sold to start with, at a price of $75,000 each (that’s a little shy of forty lakh rupees).
Wait, there’s more: the USP of the book will be, not ho-hum stuff like ‘hitherto unpublished photographs’ of S and his family, but an actual drop of his blood, mixed into the paper of the signature page in the form of a resin.
The publishers, M/s Kraken Media based in London, have explained this ‘innovative’ effort as the best way they could think of to give the ‘personal touch’ to those of S’s followers who regard him as ‘god’ (and, it goes without saying, are both rich and damn-fool enough to part with that kind money for a book of this sort. Bill Gates paid a vastly bigger fortune for a book, yes, but that was the original handwritten diary of Leonardo da Vinci, for heaven’s sake!)
Think.
Even if, as claimed, the entire proceeds of the sale really go to charity, what kind of a world do we live in that this is how funds have got to be raised from stinking-rich oafs for good causes?
As for me, I was thinking of countless men and women who have lived wonderful lives and have written wonderful autobiographies, and would have died before they stooped to such utterly pathetic gimmicks in the hope of being seen a little more in the newspapers or making a little more money. Even after getting the kind of money and publicity that Sachin has got already...
10 comments:
Dear Sir,
So aptly pointed out. But when I see that the price of a kilogram of rice costs 3 times more than a cell-phone SIM Card, this "innovative" effort doesn't shock me much. I have got too used to this bizarre world. And to make things right we really need to keep our priorities right. From me there comes out no emotion except pity. Rest assure I won't be spending such "little" amount on Sachin's autobiography and nor on a $400 Levis Jeans!
Regards
This piece of news disgusted me and creeped me out. It's not just shocking - it actually goes beyond all that shock bit and the bizarre bit. There's just something creepy and perverted about it. And then to make it sound like something 'innovative' and also somewhat normal. It's not just the price. It's that blood bit that is creepy. It's just not right. And what was Sachin thinking? I had gotten to think that he was a sensible human being. No, this news did give me the creeps.
And yes, there is that matter of taste. So many people with so much of money and so few know how to use it well. That is a pity.
Take care, Suvro da.
Shilpi
Sir,
This one reminded me of people who are willing to shell out big bucks to transform the ashes of their loved ones into diamonds. Pets included.
Like Shilpi-di said, in one word: creepy.
Regards,
~Mayuri
Dear Suvroda
This is undoubtedly the one of the creepiest I have ever come across.
I remember meeting a grown-up man once who proudly claimed that his uncle was bold enough to tear a hair out of dead Tagore's beard when he got an opportunity to get close to Tagore's dead body in Jorashanko. Apparently, the hair is safely kept as a memento. Somehow, I still feel disgusted at that.
Sachin's blood drop in a book reminded me of that story.
Regards
Tanmoy
I, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, request you to verify your sources. You are free to criticise me - after all it's a free country - but I would really appreciate if you wrote such posts after carefully seeking out the truth. Thanks a lot.
S. Tendulkar
Well, you have hit the nail right on the head like so many other times. Add to that the rumour that this edition would actually be signed with Sachin's blood! (Thankfully denied by him).
In the T20 World Cup, that India lost pathetically, some cricketers got 3 Crores of rupees each. And families of army jawans who get killed have to manage with 1 lakh compensation.
The airforce has recently made Sachin their "mascot". The newspapers reported him saying he is proud to belong to their "family". Cricketers so glibly talk about "sacrifices" they are making for their country... Can we dare to expect something else? I have long stopped watching cricket having discovered that there are so many other sports much more exciting to watch.
Dear Sachin Tendulkar,
In case you are the ST (I'd say the chances are one in a hundred million), my source is given in the link in the very first line. Sue the newspaper if you like. And in case you have already denied the story (as Rajdeep says in his comment), do send me the relevant news item and I shall put that up too.
In the much more likely case that you are not who you claim to be, let me remind you that while criticising somebody (in decent language) is not a crime in a free country, as you are yourself aware, impersonating people is. Who were you commenting as on my blogs the last time - J.K. Rowling? And who will you pretend to be next time round: Obama?
Well, okay, I have just read in today's newspaper that the real Sachin has issued a denial of the earlier news story: see http://bit.ly/cEJNVf
However, he has given no explanation for how he thinks such a story (originally carried by The Guardian of the UK) could have got into the papers without his knowledge. Also, this latter report does not say that he found anything about the story highly objectionable, not to say disgusting. Wonder why?
Dear Sir,
I might be wrong but while I like to read biographies I have always found autobiographies, especially ones written by people like Richard Branson and so on, a bit conceited. And this piece of news is the creepiest I have come across in recent times. I shall be thankful if I don't get nightmares of blood smeared books tonight! If this report isn't true then I am really happy for ST because I certainly didn't expect any gimmick like this from him!
Regards,
Vaishnavi
I know exactly what you mean concerning the autobiographies of men like Branson, Vaishnavi, and can you blame them for preening? Deep inside they know they are nothing more than glorified banias, and their money and fifteen minutes of fame exist only to mock their inconsequentiality. For most billionaires, just take away their billions and neither intellectuals nor autowallahs will bother to take notice of them. I had in mind autobiographies of the truly great: I can cite, at random, books by Jim Corbett, or Helen Keller, Charlie Chaplin, or Bertrand Russell, or Einstein or Tagore. Don't you think it is sacrilegious even to mention men like Branson in the same breath?
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