Branganza is doing what is father did before. Selling cricket books including biographies of cricketers, books related to the Laws of the game, sports fiction, souvenirs and many more.
Test cricket is all about romance. And, cricket books play a huge role in connecting fans with the game they love.
Even as India are playing England in the fourth Test at the Wankhede, Marine Sports' Theo Braganza is playing the bridge between cricket and the romance by selling cricket books.
One may have seen leading brands and franchises selling their souvenirs in stalls during the glamorous Indian Premier League. But in the ongoing Test, you will find only a makeshift stall selling cricket books.
Branganza is doing what is father did before. Selling cricket books including biographies of cricketers, books related to the Laws of the game, sports fiction, souvenirs and many more.
"I put my book stall here during the Test matches and the Mumbai Cricket Association is kind to give me a space," says Braganza.
"My father used to have a book stall at the Brabourne Stadium in the 1950s. He used to keep it during the Ranji Trophy games too, then. As an eight-year-old, I also would go with my father to the stadium. It was from there that I developed interest. Otherwise, I was never a sports lover," he says.
In Braganza's collection are biographies of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Sunil Gavaskar, Geoffrey Boycott among others. The oldest book he has is of former England dashing batsman Denis Compton's In Sun and Shadow.
"Compton's book was published in the 1950s. I have souvenirs and frames with old photographs of team that will make you nostalgic," says Braganza, who has a book store in Dadar.
However, it is more English people than the Indians who come to buy those books. "My customers are mostly English if India is playing England at the Wankhede. They get fascinated and nostalgic when they see cricket books. They are pure and sincere lovers of the game," he says.
Braganza says reading has been affected by various articles on various websites. "People now get everything online. They can read in short what they want to know on cricket websites. Not many people read these days," he says.
So have the new online shopping boom affected his sale of sports books? "Actually no. I myself supply books to those websites, so not really," Braganza adds.
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