Kanga Library, Asia's biggest in sports, has its books lying on the floor

BCCI annuals, rare tour diaries, and important autobiographies of stalwarts fight for space with brooms and debris at Kanga Library

Valuable books from the Kanga Library strewn near the press conference room at Wankhede on Tuesday. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Dr HD Kanga Memorial Library, which is the biggest sports library in Asia, is waiting to be housed in a new building in the Wankhede Stadium premises. On Tuesday, mid-day spotted several valuable books dumped in one corner near the lift of the media conference room amidst dirt and even a broom.

The Kanga Library books are kept in cupboards near the press conference room but around 100 publications were on the floor on Tuesday. Among the valuable reference material were old Indian Cricket annuals, BCCI annuals and India's Hambledon Men, a book written by cricket historian Vasant Raiji (Mumbai's oldest living first-class player at 98) on the first two tours by Indian teams to England in the 1880s.

Autobiographical works of former India and Mumbai skipper Ajit Wadekar (My Cricketing Years) as well as spin stalwart EAS Prasanna (One More Over) were also part of the heap.

Ironically, the MCA managing committee approved R25 lakh for the restoration of the old books and last year, a member decided to donate Rs 5 lakh for the reconditioning of the books. MCA Jt Secretary Dr Unmesh Khanvilkar said he would look into the matter and the books were back where they belong by yesterday evening. However, how did those books land up where they were on Tuesday (and probably before), is a mystery.

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