Indian most revered Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar released his autobiography earlier this month and needless to say the Master Blaster’s book broke records with the highest number of pre-orders in the fiction and non-fiction category in India. Co-authored by Boria Majumdar, Playing It My Way overtook Steve Jobs’ biography (by Walter Isaacson) as the best-selling book.
It is less than two weeks since Sachin launched the book and the internet pirates once again have kept up with the latest arrivals. Links to download ‘Playing It My Way’ are being shared across instant messaging platforms like Whatsapp, BBM, etc and across e-mails in PDF format. Apart from the question of piracy, is it really fair on our part to download the book and relish it for free?
Book reviewers and fans are believed to be let down after reading ‘Playing it my Way’ as Sachin has not opted to talk about a number of controversies that plagued the sport during his playing days. The book also states that ‘The author’s proceeds from this book will be used to support two charitable causes: the alleviation of malnutrition in children and the provision of clean water to the underprivileged.’
By downloading the pirated version, are we not robbing the authors, publisher and concerned charities off their hard invested money by downloading and sharing it with our friends? Being an avid reader of books, it is appalling and disappointing that the message reads, “For die-hard Sachin Tendulkar fans; please download before it gets deleted.” The following screenshot is the message doing the rounds across the internet.
Are the so called fans of Cricket and Sachin Tendulkar really so delusional that they want everything they can get their hands on without paying a penny? You be the better judge and choose whether to purchase the book or download it for free and promote piracy.
According to MD of Hachette India, Thomas Abraham, 1.50 lakh copies were pre-ordered while the original print orders were for just 1.10 lakh. The 41-year-old batting legend’s book has costs INR 899 but online retailers like Flipkart and Amazon have priced it at INR 599 and INR 584 respectively. One of India’s popular bookstore chain Crossword, are selling the book at INR 799.
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