MUMBAI, July 15: In a private party at Mumbai's Taj Hotel on Tuesday, Mark Tregoning, director of `Walk to Glory' project, is persuading India's business community to buy certified and authenticated copies of Sir Donald Bradman's original painting by international artist Colin Joseph Bradley.

Tregoning plans to raise Rs 2.03 crore from 39 pieces, each priced at Rs 5.2 lakh. His overall ambition: to collect Rs 5.15 crore from 99 limited edition copies.

The proceeds of the project are to be equally shared between Wheelchair Sports, an organisation for disabled athletes, and Bradman Museum Trust. The initial persuasion, he claims, has been encouraging. Jagmohan Dalmia, president, International Cricket Council (ICC), has shown keen interest. "There is a firm indication from my week-long business meetings that a good number of the quota for India will be sold off quickly," TREG/Dalmia says.

Raising money from Bradman's memorabilia all over the world has been as easy as the flow of runs from the cricket monarch's bat. Recently, the Don's bat was sold in England for 20,000 pounds.

Investments in cricketing memorabilia are witnessing a boom. Two months back, Philips spent 77,000 pounds at Sotheby's exhibition to buy cricketing pictures in England. A silver cigar box presented in 1928 to batsman Wally Hammond by the West Indies team with their signatures engraved is estimated to be worth 1,200 pounds.

Bradman, of course, is the collector's favourite catch. Playing most of his cricket during the inter-War years, the Don was a source of delight for countless cricket lovers who were reeling under a global recession.Tregoning reveals a confirmed sales of 20 copies in Australia and England. A member of the Australian cricket team is learnt to be one of the buyers.

He believes the portrait copies can be used as a gilt-edged instrument. Bradman's `Walk to Glory' captures in oils an image of the Don striding to the wicket of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the third Test of the 1936-37 Australia vs England series. The Don scored 270 memorable runs, the highest by an Australian captain in Tests against England in Australia.

"Being an international-quality limited edition fine art print, it has the potential of being traded in the secondary market. Investors in Australia and England will lap it up," he says.Will that happen in India? Tregoning will face two specific problems. First, cricket memorabilia collectors are yet to emerge as a breed in India. Second, Bradman is not an Indian.

Tregoning says Bradman's popularity crosses over national boundaries. "He is a player of a different era. And there is no debate about him being the greatest batsman ever. India, indeed, is a very strong market for us." That cricket has become a big money sport in India is beyond doubt. Star Sports has raised its ad rate card for live cricket telecast programmes this year to $4,000 per 30-second spot from $1,500 in 1996, sources in the company said.

Admits Chetan Shah, managing director Pepe Clothing (India) Ltd : "It is important for a company to associate with cricket." Which is why Pepe, for the first time, used in-stadia board ads in the Independence Cup.A Marg survey in April '97 says cricket viewership is on the rise. More than a quarter of television viewers watched the Safari one-day series against South Africa."Cricket viewers tend to strongly support sponsors. And Pepsi is the most remembered sponsor," the report adds.

Suresh Balakrishnan, vice president, Initiative Media, believes Bradman's pieces will get sold in India. "There are too many well-to-do bugs who are cricket-crazy. As the game has become more than a sport in India, many people will like to record something related to it." Tregoning is approaching all major companies like Pepsi and Reliance Industries who are strongly associated with cricket. Clubs who are flushed with funds are also his target. If he has success, the run for selling cricketing memorabilia will start in India.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.