Pune: Straight out of a road movie, he travels ignoring the evil society and indigence. Cricket ensures his daily bread and helps him pay college fees. No, he isn’t one of those rising cricketers. Raju Das – from New Barrackpore, West Bengal – is a salesman. With flags, jerseys and headbands, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is his medium.
Raju’s disposition is a slap on the faces of those who said cricket is no more a gentleman’s sport. If not on the pitch, the sport is giving the 21-year-old’s family a reason to smile.
The boy, who reached here on Thursday night for the clash between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, started his venture from the opener at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
“I sold goods worth Rs 8000 in Kolkata. I spent around Rs 30,000 on the accessories for five matches,” said Raju, who is a first year Business Organisation student of Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, Kolkata.
From Pune, Raju headed to Mumbai for Sunday’s match at the Wankhede Stadium.
“We try to cover as much as stadiums and cities we can. We are currently 50 people situated around the country for IPL,” he added.
The team belongs to a particular union. He called it the “flag association” which takes care of their food and travel.
“From Mumbai, I will head to Ahmedabad and then, come back to Pune and Mumbai, followed by Visakhapatnam,” Raju elaborated his itinerary.
“Our stock will be over by then and so, I will go back to Kolkata and plan how to go about the rest of the tournament,” he added.
Where people work for others, Raju is a self-made boy.
“There are many who are paid to make the flags, bands for others but I do not depend on anyone. If it is my own work, I do not have to share the money I earn,” said Raju, whose father is a ‘pani puri’ seller and mother – a housewife.
Unlike other garment makers, he doesn’t have a workstation.
“My house is where I work. I buy the jerseys from Burrabazar (in Kolkata) in bulk and personally stitch the flags and bands,” he pointed.
One jersey from Raju costs Rs 80. The handmade flags come for Rs 50.
