Do you know Babu Patti? It is a tiny village in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, that these days is bustling with excitement. The local residents are on a cleaning spree, but it is not just the regular spring cleaning underway.
Removing garbage and some even getting their houses whitewashed — because everyone here are eagerly awaiting superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s visit to Babu Patti — the megastar’s ancestral village.
During a recent episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, Bachchan who hosts the long running show, said that he was planning to visit the village with his family.
The Kaun Banega Crorepati episode that aired on October 20 had a rollover contestant, Ankita Singh, from Bhilai, Chattisgarh on the hot seat. Ankita called her uncle in Uttar Pradesh for help when she used the ‘Video-Call-A-Friend’ lifeline.
The uncle, in his turn, spoke to the Bachchan and urged him to visit his ancestral village.
The superstar said that he had recently discussed the idea with his family in Mumbai — of visiting Babu Patti. He also expressed his desire to build a school for the children of the village.
Bachchan’s father and well-known litterateur Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s parents, Pratap Narain Srivastava and Saraswati Devi Srivastava, lived in their ancestral home in Babu Patti.
The village has a library named after late Harivansh Rai Bachchan that was inaugurated by Samajwadi Party MP and Amitabh’s better half Jaya Bachchan and close aide at one time late Amar Singh in 2006.
The local people have even painted a thanksgiving message on the wall for Amar Singh for bringing Jaya Bachchan to Babu Patti. A larger-than-life painting of Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh is kept in the library which also has the famous ‘Agneepath’ poem painted on the wall.
Next to the library, is a Neem tree that often finds a mention in late Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s literary works. The tree has a small temple, built by one of the members of the extended family.
Bhagwan Das Yadav, a local resident, says that the local people are now hopeful that Amitabh Bachchan would soon visit his ancestral village and build a school for the children.
“Our dreams of meeting the superstar may now be fulfilled. We are eagerly waiting for him to announce his programme,” he said.
