Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar’s day out in his adopted village of Puttamraju Kandriga here on Sunday morning brought sunshine to the lives of 110-odd below poverty line (BPL) families.
Amid cheers, Sachin inaugurated the development works, estimated at Rs. 5.79 crore, of which he contributed Rs. 2.79 crore from his MPLADS funds. Works were launched at this remote village on laying a cement road, a well-furnished community centre, underground drainage, playground, solar lighting, 24-hour electricity and drinking water supply.
The legendary cricketer spent nearly two hours in the village, during which he visited houses, interacted with women members of self-help groups (SHGs) and administered a pledge to residents for individual cleanliness and children’s education.
People from neighbouring villages poured in to have a glimpse of the batting maestro, resulting in a flash crowd that forced district officials to cut short his visit by one-and-a-half hours. Schoolchildren, who expected to play cricket with the legend for a few minutes, missed the opportunity at the last minute.
In his speech, Sachin began with a ‘namaskaram’ and called it a very special day. “You should keep your home and surroundings clean. Do not smoke and drink. We are building a community centre here. Go there with your families in the evenings and spend good time with family members,” he told the villagers.
Asked as to why he selected a Nellore village, Sachin said he did so because he had played cricket representing the entire country, and that he had the option to choose any village. He added that he was thinking of adopting a village when, as a coincidence, District Collector N. Srikanth and Joint Collector G. Rekha Rani, suggested it to him.
During his interaction with SHG women, Sachin lauded their good work, saying that women were the backbone of the country. He dedicated his ‘Bharata Ratna’ to every woman and called upon SHG members to continue their development activities with confidence.
To his surprise, Sachin found that there was no TV in the hut of Thikkavaram Penchalaiah and his wife Subbamma. They told him that they were too poor to afford a TV, but they managed to buy a fan to protect their child from mosquitoes. They asked for a house, and Sachin promised to get help from the Collector.
Minister for Urban Development P. Narayana, who welcomed the cricket icon, said it was a great opportunity to develop Puttamraju Kandriga into a model village.
