Bachchan: Healing touch

Mumbai, May 7: Western Maharashtra, reeling under severe drought, has got a healing touch. Amitabh Bachchan has decided to bring relief to two drought-affected villages there by “adopting” them.

The superstar will provide mid-day meals to about 500 villagers of Kumthe and Upalavi for a month. These villages belong to the Tazgaon taluka of Sangli district. Along with Solapur and Kohlapur, Sangli is one of the severely drought-affected districts of western Maharashtra.

Bachchan’s programme, which will be co-ordinated by the NGO Yuva Biradari, will start on May 11 and continue for a month. It is not clear to what extent the actor will be involved personally — it has not yet been decided whether he will visit the villages. “We will only know the extent of Mr Bachchan’s involvement in a month’s time,” said Rekha Shah, a trustee.

The scheme is another instance of charity beginning at home, as the actor’s wife Jaya heads Yuva Biradari. Cricketer Ajit Wadekar and editor Kumar Ketkar are also on the board.

Though Bachchan’s charity may not burn a hole in his pocket — the scheme may not cost him more than Rs 2 lakh — his gesture will be invaluable, feels the NGO.

“We haven’t heard of any deaths, but these villages are starving. Mr Bachchan’s association with this cause will help us to bring it into focus, and hopefully encourage other people and generate more funds,” said Shah.

“The situation in Sangli is very severe. We chose these villages because they are close to the Sangli district town and more convenient in terms of communication and transport,” she added.

Kumthe, like many other villages in the district, was famous for its grapes till now. But because of the drought that has affected the region for more than two years, grapes and other agricultural produce like sugarcane have suffered acutely. More than 30 sugar mills have closed down, leaving 5,000 workers jobless.

Bachchan’s name may go some way in bringing the succour it badly needs.

This is the first time that a celebrity has adopted a village-in-need; though Aamir Khan provided relief to Kanuria, a village in Bhuj that was devastated by the earthquake in 2001.