Amitabh Bachchan at the Salt Lake hospital. Picture by Amit Datta

Calcutta, Jan. 16: The guest book for room No. 827 at the hospital had a new entry this evening: “We wish speedy recovery of the great son of Bengal — Jyoti Babu. May he recover fast. All our thoughts are with him and family.”

The signature read: Amitabh Bachchan.

The superstar was in town for a school programme and the promotion of his new film Rann, but when he learnt about Jyoti Basu’s critical condition he took time off from his schedule to visit the Salt Lake hospital.

At noon, he had told The Telegraph: “I’m trying to meet him. I don’t know how to do it. I just want to pay him a visit and offer my best wishes.”

By evening, Bachchan had found the way. A host of CPM leaders — including Mohammad Salim, Rabin Deb and Amitava Nandi — were there to take the actor inside around 7.30pm.

The latest medical bulletin was read out to Bachchan and doctors briefed him about Basu’s condition. Bachchan was allowed a visit to the sixth-floor ICU, but he did “not wish to disturb him”. He stayed on the eighth floor.

Bachchan stayed for almost half an hour at the hospital before returning to his hotel.

He recalled later how he had met the then Bengal chief minister three decades ago during an exhibition cricket match at Eden Gardens. “An amazing achievement,” he wrote in his blog tonight about Basu’s 23 years at the helm. “A communist and leader of the CPM… has been a towering personality in Indian politics. Today he lies critically ill battling several ailments…. At 96, he has lived a strong and firm life. Firm in his commitment to his ideals and beliefs.”