Tendulkar unveils dreams of AP village

Exactly a year after cricket icon Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar bid the sport adieu at the Wankhede stadium, he took fresh guard at a hamlet in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, this time batting for the poor and the underprivileged.

Puttamraju Kandriga villagers showered the Rajya Sabha member with flower petals and screamed “Sachin...Sachin” just like his fans for bringing the sleepy little village into national prominence by adopting it and pumping in Rs 2.79 crore from the Members of Parliament Local Development Scheme. Dressed in blue, Tendulkar floored the villagers with his charm and smile as he patiently fulfilled all their small wishes, including offering puja to a village cow.

Sachin who stayed overnight at Krishnapatnam Port, reached Kandriga around 9 am and stayed there for almost four hours. He unveiled the pylon marking the adoption of the village under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna, and then released fish seed into the village pond launching the “Meenotsavam”.

He then announced that he would bear the cost of education of the children of a poor villager Kakolu Sivaiah and started works on the village compost plant to reduce ground pollution. During the first phase a community centre, Anganwadi school with kitchen, a playground, waiting halls and toilets will be built.

He then participated and addressed a women self-help groups meeting arranged by the district administration.

“I played my first innings of bringing in funds for the development of your village. Now, it’s your turn. You have to keep the good work going and show me how you have been maintaining them by the time I visit your village next time,” Sachin told them.

He then asked the women to teach their children how to stay away from contagious diseases by simply washing their hands.

“Women are the back bone of the country and they can protect their families from ill health. We are building toilets for the villagers but you have to promise me that you use them,” Sachin told the women groups.

He then made the villagers take the oath of “Swach Bharat” before bidding adieu.
Sachin was accompanied by state Municipal Minister Narayana, Nellore Collector N Srikanth, Joint Collector G Rekha Rani and former AP Cricket Association president Chamundeswara Nath.