Amitabh Bachchan Apologizes Over Delay In Ancestral Village Library

MUMBAI – Megastar Amitabh Bachchan recently got nostalgic about his family’s roots in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district after the name of his ancestral village, Babu Patti, came up during an episode of the quiz reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.

The actor recalled his family’s connection to the village and apologized to its residents over the delay in making a library for children fully operational, assuring them that the facility would soon be opened.

The moment came when contestant Chandra Prakash Tiwari revealed his connection to the Pratapgarh region.

On hearing Babu Patti mentioned, Amitabh recalled that the village was the birthplace of his ancestors and that his father, celebrated Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, hailed from there.

He then spoke about a library for children in the village, an initiative that has been close to the family’s heart.

According to Amitabh, the idea came from his wife, actor and politician Jaya Bachchan, after she visited Babu Patti and noticed that children in the village did not have a proper space where they could study.

The couple then planned to develop a library there. Amitabh said the building has already been constructed, but the facility has not yet been fully equipped and made operational because of certain hurdles.

Addressing the villagers through the KBC platform, Amitabh apologized for the delay and assured them that the library would be opened.

Babu Patti, is located in Raniganj tehsil of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh and is where Harivansh Rai Bachchan was born.

Jaya Bachchan visited Babu Patti in 2006 and inaugurated the Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Memorial Library, established in memory of Amitabh’s father. Reports over the years have raised concerns about the library’s condition and functioning. (IANS)