Mahesh Babu birthday special: Celebrating the 'father' of two villages
What's the story
Mahesh Babu needs no introduction. One of the biggest Telugu heroes, Babu has a net worth of Rs. 134cr. He resides in Jubilee Hills, a prime location in Hyderabad. His house alone is worth Rs. 28cr! But he's way beyond his fat bank balance and stardom. On his 46th birthday, let's talk about when he adopted two villages for giving it back to society.
#1
The first village he adopted was in his ancestral place
The first village that he took under his wings was in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. Under the Smart Village - Smart Ward program launched by the state government, Babu adopted Burripalem, his ancestral (father's side) village near Tenali. A year later in 2016, he launched multiple development projects like an Anganwadi building, additional classrooms, water pipelines, development of roads, etc. spending Rs. 2.14 crore.
Inspiration
His 2015 release 'Srimanthudu' had inspired the noble idea
As per reports, his movie, Srimanthudu, had served as the inspiration behind this move. The 2015 venture was a huge success, so much so that it inspired many, besides Babu, to adopt and develop several villages. "My grandmother and father (yesteryear superstar Krishna) did their bit for the development of the village. Now, I want to take it forward," the star had told then.
#2
Paying heed to KT Rama Rao's nudge, Babu adopted another
Further, the then Information Technology and Panchayati Raj Minister of Telangana, KT Rama Rao, had also congratulated the actor on the film's success and suggested him to adopt another village, Babu mentioned it in his 2015 tweets. And the Telugu star agreed. He eventually took over the responsibility of Siddapur, a village in the backward Mahabubnagar district of Telangana, under the Grama Jyothi program.
Information
Health camps were held in his second adopted village
Soon after, his wife, Pukar actress Namrata Shirodkar, visited the Panchayati Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and District Collector TK Sreedevi to stress on their interest "to work for developing Siddapur. We have already visited it twice, when health camps were conducted."
Social work
Recently, Babu organized COVID-19 vaccination drive in his ancestral village
Apart from developmental work, Babu also launched a seven-day-long COVID-19 vaccine drive in his native village on the occasion of his father's birthday in May. Shirodkar, married to him for 16 years, confirmed on Instagram that the village was successfully vaccinated with the first dose. Thanking her husband "for always being as solid as a rock," she celebrated the feat. Happy Birthday, Mahesh Babu!