Gorle Rekha Rani tells DC how she convinced Tendulkar to adopt a backward village
Gorle Rekha Rani. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: Cricket legend and Member of Rajya Sabha, Sachin Tendulkar has decided to adopt a village Puttamraju Kandreega, a habitation 18 km from Gudur town in Nellore district, that will be developed with his MP funds.
Upgradation of primary schools, enhancement of facilities for Anganwadi workers, beautification of a lake, construction of a community centre, a veterinary hospital and developing a playground are on the cards. Sachin will kick off the execution of projects there on Sunday. The woman who convinced the Master Blaster to patronise the project is IAS officer Gorle Rekha Rani, joint collector of Nellore.
Sachin’s intention to develop a downtrodden village was conceptualised high in the skies. “I was on a personal trip to visit my son who is being trained in Goldman Sachs in New York. And Sachin was on the same flight. I am not a very keen follower of cricket but knew about Sachin Tendulkar and the impact he could create. Everyone in the flight lounge was taking his autographs and photographs as a cricketing hero, but I looked at him as an MP. I introduced myself as someone from Andhra and told him that I knew his friend Chamunde-shwarnath. That was a plus point as I could gauge the difference in his demeanor, he was very receptive. Then I asked him how he was utilising his MP funds and invited him to come to Nellore where he could start a model village."
“We got talking and started writing notes on a tissue paper! There were about 10 to 13 issues he wanted to concentrate on — children, women, drinking water… he was talking almost like an administrator,” Rani told DC.
“We spoke for about an hour, exchanged email IDs and later started co-ordinating. I admired his commitment. After I returned from the US, I told my collector about the same. I then got Sachin to speak to our collector and get the project rolling,” Rani said, adding “Sachin made sure he chose a very interior village. If this village develops, there are 10 villages around it that can use its infrastructure.”
About the demography of the village, Rani said, “The 600-odd population comprises Yadavas, whose occupation is rearing cattle. In that village, there are about 110 houses with people living in one room and 50 to 60 sheep in the other. In light of that, there is a veterinary hospital in the pipeline.
“A health centre for ladies that is coming up will be of great help, else they would have to walk 18 km for medical care. The community centre is like an atrium with an audio-visual centre where training classes for farmers can be conducted. There’s also a marriage hall and a shopping complex lined up,” she added.
And Rani, who had lost her IPS husband Pardesi Naidu in a Maoist mine blast in 1987, is excited about the opportunity.
“If you look at the bad and the good, then I also have my son, who was a year-old when my husband died. He is good at studies too, a gold medalist... I am very positive about what I am doing. God has given me a very good opportunity.”
( Source : dc )
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