Diaspora briefs
Big B buys land in Ayodhya
MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan, often referred to as Big B, bought land of around 930m² in Ayodhya before the Pran Pratishtha of the Lord Ram Temple is due to take place on January 22.
He bought the plot in the holy pilgrim town in an upcoming scheme of The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL) Mumbai, which plans to build homes in the ‘Global Spiritual Capital’.
The property is about 15 minutes from the Lord Ram Temple and 30 minutes from the new Shri Ram International Airport.
The 7-star-rated, 20-hectare mix-use posh complex called “The Sarayu”, near the banks of the Sarayu River, is being developed by the HoABL, said a company spokesperson.
“I am looking forward to embarking on this journey for The Sarayu in Ayodhya, a city that holds a special place in my heart. The timeless spirituality and cultural richness of Ayodhya have forged an emotional connection that transcends geographical boundaries,” said Bachchan, 81.
“This is a start of a heartfelt journey into the soul of Ayodhya, where tradition and modernity seamlessly co-exist, creating an emotional tapestry that resonates with me deeply. I am looking forward to building my home in the
global spiritual capital.”
Rat found in vegetarian meal
MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, Rajeev Shukla, a visiting lawyer from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, allegedly received a vegetarian meal parcel from Barbeque Nation, which contained a dead rat and some roaches, as per his social media posts.
Shukla, 35, arrived in Mumbai for tourism and placed his dinner order with the Worli outlet of Barbeque Nation – frequented by the rich and celebs – for its “Classic Veg Meal Box Regular”.
As the pure vegetarian Brahmin started eating the “dal makhani”in the meal packet, he noticed a dead rat and some roaches in it.
He suffered food poisoning and was admitted to the BMC’s BYL Nair Hospital where he spent more than three days.
Shukla emailed Barbeque Nation, drawing their attention to the incident.
He claimed the Nagpada police station was not lodging a case against Barbeque Nation, and he alerted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others, about his plight.
“I am a Brahmin and a pure vegetarian, but when my Barbeque Nation order arrived, it gave me the shock of my life. The food contained a dead rat and cockroaches. I suffered food poisoning and got admitted to Nair hospital,” he said.
So far there has been no reaction from Barbeque Nation.
Banker donates land to build a school
CHENNAI: A 52-year-old woman, who had donated land for the development of the school where she studied, will be honoured during the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Aayi Ammal, alias Pooranam, who is a resident of Madurai district and works as a banker, will be honoured with a medal on Republic Day.
Pooranam donated half a hectare of land to the Panchayat Union Middle School, Kodikkulam, Madurai to uplift the school into a high school.
The land is adjacent to the present school building.
The 52-year-old, who works with the Canara Bank, announced that this was in memory of her late daughter, U Janani, who died a few years ago. She was a social worker and worked for the educational upliftment of underprivileged children.
The news came after she registered the land in the name of the school and handed over the documents to the education department authorities.