Kalappa Raju, a farmer from Mothalli village in Mandya district is a die-hard fan of late actor Puneeth Rajkumar. His dream of meeting his favorite star was shattered because of Puneeth’s untimely death. Hence, he decided to cherish the memories of the star in his own simple yet unique way.
Kalappa Raju grows paddy in his field. This year, along with the regular sowing, he sowed some of the grains in a particular pattern. He wrote, “Mathe Hutti Baa Puneeth Rajkumar Appu’ (which means ‘Be born again Puneeth Rajkumar Appu).”
Now the grains have sprouted and the words look green and clear. People have been flocking to his field to click selfies.
“Appu was not just an actor, he was a wonderful human being. He has inspired many just like me. One day I wanted to meet him but that never happened. So this is my small tribute to him. Wherever he is, I feel he would be delighted to see this,” said the farmer, who has made a heart shape border for the words written in Kannada.
“Whenever any movie of Puneeth released, we would all go and watch it in the first week itself. We liked the man beyond his movies. His simplicity and encouraging words that can be seen in several interviews and programmes are worth remembering. We all felt very sad about Appu’s demise. Raju has done this small tribute. It’s nice to see people are liking it as well,” said Mahesh, another villager.
Puneeth Rajkumar, known for his work in films like ‘Power’ and ‘Yuvarathnaa’, passed away after a cardiac arrest in October 2021, leaving legions of fans grieving his sudden demise.
