Actress, daughter taken to hospital
NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her 8-year-old daughter were taken to a Mumbai hospital days after testing positive for Covid-19, media reports said yesterday.
Her husband Abhishek Bachchan and her father-in-law, actor Amitabh Bachchan, had been admitted to the Nanavati Hospital last weekend for Covid-19 treatment.
The Bachchan family are the most high-profile personalities to be suffering from the pandemic in India, which has recorded more than one million cases.
Aishwarya, 46, a former Miss World, and her daughter Aaradhya had been staying in isolation in their Mumbai home after testing positive nearly a week ago.
The two were moved to Nanavati Hospital on Friday night after they complained of breathlessness, the Hindustan Times daily reported.
Amitabh and Abhishek were reported to be in stable conditions.
Mumbai, India’s financial hub and home to the Bollywood film industry, has emerged as the epicentre of the outbreak in the country, reporting almost 100000 infections and more than 5500 deaths so far.
EVER since their “guru” was hospitalised with Covid-19, Amitabh Bachchan’s fans in Kolkata began praying for his speedy recovery. While the veteran actor was hospitalised last Saturday, a yagna (ritual of offering) was performed at Kolkata’s Amitabh Bachchan temple, which continued overnight to Monday morning.
“We performed the yagna through Sunday, and it ended early on Monday. After that we have been continuously doing the Om Namah Shivaay ‘jap’ in his name.
“I stay up all night to perform the ‘jap’. When I go to bed in the morning, my wife and son take over because it has to be performed continuously. We will continue with the ‘jap’ till he returns home, even if it takes 10 days or more,” temple founder Sanjay Patodiya said.
The temple has been closed to visitors since the beginning of the nationwide lockdown in March, though regular puja, aarti, offering of bhog to Bachchan and his late parents have continued daily.
Despite waterlogging in the area because of the monsoon season, the temple will reopen on August 2, a day that is celebrated by Bachchan’s fans worldwide as the day of his “rebirth”.
That is the day the actor recovered from the near-fatal accident he had suffered on the set of in 1982.
“A mangal kamna yagna will be performed on the day of guru’s Rebirth Day and the temple gates will open for visitors, even though social distancing will be strictly maintained. We celebrate August 2 every year in a bigger way than we celebrate his birthday because that day is extremely special to us.
“The day will be celebrated this year, too,” said Patodiya, whom Big B had mentioned in his blog post on his birthday earlier this month.
Members of All Bengal Amitabh Bachchan Fans’ Association were extremely worried about his health but were confident that the “legend” will fight back because he is “God’s chosen one”, and their constant prayers, for his recovery cannot fail!
“Galat admi se takkar leli Covid ne. Don ke dushmano ki sabse badi galti yeh hai ki woh Don ke dushman hain (Covid has messed with the wrong person. The biggest mistake of Don’s enemies is the fact they are Don’s enemies)! Get Well Soon. #Longlivebachchan #Prayersforbachchanfamily,” read a post by Sanjay Patodiya on his unverified Facebook account, dedicated to his “guru”.