'He was a guardian angel': Maharashtra village renames locality after Irrfan Khan

Villagers in Maharastra's Igatpuri went through a personal loss when the world lost Bollywood's most revered actor Irrfan Khan and have now decided to pay a tribute to the late actor and have renamed the area where his farmhouse stands to Hero-chi-Wadi (neighbourhood of a hero, in Marathi).

According to a report in India Today, the villagers loved and were grateful for all that Irrfan had done for them. The actor gifted the villagers an ambulance, computers, books, raincoats, sweaters for their kids, and would also send sweets on festivals.

Gorakh Bodke, a member of the Zilla Parishad said, "He was a guardian angel to so many families. He never said no whenever anyone asked for help." Irrfan bought his house in Igatpuri a decade ago when he met the locals and decided to help them.

Irrfan was hospitalised with a colon infection and breathed his last in Mumbai's Kokilaben hospital on April 29. He was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour two years ago. The best way to celebrate Irrfan’s life, his wife Sutapa Sikdar, said would be to implement those teachings and evolve and that’s what she and their two sons -- Babil and Ayaan -- plan to do.

Acknowledging the overflow of grief from the actor’s fans everywhere, Sutapa said she cannot "begin to feel alone" when millions were grieving with her. She said, "I want to assure everyone that this is not a loss, it is a gain. It’s a gain of the things he taught us, and now we shall finally begin to truly implement it and evolve."