Kanpura:
Kanpura, a tiny village in Rajasthan is all excited about Barack Obama. Even though the American President won't be visiting there, he will catch a glimpse of rural India and how the IT revolution is changing it through video conferencing, sitting at Mumbai's St Xavier's college.
People in Kanpura village will get to talk to Barack Obama from a modest Panchayat office. Special screens have been put up for the video-conference with the American President. Besides being thrilled, villagers are proud that Kanpura will now be a VIP village.
"As Barack Obama will talk to people in our village, we feel our village will become well known all over the world. It's a big honour for us," said Jagdish Bairwa, Sarpanch, Kanpura.
Officials are tightlipped about the exact agenda for this tele-conference, but sources say Obama is keen to know how Information Technology is changing lives in Indian villages. While nobody is clear on how many will get a chance to talk to Obama, villagers have high hopes from this unique interaction.
"He is heading a Super Power of the world. We are sure this chat with him will bring lots of good things for us," said Rampal, a resident of Kanpura.
"If I talk to him live, I'll tell him how we are trying to improve our village. I'll tell him that he should help our area so that like other villages in the country, our village develops rapidly," said a youngster from the village.
Villagers regret that Obama will not visit Kanpura, but they say the interest of the American President in their village is the finest Diwali gift they have ever received.