Every once in a while, Lalettan gives us a reason to look up to him. He has done that once again, with a stirring podcast, with his dense voice and perfect diction.
In an open letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Malayalam actor Mohanlal puts together his thoughts and concerns about Kerala. No, it was not a compelling voice demanding that the government set things right, but a calm rendering.
At the very beginning of the seven-minute long podcast released on Tuesday, Mohanlal makes his intentions clear, just like he does on his blog posts that are published on 21st of every month. This open letter to the CM pertains to general issues of the public, and is not a lamenting of his personal problems.
He does start off in a humble tone, by saying that the letter is a request from a citizen of Kerala and not a friendly letter to the CM from an actor. Through the course of the seven minutes of the podcast, Mohanlal clearly lists down the menace that plagues Kerala that needs to be immediately addressed for the state to have a bright future.
What demands praise is not the choice of issues that the actor chose to highlight, but the manner in which he is able to hold the attention of his listeners.
Mohanlal identifies garbage to be one of the main issues plaguing the state.
"If someone asks me what terrorises Kerala, I would say it is garbage. Many people including actors like me have tried to raise awareness, but it's been of no use. There are two issues here, one is to make sure there are systems in place that allows citizens to get rid of that garbage. The second issue is about attitude, and if people continue to dump garbage indiscriminately despite making other provisions, the government should take action against them,” he says.
Moving on to the issue of road accidents, the actor says that more people die in road accidents than in a war, inviting the CM’s attention to the gravity of the issue.
“The increased number of road accidents is not flattering for any state. Why is it that we are not able to prevent this, in spite of rules in place?” he asks.
“When Rishiraj IPS was the Transport Commissioner, he had made speed governors mandatory for all vehicles, that in turn reduced the number of accidents. This proves that it is possible to bring down the number if one wishes to implement rules,” he says.
He further goes on to say that the government should take it on itself to ensure the safety of women, children and the elderly.
Mohanlal does not forget to mention about what makes Kerala the God’s own Country-its greenery.
“You and your government should become the protectors of the greenery around us. We have already lost too much and cannot afford to lose more."
Saying that these suggestions are possible to be implemented without any political differences, he commends the government on its activities so far. He then resorts to the age-old line that if the beginning is good, so will be the end.