Villain on reel, Hero in real

The nationwide lockdown due to novel coronavirus has forced shut doors of temples and pertinent crowd gatherings. Temple priests who were totally dependant on the offerings made by the devotees, small incomes by temple activities and without monthly salaries are now unsure how to feed their family with the sudden lockdown.

With preists facing dark days at the moment, many have depended on video call pujas and virtual ritual system. We see Purohits have been accepting online requests for various events. But there are few who do not know how to use internet and such priests are in dilemma and had to force beg on streets.

Hearing a similar story, Telugu actor Tarzan Lakshmi Narayana, popularly known for his villain roles, stepped forward to donate some money. The actor is said to have heard a sad story about a poor preist, who had to start begging on Hyderabad streets in lockdown. Lakshmi Narayana traced the priest’s address and went on to give him 3 months of ration and Rs 25,000 for expenses. He not only proved his generous heart but also proved that he is a villain on reel but a hero in reality.

We have thousands of people dying out of starvation and no income in lockdown and we truly need more people like Tarzan Lakshminarayana in helping them. The cases of deaths due to starvation, exhaustion, suicide and other non-virus related deaths have drastically increased. Not only priests many daily wage workers are left in shock and dilemma not knowing what to do in order to keep their families alive.