Hope people don’t throw money, but put it to good use: Lakshmi

It has been a busy lockdown for Lakshmi Manchu. With the help of her NGO, she has been distributing essential commodities to the needy during the health crisis. Urging everyone to do their bit, she says, “The plight of our poor immigrants and the workers who work at our homes is very sad. They’re deprived of their monthly income. Feeding them is more important than anything right now.”

She asserts that the lockdown has helped people realise that life’s all about doing greater good for the society. “The one change I would hope to see in the postcorona world is less of unnecessary gathering of crowd such as during weddings which is all about people showing off their luxury and money. Money can be used for better things. Going ahead, I hope people don’t throw their money around but put it to good use,” she shares.

A voice for the #Metoo movement, Manchu has always been vocal about gender-based issues and women empowerment. She believes that the rise in the number of domestic violence cases isn’t exclusive to the lockdown.

“Domestic violence has always been there and it’s coming to light right now. We need to create dialogue and empower women. We need to give them as much information as we can so that they can live their best lives,” she says.

The Desperate Housewives actor came up a video series a while ago where she interacted with big names from the fields of politics, films and sports. “In the beginning of the lockdown, I didn’t know where I was headed and all my plans stood cancelled. That brought me a lot of anxiety. Doing this show gave me a lot of insight,” she signs off.