Meena Iyer (DNA; February 7, 2018)

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, who is getting ready to impart lessons on menstrual hygiene this Friday with his sensitive film Pad Man, in which he teams up with Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, is also gearing up to help with the Swachh Bharat initiative. He has agreed to partner with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to promote cleanliness in Mumbai as part of the Swachh Survekshan 2018. Quiz him about it and he replies, “I’m just a cleanliness freak (laughs).” On a serious note, he adds, “I’ve agreed to be a part of the local government’s keep-your-environment-clean initiative because I fully believe in it.”

The National Award-winning actor states that it’s everyone’s duty to maintain hygiene in their surroundings. He says, “Earlier today, my wife (Twinkle) and I were talking about how people expect miracles from the Government and local body administration in regard to keeping our cities and country clean. According to Twinkle and I, even people need to be selfless in their efforts,” says Akshay.

He continues, “While driving to work, I’ve seen so many of them littering or taking their garbage out of their homes and throwing it on street corners. If there is a dustbin even a few furlongs away, they will not carry the litter up to the bin and drop it inside. They want the municipality workers to do it. Often, it’s not the garbage but the attitude that stinks. The administration is doing their best but we also must do our bit. Everyone should be made aware that littering is a crime. Unfortunately, they want their surroundings to shine but don’t care if the other side stinks. If the attitude of people doesn’t change, nothing will.”