Mohanlal gets a letter from God! So, what did He say to him?

When perturbed, Mohanlal often writes letters to God. And The Almighty, in his abundance of grace and benevolence, never fails to reply. It is one such reply that the star took to posting on his blog this week, deliberating discussions on the transient nature of human life, and the missing sense of purpose among people today. As he goes on to say in his blog post, Mohanlal recently read the book ‘When breath becomes air’ by the late Dr. Paul Kalanithi, an American neurosurgeon and writer who has roots in India. The good doctor was diagnosed with stage IV Cancer in 2013, and died in 2015 at the age of 37. His book delves into the thoughts and feelings that occupied his mind during his final years. Having to live life with an ‘expiry date’ that is almost at hand is an experience that cannot be described. It does, however, bring to the forefront the inadequacies of day to day life that most people set out for themselves. It puts into perspective the need for clarity, and the fact that time that has slipped by has gone away forever. How one uses time matters, more than anything else. The actor seems to have been in a pensive mood when he took to the blog, given the tone of the post.

In his letter to the star, God complains about how people today seem to be too engrossed with all the wrong things. Time is a gift that has been distributed equally to all humans – regardless of caste, creed or race. However, how that time is used is what makes all the difference, is what God says. Everybody gets 24 hours in a day – from the average citizen on the road to an A. R. Rehman or a Sachin Tendulkar. It is only through focused and productive use of time that greatness can be achieved, He goes on to reiterate. Wiling away time on social media, using platforms such as Facebook to spread destructive criticism, and engaging in hate mongering and abuse do not seem to cut favor with The Almighty. He is also confused as to why people today seem to be spending most of their time trying to defend religion and getting into conflicts in the name of religious practices. Wasting precious time in such pursuits cannot be justified, He says – if one believes that God created man, then one must also understand that such a God will not need any such looking after. He has not entrusted humans with His affairs, and neither will any religious proclamations or edicts affect Him in any manner. God is above all human pettiness and narrow mindedness – His thoughts or actions cannot be equated to those of humans. Ultimately, He says, man alone is responsible for squandering away time, and has no right to complain about how short life is when faced with the prospect of death.

Animosity towards each other – whatever be the cause of it, cannot serve any purpose. Why does it take a reminder of death for us to go back to the realization that we have limited time to spend? Life is precious. Time is precious, it cannot be reclaimed. The realization and acceptance of this fact will be the first step towards leading a complete and fulfilling life. God asks the actor to tell everyone to focus on their lives, live in the moment. The letter apparently ends with a few smudged out words, a sure sign that God was reduced to tears as he penned his thoughts. Is it sorrow that he harbors, at the current state of affairs? Or is it rage that has boiled over, leaving no more room for mercy? The human race may find out, soon enough.

Mohanlal the actor has actively used his popular blog to express his opinions on several current issues, reaching out to his audience with thoughts. His blog posts often trigger lively discussions and debates, spreading awareness and fostering public opinion. His blog posts are not typed out, but are put up in the form of hand written sheets of paper. While he usually writes in his voice addressing his readers directly, the ‘letter from God’ approach in his latest post certainly has an aspect of novelty to it. The full post of the letter from God (in Malayalam) can be seen here.

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