According to Article 19(1)(a), all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression. This implies that any and all citizens have the right to express their views and opinions freely. So what if Actress Lenaa wants to speak on her journey to spirituality and rebirth. To listen and imbibe what she said is one’s own free will. It would have been different if these statements had come from an ordinary not so popular person. Just because Lenaa is a popular actress, she shouldn’t be judged on her statements which are but reflections of theories that have been believed and followed through centuries.
Lenaa was caught under fire for her comments in a recent interview with ‘The New Indian Express’ (TNIE) where she presented her thoughts on spirituality and reincarnation. Lenaa is a post-graduate in Clinical Psychology and has worked as a clinical psychologist in Mumbai. She had quit her practice to be a full time actor. But being a clinical psychologist, though not practicing, she spoke on spirituality and rebirth which provoked the ‘Association of Clinical Psychologists in Kerala’. They announced that Lenaa is not a practicing clinical psychologist.
Lena responded to this by saying that the Association of Clinical Psychologists in Kerala has probably misunderstood her. She said that she never claimed to be a practicing clinical psychologist. She said that she is a full time actress instead.
Lenaa looked surprised to have received so many responses on her interview with ‘TNIE’. She said she was happy that her book ‘The Autobiography of God’ became more popular because of the critical comments she received for her interview through social media platforms. She explained that her remarks were made in response to a specific segment of the lengthy three-hour-long interview, and not during a press conference. She asked whether she was the first to make a comment on reincarnation and spirituality.
She gave these statements to the media after the international launch of her book ‘The Autobiography of God’ at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Lenaa’s debut book, ‘The Autobiography of God’, is a book on how to achieve self-realisation and, eventually, self-actualisation.
In the interview with TNIE which had hit the headlines, Lenaa had expressed her perceptions on reincarnation and stated that she was a Buddhist monk in her previous life. She said that in that life, she passed away at the age of 63.
When asked if she believed in reincarnation, Lenaa responded by stating that it was not a matter of belief for her but rather something she had personally experienced. She claims to have a connection between her present self and her existence in her supposed previous life. She added that her death had occurred in proximity to the Tibet-Nepal border, and her vivid recollections from that lifetime influenced her strong desire to visit the Himalayas and to shave her head.
She also spoke about human mind being the 4th dimension which is connected to the multiverse and that the concept of universes varies from person to person. Lena also expressed her deep spiritual connection to Mohanlal, considering him her spiritual guru, and stressed on his important role in her spiritual journey.
Lena also said in the interview that she is in favor of changing India’s name to Bharat. She is right when she said that since we had no problem in changing the names of many places in our country including Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, we shouldn’t have any problem in changing the name of our country from India to Bharat. Lena said our country was named India by imperial powers and Hinduism is integral to us and we should protect it.
When Lenaa said this, it was for sure that being a celebrity, her statements would not be taken lightly by people from all walks of life. Her comments would be seen as political, religious or under the influence of any particular ideology. However she has clarified that these are her own point of view and there is no influence of politics, religion or ideology behind it.
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