Telugu actor Allu Sirish says there is a lot of stigma associated with the idea of endorsing Made In India products, and feels everyone needs to work towards breaking the perception. "I realised during the early days of the pandemic that India is going to lose a lot of money and jobs during the lockdown. I wanted to help and contribute but didn't know how. I have seen our Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal appealing to us Indians at various platforms to ‘go local' and use more Indian made products to support the country and make our economy stronger," Sirish said. Vocal for Local: Ajay Devgn, Kangana Ranaut and Other Celebs Extend their Support to EaseMyTrip, a Completely Indian Initiative

"Reading up further made me realise how true this was. And I made a conscious decision a few weeks back to use more Indian made products. On speaking to people, I realised this idea resonated with a lot of people, but they have a stigma when endorsing something that's Indian made. I feel we needed to break this perception. That's when I decided I'll use the voice and mediums I have to encourage people to buy local and flaunt their local 'samaan' with pride. And that's how my idea of ‘Go Local, Be Vocal' started," he added. Waah Zindagi: Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Raaz’s Next Promotes PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Vocal for Local’ Movement, Here’s How

In sync with his thoughts, the actor sent hampers with local made products on Independence Day to his celebrity friends. He has sent the hamper to Ram Charan, Lakshmi Manchu, Rana Daggubati, Akhil Akkineni, Varun Tej, Rakulpreet Singh and Saina Nehwa amongst others. In the note on the hamper, Sirish wrote: "The ongoing Covid pandemic has changed the way we need to look at things. This is time for us to support our country by using more local brands.

In a globalised world, it's impractical for us to buy ONLY Indian brands. But I request you to make a conscious effort to use MORE Indian brands. It's also the time for us to break the myth that it isn't cool to use Indian brands by being VOCAL about our usage. Hope you enjoy your hamper with the world-class Indian products. This Independence Day lets "Go Local, Be Vocal". Jai Hind!" On the work front, Sirish was last seen on screen in the Telugu film "ABCD: American Born Confused Desi". Directed by Sanjeev Reddy, the film also stars Rukshar Dhillon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2020 12:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).