It is amazing to be a soldier, says Mohanlal

Actor Mohanlal appeared to have fully savoured the experience of being in full battle gear inside the barracks of the 122 Infantry Battalion stationed here on the second day of his training on Saturday.

"Now I know the value of being part of the Army. It is an unbelievable feeling to participate in the Army training and it is amazing to be a soldier", said Lt. Col. (Hon.) Mohanalal while interacting with reporters at the battalion station here on Saturday. He said that his three-day training programme allowed him to know closer the 'disciplined and choreographed' activities of the Army. Unlike in a make believe world of cinema where he had to play different roles as a professional actor, to be a soldier was a different kind of experience, he said adding that he would be proud of being the brand ambassador of the Territorial Army (TA).

The actor in uniform, who appeared with battalion Commanding Officer Col. Davidson Kolath and other officers, said that more gainfully employed young people should join the TA units in the country as India was facing threats from inside and outside. He said that he had come to know of the TA while he was in Army camps as part of the shooting of Army-related films. The battalion here being the only citizen's Army unit in the State, it should be supported, he pointed out.

"My training is only a fraction of what soldiers normally undergo", he said adding that one of his tasks as the brand ambassador of the TA was to talk about the TA, especially on his website, and motivate more people to join it.

Col. Kolath said that Lt. Col. (Hon.) Mohanlal's commissioning into the TA unit here had brought the battalion to the limelight. The battalion had already earned recognition in various operational and other activities, he said adding that its reputation was only enhanced by Mohanlal's entry. More people had now come to know of the TA unit, which is one of the 68 TA battalions in the country including 44 infantry battalions and eight ecology battalions. Being a citizens' army, the TA battalions always work in close co-operation with local people, he said. He also said that joining the TA was not easy as there were stringent procedures to be completed.