Let Us Pray?
Last week was a tremendously busy week at Mind Over Image- the workshops were bustling and the client meetings went on long after office hours (perks of having a charming team I suppose). In the middle of this, I hadn't gotten a chance to catch up with what is happening in the world, an excuse a lot of busy people tend to have.
This time however, there was a simmer brewing within my office and my circles, there was a sense of anger which I hadn't seen in a long time, and there were loud as well hushed discussions around the office, around the cafes, around the chai-wallahs in Lower Parel. I opened up my Facebook feed after an eternity and felt my heart shake as the horrific images and posts flooded my newsfeed.
A child. A child, who was grazing her animals at the foothills of a Kashmiri mountain. It paints a picture of absolute innocence and calm- imagine the lush valley, the soft padding of the herd on mildew grass, the chirping of birds all around and in the midst of this scenery, imagine the monsters that humans have given birth to.
What happened, what has continued to happen, what will continue to happen is nothing short of evil itself.
Grown men, riddled with hatred, a sense of misaligned ideas, riddled with a vile lust for a child. What they did is now global news- India needed this shame. It needed this shame, anger and disgust at a global level since we are known to internalize our entire stigma. Even at my center, I have survivors of sexual abuse come in who are not allowed to even think of what they've been through by their own family, friends, society and themselves.
Why is this allowed? My friend Tisha Jhaveri a true pilot was spearheading the Mumbai Cares Peace movement to demand justice, accountability and reform, asked me to speak on behalf of her on Radio One last week. The RJ HrishiKay, asked me, "As a mental health counselor, why do you think these men do crimes like these?"
I have to tell you; at that point I didn't know the answer. Even right now, as I'm writing this, I do not know the answer. And that is what terrifies me, not just as a mother of three young children, not just as a CEO of a company that primarily appoints women, not just because of my friends and family who roam freely across the country- I am fearful as an adult who lives under the false impression of safety.
Because this is the reality- we are living under the false pretense of safety. That's the truth: the harsh, ugly and undeniable truth.
I'm not an angry person; I've never been an angry person- I excel at peaceful negotiation. That's my forte; I take the pain away from people and heal them. But this time, I do not understand how I can help.
The only way to bring about change is through empowering the collective voice of the citizens. We all have to wake up and join hands with each other. All the platforms that I have influence over and lead, whether it be as the Chief Strategy Officer of the National Women's Parliament, or as the Managing Trustee of the Poddar Foundation, various other NGOs, and the corporate offices, I found it imperative to appeal to them to join the Mumbai Cares Citizens Peace march.
Imagine what a difference we can make if we vouch for solidarity against threat around basic human rights. Join the march to see what a group of people who have no company, no political party but simply a desire to impact change at the deepest level.
This march is held on a Monday, on 23rd April 2018 from NCPA at 5 pm. I urge you to shut down your offices, I urge you to get out of the false comfort of your homes, you need to wake up and make some noise, peacefully.
Ending with a quote from a 13 year old who was moved towards questioning the status of humans
The voice of a 13 year old - Ishrat Gill
"Feeling unsafe at every corner,
What have we done to deserve this dis honour.
I do not know where to stay,
Should I trust him or shall i go away?
Hesitating at every step,
Don't let me be drugged and swept...."
We have a duty as CITIZENS to uphold the code of conduct in society. We have a collective duty to ensure the safety of all our children. Each Human Being is worth saving.
Today all of us have to take off our rose tinted glasses and realized that our society is not safe.. Predators lurk at every corner.
Mobilize now. Walk the talk. For you, for me, and for us.
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