Time to rise

It’s been a hectic week. I’ve taken seven flights in this week alone and as I prepare to embark on my eighth one tonight to leave for Sri Lanka to host the IIFA awards.

Lara Dutta

It’s been a hectic week. I’ve taken seven flights in this week alone and as I prepare to embark on my eighth one tonight to leave for Sri Lanka to host the IIFA awards, I cant help but feel a little tiredness creeping into my body.

In retrospect, what a week it’s been even in the news. First, the tragedy of the Air India Express plane going down in Mangalore. A truly sad event. With all the flights I’ve been taking, the thought of all those passengers on that ill-fated flight has crossed my mind more than once. I cannot imagine how terrified they must’ve been in those final moments. I pray their souls find peace.

A few days later, followed the news of the attacks on the Kolkata-Mumbai bound train and on a Mosque in Pakistan, rebel groups and terrorists being blamed for the same.

Horrific images played out across the newspapers and on the news. And finally yesterday, an attack on a spiritual leader, in the sanctity of his own home.

Have we become so desensitised that something that affects us so strongly when it happens, soon fades to the back of our minds as we move along, or is it the way of the human spirit, to continually move forward, unaffected by Maya, doing what we are supposed to do as a species, survive?

I’ve been dealing with a bad back for over two months now. I noticed the other day that I’ve started to learn to live with it. The moment this realisation struck, I jolted myself out of that mode. I’m young and my back is supposed to be healthy and I will not settle for anything less.

I will therefore not compromise and allow myself to learn to live with anything less than total health, as long as it is in my hands. In the same way, how did we let our conscience and our spirit of inquiry to get so complacent? Did we just learn to live with the violence and hatred that we see around us in every country, everyday?

When is the world at large going to really demand answers from the people we have put in power, to provide those very same answers? We can have writers and religious leaders and filmmakers, all have their views on theses incidents but they are not the people who will implement solutions. Decision makers need to start owning up to responsibility. The power to enforce that lies only within you and me.

I hope we will wake up to that realisation soon, and not leave it only to a few illustrious souls to voice their concern. A voice is ringing loud and clear in your head, pay close attention, tune in and give it sound.