This Is How Stupid We Can Get Even When Hundreds Of People Lose Their Lives In Nepal Earthquake

It was a silent morning. A little cold, a little breezy and a little dark. I am one of those women who stay up all night to listen to some classy music or read some classics or watch romantic movies, so I happen to sleep late and wake up extremely late. A friday night is always heavy for any woman of my age and so was the hangover. So, I woke up and sat on the floor trying to figure out if I will at all make anything out of my hard work. My 5 months old crazy dog seemed restless, she came running to me as if she had so much to tell me. I patted her and kissed her ears and calmed her down. Right then, like RIGHT THEN, I could see us shake in the mirror. My bed, my table, everything was shaking and we (Kikki and I) were shaking.

I was at home, alone with her. I thought I was hallucinating too much, so I got up and made my way to the washroom. The second time when it hit again, it thought it was some bad soul trying to scare me. I washed my face and finally realized it was an earthquake. I am brave enough to deal with anything alone but ghosts. My apartment was empty and from the 12th floor, I could see people panic. I calmed down, ate some breakfast and switched on the television as I knew it wasn’t Kolkata but some other region. Having studied Geography and having hated it from the core of my heart, I never cared much about what’s to be done but disasters are something I have always faced, successfully, I mean, mentally. Disaster Management was my favourite chapter and as I have worked with NGO’s and Rehabilitation centres, I knew the shake wasn’t dangerous for my city. News channels said New Delhi/Nepal/Bihar. And then, results declared Nepal. I always knew Facebook works as a better news channel than any other, so, I logged in to my account. Brace yourselves now.

“Calm down peeps. It was the Avengers”.

“Happy Earthquake Day”.

“Dude, this shake was so amazing. I mean, I want this to happen forever”.

“Feeling excited with the Earthquake”

And I came across hundreds of status updates. I was calm, I was doing my work with a cup of Green tea and following the news, googling images of Nepal, trying to get through my friends in Nepal. In less than 17 minutes to be precise, I witness my news feed filled with “Rajnikant running” and “it’s just Hulk walking” and “Because, the Avengers are here” and not to forget the Kolkata scenario “TMC votes and its after effects. No wonder, TMC will destroy us” (in a way true but earthquakes don’t happen just like that, so, it didn’t make me smile or giggle at the TMC joke). I was disgusted. Just then, my grandfather came over (we stay in the same complex), my grandpa is an ex. Wing Commander and because I reside in an Army complex, we have direct access to the correct and current information.

Dadaji asked me, “Did you check the news? So, my friend’s son has gone to rescue them, he has sent me a video”. I couldn’t move for 10 minutes after watching people die. It wasn’t any movie, I could see it happening. I could see them cry. A mother desperately searching for her son, as she tries hard to move the pillar to get her son out who is stuck beneath the pillar, she was taken away for medical help. I witnessed a man with his child dead on his lap, I heard this man cry who stood before his broken shop and house, I could see the building fall and people running and people being smashed. I could see dead bodies, I could see them die in front of me and I felt so helpless.

After 10 minutes, I got back to normalcy and returned to Facebook to check the latest information. And do you know what I came across? Saptarshi Ghosh from Kolkata strikes a pose and clicks a selfie in front of a mall where people are running around to save their lives. His picture caption said “The Jaan Bachao Festival” and all he tried to do was make people ‘laugh’ in this situation. His picture was flooded with likes and comments and shares and oh my God, people found it so funny. So, I commented on his attractive selfie and all I tried to tell him was that it’s sad to see people click selfies when people are dying and houses are turning into particles, and it is emotional, and, most importantly, I questioned him, “You said you are trying to make people laugh. Which people are you trying to entertain? KOLKATA PEOPLE? Show me one person in Kolkata who needs to be cheered when Nepal is dying?” I was deleted from his friend list and I was told, “You can’t do anything better than clicking a selfie and make people laugh. You are a pessimistic woman and you are sad coz they are dying”. I was shattered. I came across another post where a girl pouts and says, “The Earthquake Pout”. And then it got viral. People posting selfies and “feeling Earthquake” is what the youth is all about today.

Now why is that?

It’s because we are a youth which is weak and inclined towards attaining attention. If the adults and the teens do not understand what an emergency is all about and what needs to be done, I am scared what my country is looking forward to! A generation where “studs” are being hit by train because they think clicking selfie on a railway line would be more fascinating than ever, a generation where pouting is more important than praying for lives, a generation which is all about Rajnikant and Hulk running  than understanding that jokes are expressions too and they are mean and hit hearts.

And it’s not just the stupid individuals who are looking at earthquake as a joke, e-commerce company, Lenskart, also thought that the earthquake was a funny thing and why not make some profit out of it. Looks like, they even don’t know what Corporate Social Responsibility means. If they would have, then I don’t think this is what they would have been texting everyone, when there were so many people dying because of this calamity. Their message was –

Now look into the Richter Scale, it’s 7.9, Nepal felt it 17 times, Patna some 5 times, severely felt in New Delhi and Kolkata. It’s a disaster that has taken away more than 1500 lives and such is the loss which cannot be filled. The economic and the social status of the area is in danger and will take years to function healthily. In a situation like this, I do not expect selfies and Rajnikant and Hulk to save the areas. Of course, life isn’t a movie, how many of you need a Realily Check?

It’s about people and their Humanity and behaving a little sensible. We do have a lot of time to click selfies and look pretty and be smart to make a mark, but, at the cost of what? 1500 lives, thousands injured and a weak economic and social status? What are we heading towards? Statistics say 56.5% of the posts are about Earthquake trolls. Is this how we will rise? It’s not about India. It’s about each individual living on this planet. It’s about Humanity and not living a life on Facebook or Twitter or Whatsapp.

It’s time we leave behind our masks and do something for ourselves – THINK. Think where you went wrong, Think what has made you so ruthless, Think if you were at Nepal would you like if others made fun of your condition? THINK, are you a slave to the technology that is controlling your emotions or is this Humanity? THINK, think if the trend of trolls didn’t exist, would it still hit your mind to make fun of people in pain? THINK, is our life all about Facebook now?

Also, ask this to yourself, if you can survive without falling in trap of the negativities of social networking sites. Of course, you need Facebook and Twitter, but, falling trap to trolls or following something or someone without ‘thinking’ or ‘deciding’ is as unhealthy as murdering innocence. It’s not just about Nepal, it’s about the lost humanity. The word “human” is so broken and lost. It’s time we leave our hypocrisy behind and help people, literally. Faking it on Facebook will not go a long way just like, “Pray for the Nepal Victims. Stupid #earthquake” while you are busy eating Pizza.

Rise people, Rise for India!