Finding Inspiration Post Olathe…Moving From Fear To Nonviolence
The recent murder of an Indian-American has sent shockwaves of sadness and fear throughout the entire Non Resident Indian (NRI) community in the United States. The media reports of this tragic hate crime in which a 51-year old resident of Olathe, Kansas shot two Indian engineers Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani and good samaritan Ian Grillot who attempted to prevent the shooting at a local bar appear to record the first reported racial bias motivated fatality in the United States after the bitter Presidential election. Srinivas was only 32 years and has lost his life because of the erroneous belief of a fundamentalist!
Find The Gandhi Within
The tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School in Parkland, Florida, an affluent suburb, was a stark reminder that violence in America is not limited to certain neighborhoods but can happen anytime, anywhere. The activism of the students that followed was humbling. The overwhelming support from across the country for their call to action #March4OurLives was soulful. It was a signal for us adults to come together, transcend our differences and take steps to stop the senseless violence and promote compassion and nonviolence.
If The Corona Virus Could Speak…
A few years ago, I had a key moment of truth – that I would not do anything about any social issue e.g. the mass shootings in US schools, unless and until it directly affected me or happened in my neighborhood school. I was so profoundly disturbed by this realization that I ended up making a documentary film that is now being used to promote nonviolence education in classrooms. The calling was intense and the experience, transformational.
2020 Has Asked Us “How Much Do You Really Care”?
Nine months ago, when the first “stay at home” order was given in Los Angeles, I wrote this blog, not knowing the extent of suffering that the COVID-19 pandemic would unleash – so many lives lost and the world order, disrupted.