Hello Darkness

Imagine if you cracked open an egg and you found it empty, imagine if you made a call and no body answered.

Imagine if you opened your window and there was no view.

How would you feel?

Empty?

Something crumbling? Or

Simply hollow?

Put all of these feelings together and I will call it lonely.

Yesterday a mother and daughter were found hanging after a week , did nobody notice their absence? No friend, cousin neighbour?  

The biggest epidemic around the corner is lonely. It’s going to hit us in a big way.

Met Ponni aunty 78yrs old frail, fair and slender, her son is chronically ill and she looks after him and she goes to buy the groceries not at any of the super market, but at Chidambaram stores. Reason; she feels it gives her a chance to talk to the grocer and meet common people where she makes conversation.

Meet Lakshmi akka lives alone in Tambaram in a big flat. Her sons and daughter lives in the US, they call her faithfully every Sunday and her grand children skypes her for a few minutes. I am afraid this is where we all could be heading in a few years , no more does the door bell chime, no more statements like how lovely to see you. Its all becoming click, click and more click.

You download this app and you get online booking, online payments , online shopping, online vegetables, why? Even online darshan

I feel the pyramid is upside down and balancing on the apex. It starts with me and my spouse and my kids and then may be my boss, my team, my TV, my FB, and whatsaap.

One of the danger is urban loneliness, because it does not mean that being in a neighborhood will make one a friendly neighbor. So while we appear friendly, it does not mean , we have a friend. In 2012,we  had 2.6 lakhs suicides, mainly the second leading cause of death amongst 15-29 yrs old. Families do not mix and mingle, nor do children have the time to play. A sense of secrecy and not wanting to beyond one’s family, is increasing.  We as Indians, have grown away from the old system, and we are becoming more and more insular, we are becoming more impatient and individualist. We rush to judge each other, and do not understand.

We are a homogeneous society, and instead of learning to adapt, we want spaces that are restricting.

It is actually more dangerous than smoking. Did you know that loneliness is equal to smoking 25 cigarettes a day

In 1951, in a study, it was found 12.5 million were closed to being lonely, but in 2011, the number is 92 million. 

So, what can we do to overcome this.

The only answer is that we can cure this, with love.

There is simply no pill that can replace human connection.

There is no pharmacy, that can fill in for genuine interaction.

There is no panacea and the answer to human loneliness is within us and between us.



To many people, this dark loneliness is their best friend.

1. Will you go for a walk with someone who is lonely?
2. Will you visit them whenever you can?
3. Will you disturb them if you care enough?

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