My perfect idea of peace and happiness is No More Tears : Somy Ali 

MUMBAI: Actress Somy Ali, who is currently busy with her NGO - No More Tears -  is a spiritual person. In her own words, she prioritizes the human spirit over materialistic things.

When it comes to her belief in God and humanity, she has a clear view, ”I believe in science and the law of the universe. There is no bigger or better religion than spending a life filled with the purpose of helping others in need. No More Tears and humanity constitute my religion. I respect all religions as long as they do not hurt or cause harm to anyone. I also have friends who do not believe in anything yet are unbelievably good human beings. The point being, we can be good and do good whether we are religious or not. We have plenty of evidence and facts about how an extremely religious person can turn out to be a monster. Or how an atheist can be a complete saint.”   On asking about a spiritual experience Somy shares a thrilling experience,”

 When an abuser pointed a gun at me in my NGO’s office seven years ago. I thought this was it and this was going to be my end, but he said consider this a warning and went away. That strengthened the belief of my purpose on this planet. I never thought of quitting and continued doing what I have been doing for 14 years in spite of that incident. I strongly believe the universe wants me to keep doing this work as there are many victims in need.” Sharing her everyday spiritual practice Somy adds,”Every morning I wake up and think how many lives will No More Tears save today? That brings me peace and happiness. Helping others is my meditation.”   

But do you follow a guru, a mentor or some spiritual philosophy?   “I do not follow anyone. We are all imperfect, including me. My philosophy is that we do not have the right to judge anyone, we can have opinions and take a stand against injustices, but like I said no one is a saint.”  She further adds,”I respect people who have a platform, be it power, money or fame and they use it to make things better for those struggling and in desperate need of basic survival necessities. That is the epitome of a good person for me, but in the same instance, they can’t be doing bad things. Life does not work that way. You can’t commit crimes and help people to compensate for your ill doings.” What kind of impact did this pandemic have on you?   

“It has taught me how little control we have on pretty much anything and how unpredictable life can be. I have realized how in a split second we can be gone as if we never were and therefore, we must cherish every moment of our time on this planet. Tell the people you care for them, you love them and appreciate them. And prioritize staying away from toxic people. To me, my perfect idea of peace and happiness is No More Tears.”