‘Tis the season to make merry, and the celebration continues till New Year. After two years of a devastating pandemic, this time the merriment is going to be doubled. Actor turned humanitarian Somy Ali, who now runs her NGO No More Tears (NMT), also says her work towards the betterment of children and women keeps her occupied during such times.
“For the past 15 years, I have worked during Christmas and the holidays. Statistically, the holidays are the highest ranking in incidents of domestic violence for several reasons. Many are still suffering the wrath of the pandemic and thus do not have jobs. We are still not fully free of Covid and in fact, during a recent doctor visit, they insisted that we wear masks again. Aside from that due to the inability of making ends meet and providing sufficient presents for the children the families get into arguments and along with the verbal abuse, the physical abuse comes pouring through. This keeps NMT on its toes and busier than ever,” she
As for a New Year giving a fresh start, Somy believes it is all man-made up psychological nonsense. “If you want to quit drinking or smoking, you don’t need a New Year to dictate a grasp of a healthy lifestyle. Similarly buying a treadmill or joining a gym membership, where the former ends up being a cloth hanging rack and the latter just makes a hole in your bank account each month. A New Year is just that, a change of dates and time and has nothing to do with changing one’s lifestyle. I work out five days a week, not five days of the first week when it is the New Year. Hence, I do not cater to this silliness because if one wants to change for the better he/she will irrespective of the year. And, we all know what stats state about sticking to our New Year’s resolutions,” she adds.
Some people plan their New Year parties and holidays in advance. They book clubs and party hotspots to ring the celebration. A lot of hype is created around planning that perfect New Year’s Eve.
“I have never been a party person. In fact, that was a huge hindrance in my fitting into Bollywood because it entailed a great deal of mingling. While I wouldn’t call myself a misanthrope, I preferred having a few friends over to play board games and enjoy a delicious Indian meal. I have been like this since I was a teenager and still am. I prefer the company of a few friends and watching movies, rather than going to a place where I have to scream at the top of my lungs just to exchange pleasantries let alone have a decent conversation. But to each their own, and I am not judging anyone because they are extroverts and like to go out. I am simply sharing my personality and what I like and dislike. Now if there is a protest for human rights or any sort of injustice, I will be the first one to show up with a placard in hand and one might deem me to be extremely overzealous,” she explains.
