31 March 2014

Let's bring 'Love' back to life!

"I am lonesome on my ownsome.'
Har roz pyaar ka katal hota hai....
par yeh khabar akhbaaron mein nahin aata hai!
(Every day 'love' is murdered but this news never appears in the newspapers!)

There is so much to say on just these two lines!

Like for instance some people are invisible... their pain, their struggles unknown because no one cares for them.
Then there are orphans in families... they have a 'father', 'mother' or relatives but they are just for namesake. Nobody really plays the roles they are meant to play in their lives. And they grow up starved for affection, for love, understanding and acceptance.

Emptiness and worthlessness causes breakdown in people

There are people who work so hard that they make things work in their workplace, but they are neglected, not appreciated, treated like they are not worth anything and finally they go away... feeling worthless, empty and undervalued.

There are some leaders who see true potential but will not encourage because they prefer control over freedom of that person to be all that God meant them to be.

Then there is so much propaganda of love, it is criminal to see that the real thing doesn't exist. There are people who do everything to win a person's heart and then when that person belongs to them, they treat them like trash so much so it breaks their heart, they stop believing in love... and go away into a cold shell unable to trust anyone anymore.

No one wants to suffer... alone
Har roz pyaar ka katal hota hai....
par yeh khabar akhbaaron mein nahin aata hai!
Afsos... :( Pyaar marr gaya.

Can we change this? Can we examine our hearts and become 'human' like we were meant to be... say what we mean and mean what we say? Can we really learn to care, to share, to bless, to encourage, to help, to say kind words to those who are in our lives, our families, our workplaces, our friends and around us???

Why starve others of affection when we know how much we ourselves need it? How many lives would have been better, more fulfilled and meaningful if the 'others' in their lives just simply 'cared'!

Let us change... rebuild our relationships before they fall apart. Reclaim ourselves and all the good we can do... before we are beyond redemption. Wake up! It is time for a change.

08 March 2014

The Code Blue Campaign

We live in a stressful world. Everyone is going through something. There comes a time in a person's life when the pressure is so high that they are not sure they can make it. It is a time when they need the assurance, support and encouragement of their loved ones, their friends or even someone with the heart to help.

A lot of people who reached the brink didn't know they could ask for help and were lost. We can stop that by reaching out to the people in our lives so that they can overcome whatever it is that is holding them down and be helped.

The Code Blue Campaign is for people of all age groups. It is for students who are going through exam pressure, career pressure, parents pressure or even peer pressure. It is for women who have seen trials in their lives and see no hope. It is for men who feel defeated and desolate. It is for elderly people who feel isolated and lonely with no one to care for them.

It is for those who see no meaning in life. It reminds us that we do have a responsibility in the well being of those around us and this gives us a chance to speak 'Life' into their situations and circumstances.

Let us spread the word around! 'Code Blue' means its time to reach out to someone in need. The person may need a listening ear, a prayer, a helping hand or even professional help. Reach out to them and connect to counselors or trained personnel from NGOs if you cannot handle the matter. But reach out. Your timely help can save someone's life!

The Code Blue Campaign was launched in Hyderabad and a group named 'Youth Alive' provided counselling for those in dire situations. The Deccan Chronicle carried a report about the campaign and soon there were calls coming in from different parts of the Twin cities. There were days when more than 500 calls were received. The Sakshi Newspaper also shared about this campaign and soon calls came in from various districts of AP (at that time it was united!) The campaign went on well during the time that the students were awaiting results and under pressure. After that period there was a decrease in the calls coming in.

Code Blue Campaign can be a boon to people anywhere as its basic idea is to have two words to enable a person to express the greatest trauma they are going through at that time. Anyone should never have to suffer alone. A person who is pushed into a corner and isolated during the worst grief or suffering tends to feel suicidal. He or she feels worthless and unwanted. CBC is an effort to ensure someone at that point in their life can reach out to someone sympathetic who will give them a listening ear and help them through that difficult time in their life.

Here is a link to the lyrics of a song that I wrote that appeals to a person who is feeling suicidal to not take their life.
http://henriettadecruz.blogspot.in/2011/05/life-is-calling-you-song.html

Check out the Facebook page of Code Blue Campaign...
https://www.facebook.com/codebluecampaign?_rdr=p

The article about Code Blue Campaign that appeared in the Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad.

Code Blue Campaign written about in Sakshi Newspaper