MUMBAI: Somy Ali, who has dedicated her life to saving and protecting victims of domestic violence and rape through her US-based NGO No More Tears, says that there is no bigger joy for her. She says that she feels powerful in bringing about a change in society and helping those who need it.
“How can we sit around and complain about the poverty, rapes, murders, human trafficking, and several atrocities without doing a single thing to try and bring forth change. It would be an honor if I were to die during a rescue of a victim. I can’t think of a better way to leave this life. Empathy and sympathy are two separate qualities and I fortunately have both,” she says.
She adds, “I know what a victim is feeling because my mother and I were there too at several points of our lives."She was recently featured in international magazines Forbes and Fortune as well. “I am one of the 100 most powerful women in business in Forbes and Fortune and none of the women mentioned in the magazine have been featured in the U.S. in those two magazines. It’s a topsy turvy world and people’s perceptions are upside down.”
Ask her what else she would like to achieve, and she says, “Well, the last thing on my list was to make short films and send them to festivals all over the world, which is something I have already begun. My first film aired at a Hilary Clinton benefit in 2006 with the most important people in the audience. My second film came out of my own production house titled SPARKLE/CHAMAK dedicated to my mom and inspired by Deepika.”
She adds, “My production house was my dream. I write, I will direct, I am already producing, editing. It’s only been a month since its launch, but having the freedom to write scripts that have meaning and will shed light on serious issues was on my bucket list and I am there now. I have no complaints. I am blessed and grateful to be able to give and to be able to create whatever I want. I am in a peaceful place because no one is happy perpetually. I am a realist and I am a hermit. I listen to audiobooks, mostly memoirs of inspiring people and watch old movies of my favorite actors like Rekhaji and Rajesh Khanna. Small moments bring me joy, not Bentleys.”
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