Translation of Neerja Speaking in Tamil:
Neerja Malik speaks about her experience of counselling a muslim lady with cancer who was awaiting surgery in hospital. The hands of the woman were trembling like those of a trapped bird and she was extremely nervous and scared. Neerja held the hands of the woman and slowly started chanting, "La ilaha illallah muhammadur rasulullah," for 10 minutes. The hands of the womam stopped trembling and she had a calm and serene smile on her face. She opened her eyes and looked at Neerja and exclaimed, "You are a muslim." Neerja said, "Yes." She looks beyond religion. It doesn't matter to her whether she is being called a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jew, or Parsi. She believes that first and foremost she is a human being.
Neerja feels that she is connected to everyone in the world. So even if someone in New Zealand, Srilanka, or America suffers, her heart bleeds for all of them. She feels that we are all connected to God. Neerja feels that we need to love one another and look beyond complexions such as black, white, wheatish, or yellow. As long as you have a heart and soul, and we are human beings, we all belong to the same family.
Strength and bravery are not a lack of fear but the ability to face the situation, and tackle the situation. None of us survivors are superhuman. But people expect us to be scared, depressed, quiet.... And that's where the difference lies. We decided to not let it conquer us, and as Neerja says it, we conquered it. Having been through it, having known the fear, we are able to empathize with others going through the same journey. Neerja is a shining example of this journey. She has gone ahead of just conquering and resting on her laurels. She is now sharing that strength. My best wishes and love dear Neerja.
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