International Day of Happiness: ’90s actress Somy Ali says rescuing victims has brought her indestructible happiness

Pakistani-American actress Somy Ali, who was seen in 1990s Bollywood films such as Yaar Gaddar, Andolan, Mafia, Agnichakra, Anth, among others, and a former partner of Hindi film star Salman Khan, has built a life of gratitude and happiness by striving to rescue lives plagued by the evils of domestic violence and rape. Somy, who runs a US-based NGO called No More Tears, says it is her work that makes her smile everyday.

“Rescuing victims, through my NGO, has brought me indescribable happiness over the last 17 years. We have to understand that life does not provide anyone perpetual happiness and this goes for every single human being. That's completely nonsensical and an irrational mindset which is why many people veer towards drugs and alcohol to numb their pain. And, in some cases simply end their lives. As morbid as that may sound, I have found that to be a norm in our youth universally as well as any age where a person assumes that things will forever remain stagnant and morbid. Once we are able to evolve to a level where we ascertain that life will inevitably have its ups and downs till our last breath, all of us will learn to co-exist more peacefully emotionally,” she says.

She adds that happiness needs to be deliberately brought to one’s life, and one must look for and do things that make us happy. “The most important element to comprehend here is that one has to have a purpose to get out of bed each morning. It could be to help others who are suffering which is a route I have taken or do something that makes one feel good about their time on earth. A life without purpose is a meaningless existence and it will steer individuals to find self-destructive ways of coping as nothing will ever be enough for that kind of thought process,” she says.

Ask her when has she been the happiest, and she says, “The happiest I had ever been, and I mean long term happiness, was when I had drowned myself into education. Even as a child, given my cultural background, I wasn't allowed to question many things which did not make any sense to me. Rather, I was instructed repeatedly to stop questioning the status quo and even more so because I was a girl. This ignited a rebellion in me that not every Muslim woman would dare to play with or make a concrete decision to make her path. Hence, ever since I can remember, I took the road less traveled and did exactly what I deemed to be right as opposed to what was expected out of me. Was I always doing the right thing? In retrospect, no. Did I make tons of mistakes? More than one can imagine. But, to be completely honest, even with the mistakes I am proud of myself for living life my way as far back as I can remember, be it hanging out with the wrong crowd and bunking classes or chasing an insane dream all the way to India which surprisingly turned into a monstrosity.”

She adds, “Thus, happiness for me has been in the smallness of my existence and I have accepted that to be the sole truth. I do not have any expectations from anyone and this is not because I am a misanthrope, but simply because it protects me from getting hurt again and again. Look, we all have our beliefs about life after death or what path we should be following during our time on earth and, given the extremes that I have faced in my life, I honestly do not know where I will go or what will become of me once I perish for good. I envy those who have strong beliefs about places like hell or heaven, but I am afraid I do not share those beliefs. I believe with all I have been through that life is random and things simply happen to us.”

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