Two days.
That’s all it took for the world to “kill” a man who was still breathing.
On a quiet morning, Dharmendra — one of India's most beloved
actors — lay in a hospital room recovering. He wasn’t posting selfies, he
wasn’t speaking to media. He was simply fighting an illness, surrounded by the
steady rhythm of machines and the gentle whispers of nurses.
But outside that room, on glowing screens and scrolling
timelines, a different reality was being written — rapidly, carelessly,
violently.
“Breaking News: Veteran actor Dharmendra passes away.”
“Confirmed.”
“Sources say.”
One channel whispered. Another repeated. Wikipedia updated.
Social media erupted.
Within minutes, the rumour became “truth.”
No family statement.
No medical confirmation.
Just — TRP will explain everything.
In the race to be first, they forgot to be right.
The World That Mistook Speed for Truth
This is the age of hyper-information — where every second,
we refresh something.
But in this noise, we stopped verifying and started echoing.
A blogger wrote a line.
A YouTuber copied it.
A news channel flashed it.
Wikipedia annotated it.
Millions believed it.
Just like that, the world conducted a virtual funeral for a
man who still had a pulse.
There was no silence of mourning — only the noise of
notifications.
A 50-Year Career Reduced to a 15-Word Headline
For six decades, Dharmendra gave the nation emotions,
laughter, tears, iconic cinema.
But in a matter of minutes, all that legacy was overshadowed by a trending
hashtag.
No one asked:
“What if this hurts his family?”
“What if it reaches him?”
“What if it is untrue?”
The question was only:
“How many views?”
“How much reach?”
“How fast can we push it?”
TRP became more important than truth.
Clicks became more important than compassion.
The Man Who “Died” and Came Back Home
When Dharmendra was discharged from the hospital, he went
back home — frail, recovering, unaware of the chaos outside.
He switched on the news.
And saw his own obituary being discussed.
Imagine that moment — watching strangers discuss the outline
of your life while you are still breathing. The shock of seeing the world move
on without waiting for your permission to leave.
He lived all his life in front of the camera.
Yet, the tightest shot was taken without him present.
Where Are We Going?
We have crossed a dangerous threshold.
- AI
writes faster than the human brain thinks.
- Algorithms
reward sensationalism over truth.
- People
believe headlines without pausing.
Information is no longer a river — it is a flood, and we are
drowning.
We don’t process.
We don’t reflect.
We just forward.
In trying to be seen, we stopped seeing.
In trying to speak, we stopped listening.
We are not searching for truth anymore.
We are searching for virality.
We Forgot One Simple Rule
News is about people.
Not about numbers.
A heartbeat matters more than a headline.
Before pressing “share,” we should ask ourselves:
- Is
it true?
- Is
it necessary?
- Is
it kind?
If even two answers are “No”, silence becomes wisdom.
Reflection
The irony of the digital age is that we know everything —
yet understand nothing.
We have information, not wisdom.
We have connectivity, not connection.
And somewhere, in this mad race to break news,
we are breaking humanity.
A Final Message
Dharmendra did not die that day.
But something else did.
Our patience. Our empathy. Our responsibility.
The day we learn to pause before sharing,
the world will become a kinder place.
Truth doesn’t need speed.
Truth needs courage.
No comments:
Post a Comment