The shocking incident of a US based Malayalee killing five of his closest family members and then commiting suicide has sent shockwaves among Indians all over the world, especially expatriates. Where did the American Dream go wrong for this bright young engineer who has worked with software giants like Yahoo and Microsoft?His family was the typical Indian family. Reserved, but jovial among friends. Economically secure.
This massacre has far-reaching consequences than just the personal losses of the families involved. The stereotype of the US Indian/Malayalee has been destroyed. Imagine the picture of a gun-totting malayalee. We are bright scientists, doctors accountants – submissive, docile and quiet. But not murderers, not mass killers. We weren’t, not until today. It would be easier to just pin the blame on the individual and dismiss the effect of social factors. But no longer. Everyone of us has friends or relatives living all over the world – in the US, UK, the Middle East. The indian diaspora is one of the largest in the world. We have depended on them for our survival, our economy. It is time we give them something back, give them the support they deserve. No longer see them as cows to milk. Study and analyse the problems they face.
"No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent...
Each man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind;
And therefore never send to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee." - (John Donne - For whom the Bell Tolls)
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