Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata on Sunday urged people to stop online hatred and bullying and instead support each other in what has been a “year full of challenges” for everyone.
In a post on Instagram, Tata said that the online community is being hurtful to each other and brings each other down "harshly and with quick judgements.
"I believe this year especially calls for us to be unified and helpful and is not the time to pull each other down," he said.
The industrialist added that more sensitivity, more kindness, more understanding and patience is required than what one sees today.
"My presence online is limited, but I truly hope it will evolve into a place of empathy and support for everyone, no matter what your cause, rather than hate and bullying," Ratan Tata further said.
Ratan Tata's message gains significance as mental health has been the talk of the town amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown enforced due to it. The demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly due to depression has further escalated the discussion.
Cyber-bullying and trolling on social media is on the rise and one such incident came into light on Wednesday when a Twitter user shared a picture of her mother offering her tributes to the jawans who sacrificed their lives at the border clash between India and China when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in a live session. The picture was widely circulated on Twitter and people deemed her as a member of 'BJP IT-Cell'. Many even started calling her a 'Sanghi'.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha quit Twitter "to stay away from negativity". “The first step to protecting your sanity is to stay away from negativity. And no where more of that than twitter these days! Chalo, im off - deactivating my account. Bye guys, peace out, ”she wrote. Sinha isn't the only one to bear the brunt on social media and hence Tata's message to stop online hatred and bullying is significant.
