[Romantic Old Bird]

As much as I was extremely disturbed and unhappy to watch how three not particularly intelligent or insightful young women treated someone they were clearly jealous of...

I am equally disturbed to read how venomous the attitude towards them is here. They have learned a very valuable lesson I hope. They learned it in the spotlight of the media, and it may or may not haunt them for the rest of their lives.

If we are not able to rise above it, as Shilpa did with great dignity and kindness, then we not only sink to their level, we also set an incredibly bad example to others.

There is no room in our society for hate, envy and just plain unkindness if we want to move on. Their behaviour was triggered by everything I have already mentioned, and fuelled by ignorance.

It is the same thing which leads to divisions in every society, to bullying in the playground and to us blinkering ourselves to the wealth of experience and beauty in other people and other cultures.

I am delighted that my son married into an Indian family. They are warm, welcoming and full of kindness. They accept everyone else without judgement.

How many of us can say the same?

May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.

(Hindu prayer)