WHO FOUND US - WAR OR HUMANITY ?

 

Hello readers!

Hope you all doing great ! 

It has been really long since I wrote last . I didn’t plan to disappear  but life became too heavy to carry, too loud to ignore, and just too uncertain to name. sometimes it pulls you so deep into the real world that words no longer feel  enough.  

But, when war paints your days in shades of fear and the night is broken by warning sounds, writing becomes a lifeline . Yes , after witnessing COVID-19 and lockdowns , this war has entered our lives - the unfolding India Pakistan  conflict . My generation has seen the world change in ways we never imagined—times marked by fear, resilience, and the constant struggle to find hope.

So...going a few days back....it was 8 may 2025 , just another beautiful yet hectic day of my college life. Everyone was rushing to finish assignments, submit files, and beat deadlines. I was no different—buried in the lab, repeating experiments, hoping for results that seemed to take forever . Discussions about the rising tensions had been circulating for days, but none of us imagined that this heated debate would soon erupt into the harsh reality of a war-like situation. 

Anyhow , It was around 8.30PM of the same evening that the sudden calm turned chaotic , war alerts were circulated , governments issued notice for blackouts all over the city and across many other cities. the girls in the hostels were restricted to go out , main gates closed followed by complete blackout in the whole building . The entire college was  going through same trouble  .

The sky was no longer a place for stars—it was alive with flashes of threat and defense, echoing with sounds we only ever heard in news reports or war movies. For a few seconds, all stood frozen, not out of bravery, but disbelief. Was that really a missile? Was this really happening above our college? 

And then reality hit like a wave.

Some girls began to panic , clutched their phones, everyone trying to call home .  The hostel staffs  ran down the hallway, urging everyone to maintain the calm . Since lights went out , even our phone screens felt too bright to look at . The college group chats exploded. Photos, voice notes, unverified rumors—all of it pouring in at once. Someone said another interception had happened over the nearby area . Someone else said drones had been spotted overhead. No one knew what was true, but it didn’t matter. The fear was very surreal. 

Not more than 1 hour later that night, I stood with many of my friends in  the balcony—gathered together in the thick silence of the blackout. The building was dark, but the sky was lit with chaos. We witnessed—not one or two—but nearly fifteen interceptions streak across the sky, each with flash of light followed by a thunderous echo that vibrated through our bones.

Yes, it was real. And yes, it was happening. We weren’t watching this on a screen or hearing it from someone else. We were there, under it, surrounded by it. Each interception brought a strange mix of relief and fear—relief that the threat had been stopped, and fear from the realization that something dangerous had been heading straight for us in the first place .

 I would just say that war  has found us, it was no more happening far away or it was not just a news headline .

Around  10 PM, the same night , a formal email came from our Director. The subject line was sterile:

"closure of Institute " and urgent  evacuation of premises by morning and help will be provided from institute.

We weren’t calm. But we were together.

Despite the fear, something remarkable unfolded. In the soft panic of the hostel corridor, groups formed. My friends and I started planning like we were running a rescue operation. Who had a car nearby? Who had family close? What areas were safe to travel through? I remember one of my friend  stepping up selflessly-she offered her home to anyone without an evacuation plan. she lived in a nearby city and didn't think twice before turning her house into a safe heaven for us. We created WhatsApp groups for travel purposes. 

And it wasn’t just the girls’ hostel—this sense of urgency, fear, and unexpected unity spread across all hostels, including the boys’ hostels. In those moments of crisis, boundaries faded . People shared updates, offered snacks, others offered power banks and chargers. Even those who barely spoke before were now sharing rooms , holding hands, whispering strength into each other’s ears. 

But wait , it doesn't end here...

These plans of finding a way to leave college in the morning were discussed till 3 AM , no one slept. lights never came back. Everyone  huddled  mapping out their routes, finding their people. Cabs were booked , buses were filled,  trains and flights tickets snagged last minute. 

But I just know that last night , ethics didn't wear a philospher's robe , it showed up in the smallest acts- my friend handing me her power bank when my phone was about to be dead,  people offering cabs to others to reach their  stations and bus pickup points, my friend offered me to share her train and people helping arrange money last minute..... 

I sometimes sit and think  how fast we switch roles , from student to evacuee  and from friend to protector. It was in that darkness of the blackout that we were finding light of humanity .

I guess everyone left the college in a day while some next day. My plans were rough and random , I had to cross 2 states to reach home which took me 3 days to finally meet my family. My journey was relentless.  Others were no different , people hailed from south and south east states travelling 2000km .All of them reached home in a day of two.

What is our ethical responsibility during war? To stay informed? To stay safe? To speak out?

Maybe it’s all of it. Maybe it’s just refusing to lose our humanity.

We often talk about war in terms of winners and losers. But sitting in a crowded car with four friends, two strangers, and a bag of snacks we were sharing like gold, I realized—in this moment, the real fight is to remain human . I believe  life is just this small that we should choose compassion , kindness and empathy over everything. Even if things had gotten worse that day, I truly believe most people would have still chosen selflessness. And that—more than anything—is what gives me hope. 

And today I can proudly say that , no one knew  what  could be the outcome of  the war situation in those days....but we won ...we won our humanity .... humanity just found us!!!

I survived this...actually we survived.  To end I would pen down that war may have found us-but humanity answered louder ! 

This was my story. Do you have any of yours? 

HAVE A NICE DAY !!