MUMBAI: Varsha Hegde, who is the winner of “Kiss Ishq N Konnections” (KINK) season 1, says it’s quite disturbing to read about the increasing crime against animals and humans. She said, “People have forgotten how to be humans, which is what I feel. They are really very depressed and mentally not normal because I don't think a happy, normal, mentally and physically healthy person would ever want to harm another living being, be it an animal or a human, for no reason.”
 
She feels that we are failing as a society, and it’s high time we checked where the problem lies. “We need to think about why people are even thinking of harming another person/animal to such an extent. People now have become very realistic, and practical, which is good in a way, but people lack emotions, and people are becoming more materialistic and selfish, which is dangerous. We need to meet, greet, and form bonds with each other. That is what can keep society healthy, but staying in your own room, living alone, and ignoring personal needs, all this has resulted in such outrageous behaviour.”
 
She also spoke about two instances that made headlines, one where a man crossed the security area of a zoo to click a selfie with a lion, and another where a dog was beaten black and blue at a pet clinic. She said, “He is crazy because people can do anything for the content. Anybody who is doing this, understand that it's a matter of life, and with the other news of the dog being beaten by the staff member, I don't understand how this person even felt while beating the dog. It's sad for society.”
 
There have also been cases where people commit suicide or kill their partner due to the toxic nature of their relationship. Speaking on this, Varsha feels that initially people ignore the red flags and get into a relationship, only to realize it much later, when sometimes it’s too late. “People nowadys have a very long checklist, like 50 fun things to do to find a partner and see if that person suits in your life, and initially, once you start dating, you feel that everything is perfect, and slowly, when the layers come out, it’s very hard to accept that 'oh, this is the real person’, but you start fighting and blaming the person that you weren't like this before, etc..”
 
“You chose not to see the red flags that were present even in the very early stages, and that creates confusion and aggression between people. It is this aggression where people want to kill each other, and in some cases, the person who is being blamed and is victimized, wants to kill themselves for failing the  relationship,” she added.
 
Varsha feels that the reason behind the cruel behaviour is actually the conditioning and upbringing that people have received.  “I don't think any normal person can do any cruel thing to other human beings or animals. So a person needs to get themselves checked. It's high time we took care of our mental health and understood what was going on. Most of the time, you have not accepted yourself, and then that gives you a lot of aggression or fear of losing out, and I think people just start doing anything with each other. One needs to address what the problem is,” she concluded.