The evil villain has gotten hold of a lethal weapon. He is on the brink of annihilating every living being on earth. With an utter display of contempt, he rants and raves, “Hasta la vista, planet earth!” Can any one stop him? Is this the end of our planet?

All eyes turn to the people’s heartthrob, the ever-available superhero. He must now summon some holy power or get into his super hero outfit to save the day. After some difficulties, he manages to get hold of the villain, kill him and uphold justice. But no one knows the superhero’s true identity. Since time immemorial people have believed in the supernatural and in the saviour who will appear in some form or the other to deliver them from the clutches of evil. Lord Krishna himself, in the Bhagwad Geeta, said that whenever evil takes precedence, God will descend to relieve the planet of the burden of the sins of the mortals.

Christians believe that their saviour will descend from heaven to rescue only the believers on the Judgment Day. Hindu mythology dedicates hymns to superheroes like Ram, Krishna, Parshuram and Hanuman. For Bollywood enthusiasts, their ultimate superhero with superpowers is their very own Krish. While those passionate about Hollywood have Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Mr. America, He-man, Hulk, Wolverine, Power Puff girls - the list goes on and on.

But while standing in awe of superhero powers, we are forgetting one thing: The hero that resides in each of us. In our adulation of make-believe heroes, we are forgetting that the unique human capacity for love, forgiveness and compassion make every one of us a potential hero. It is our courage to fight hatred and promote love that makes us heroes. Every time we stand up for the truth and fight injustice, it is the hero within us that awakens. It is that hero which encourages us to work harder for a better tomorrow.

It might be years before we see people flying around, creeping up buildings, lifting boulders and saving the world from the brink of destruction. Till then, we will have to settle for our very own God-given powers which are equally capable of awe-inspiring deeds. As Nietzsche said, it’s the ultimate aim of life to awaken the superhero within.