STEM THE GROWING TIDE OF TEEN SUICIDES

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A friend of mine recently, narrated a very heart-rending incident of the suicide of a young engineering student in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. In a note left by her, she had stated that she was resorting to that extreme step as she could not cope with her studies and that though she had reached final year, there were still many subjects of earlier years to be cleared. 

She was staying with her younger sister, a first year student in a local engineering college.  Her father, a typical middle class parent with high hopes on children, who came from Kakinada to take her home after the examinations were over, was devastated to see her body. 

In her letter to her father, she asked for his forgiveness as she could not fulfill his great expectations of her and asked him to take proper care of her younger sister so that at least she could be of help to him. 

In another incident, a student from Kurnool, committed suicide after seeing the Eamcet result as she had not fared well. Both the incidents are very shocking and too deep for tears. Did they ever think even for a minute of how much of suffering they were subjecting their parents to? What was their failure in examinations when compared to the life-long misery brought upon their parents? 

I am reminded of a very touching book, ‘Does he know the mother’s heart?’ by an eminent journalist, Arun Shourie, about his 35-year-old Spastics child. There is nothing more precious for anybody than one’s own life and to come to a mental state of putting an end to it with one’s own hands is incomprehensible for those who have not passed through that stage.

Hamlet argued within himself why people hesitate to go to that stage of self-immolation, however powerful might be the reasons prompting to it, as they will be going to ‘an undiscovered country from whose Bourne no traveler returns’ and so ‘bear the ills we have than fly to others that we know not of’.

The moot question before us is: ‘Who is responsible for the situation where teenagers, in a fit of emotion, end their lives? The findings of a recent study by British medical journal Lancet which has identified suicides as the second leading cause of death among the young in India should lead to deeper analysis of the whys and hows of this phenomenon. We have been hearing of suicides by farmers, a shame to the whole country in the words of our great scientist M S Swaminathan, suicides in a large number for the cause of Telangana, a shame to our indecisive rulers, but those of young ones are of a different nature altogether. 

You and I and all of us are responsible for driving them to that stage. For the past quite some time, in AP, more than at other places, we have successfully indoctrinated them with the thought that getting a good rank in AIEEEIIT/Eamcet or whatever,  is a be all and end all of their lives. 

The desire for keeping up with the Joneses is on the increase, quite unmindful of other criteria for that spirit of emulation or competition. There is a mushroom growth of techno schools in every street to instill this thought into the young minds even at an elementary stage. Parents, for obvious reasons, are drawn to high-sounding names, concept schools, international schools and so on, whatever they mean. 

Has there been any attempt to impart moral or higher values to them through right counseling that there is so much life beyond a seat in an engineering or medical college?


P.S. Even as write this piece i have been listening to this song all day today. Its one of my all time favourites. Absolutely loves the lyrics...

This is a Mizo item from the inimitable Vincy. I had never thought Vincy to be  such a good singer but this .... "Suihlung zawng a leng ngei ang. I ngaihlai engkim bang i maw. Mahse lunglen tuar zir mai nang e. Min dem lo la mampui, kiang mai tang e." This is my sentiment right now...:-)Hope you will love it provided you know the meaning of the lyrics.