Cheers to life, ‘No’ to Suicide

As they say, “This time too shall pass.” But has the time put their lives into a whirlpool from where there is no coming back! Well, it seems so and that’s the irony. The current generation is opting death over life.

People are going in a direction from where it’s impossible to come back. They are ending their lives as well as the future and its prospects. Why so many suicide cases are being reported these days? Why the hope perishes when we know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel! It’s strange but it’s a fact.

One after another, youths across the state of Odisha are finding reasons to commit suicide every day.

The state is reporting a surge in suicidal cases which has become one of the biggest concerns of the society. In recent times, it has seen that people are committing suicides for various reasons.

From top ladder celebrities to college students, as many as 226 suicide cases were being reported till August this year as per the Commissioner of Police, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.

The state was stunned when Ollywood actor Raimohan Parida killed himself in his residence at Bhubaneswar. Another television actress Rashmirekha also opted for the same path. A software engineer Sweta, young model Soumya Panigrahi, two college students, one from BJB College and the other from Rajendra University committed suicide for different reasons recently.

A twenty one year old girl Rachna Nayak and thirty year old Ashok Pradhan ended their lives on Friday in the state capital city. And the list goes on.

The trend itself is terrifying. Failed relationships, ragging in institutions, financial crisis were being alleged as major reasons for youths to take the last step.

A report of the national crime record bureau (NCRB) suggests that not less than 15 persons kill themselves in the state of Odisha everyday.

Another report of NCRB on accidental death and suicide in India-2021 says that in a year, 12 people in a population of every one lakh are taking the extreme step in the country every year.

According to the psychiatry and mental health expert Dr. Samrat Kar, mental trauma, excess use of social media and gaming platforms, mishandling of relationships are some of the major causes of increasing suicidal tendency.

But how to deal with it, how to convince yourself that this is just a nasty phase of life and not the entire life span! How people with suicidal tendency should deal with it? That’s the biggest question here.

Dr. Kar goes on to describe the procedure. There are generally two types of suicidal tendencies. One is impulsive and the other is planned. People going through a bad phase either take the extreme decision immediately or they plan for it. For those who take the decision instantly, the advice is to keep sharing at least with your family and close friends. Talk to them. Go for a movie or for surfing or cycling. Do whatever you love to do. Think of your past and how you used to be so happy. That will help you to overcome this bad phase.

And for those who are planning for a suicide, do think of the person you love the most. Or, think of the person who loves you the most. They may be your parents or a good friend or a teacher. Accept the fact that anything can happen. This is life. And things will not always go in your way. As soon as you accept it, you will find a way to get out of that situation, Dr. Kar says.

Man is mortal. Your life anyway is going to end one day. But why so soon, why so unnaturally! Ending life is not the solution. Celebrate your life because it’s you who live, you who fight for rights and it’s you who gets the success at the end.

(By Sunandan Mishra)