What is society coming to???

[mustafanalwalla]

This morning, while commuting to work, my day was shattered by the news on the front page of Mumbai Mirror.

It was the news of a 20-year old kid who jumped out of the window of a 19th floor skyscraper called Woodlands Height, in one of the poshest areas of Downtown Mumbai, Pedder Road.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/ ... =MIRRORNEW

Apparently, this kid had broken up with his girlfriend 7 months ago, on his own. He and a bunch of friends had assembled at a friend's home while the parents were out, to watch football.

So, this boy happens to meet his ex-girlfriend, who was a part of the group, spoke to her for a few minutes, ran to the kitchen, locked himself in and jumped out.

Now, as a volunteer for an NGO that would work with people who were depressed and suicidal, i can pretty much imagine what must have gone through his head, but what the clincher here is that this kid had no apparent problems, atleast none that i could decipher from, from the article.

He had the best possible education (Cathedral, Singapore International School, Jai Hind Collage), enough pocket money (used to work in his dad's stock-broking firm), a bunch of friends, a lifestyle that is the envy of almost all the kids in the city and all that he could have asked for, born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth.

My experience tells me this much, that at the time of imminent crisis, the moment before the decision to end ones life is taken, the person sends out a call for help, which an experienced counsellor, or even a sensitive adult is likely to pick up, but then again, there were no parents at home at that time.

As a parent of a 6 year old, i often wonder what was wrong with this child, what was he thinking, didnt he even think of his family. But as someone with experience, i know better. At the time of imminent crisis, the internal problems are magnified to an extent that everything else is dwarfed in comparison and suicide is the ONLY solution.

The purpose of this post is two-fold:

1. To pray to Allah, all of us, that the family be given the strength to deal with this loss and to pary for the child's soul. Remember, even though he was 20 and hence technically an adult, he is was still a child

2. To tell all the people on this thread to be sensitive to your children and their friends. If they or anyone around you show signs of depression, anxiety or you notice a sudden change in behaviour, talk to them. often, just talking alleviates the moment of imminent crisis, which even today, no one knows when might it occour and most important, do not hesitate to seek professional help.

The NGO that i used to volunteer for was called Samaritans-Sahara and was based out of Mumbai. They are part of a larger group called Befrienders International.

Besides Samaritans-Sahara, there are other centers too, in Mumbai who help. i dont have their numbers with me but the information is freely available online.

Finally to end with, please join me in praying for the soul of the child and for his family to be given strength for the days to come and remember to be wary of the signs of depression.