Reaching out to the youth by verbalising their struggles

It all started with a suicide note, recalled Sriram, the CEO and founder at Nalandaway Foundation. “One of our colleagues attempted to commit suicide and the entire experience was traumatic, because she had called us after she took the pills. It was quite harrowing,” he revealed. 

An increasing number of millennials deal with issues like low emotional confidence, paranoia and the fear of missing out, pointed out Sriram. “These young adults are intelligent and mature but have low emotional quotient. For example, I’ve had a person who had made it to engineering college but was depressed because he couldn’t speak English. There have been cases of body shaming and youngsters not being able to handle rejection,” said this author, who started writing this book in December 2012. “These are true stories fictionalised. I wanted to reach out to as many young people as possible. So, the book is online and we have also launched an audio book, a trailer as well as a short music clip,” he added.

The aim, said Sriram, was to provoke conversation among young people. “We wanted to engage with young people, who can talk about issues like sexuality and depression. This is serious and it is important to keep these conversations alive. We didn’t just want to give moralistic advice but also close the loop. So, each chapter has a ‘How Do I…’ section with tips for normal challenges youngsters go through,” he said, adding that the story is available online on storyofasuicide.com.

Sriram said he was shocked by the casual attitude towards suicide. “Recently, I heard a girl saying that if she fails the examination, she will commit suicide. These thoughts are coming from a deep rooted insecurity. I remember another boy who was teased because he was dark. Everybody, including his parents, called him ‘Blackie’. He wouldn’t talk or engage in conversations. Many girls are bullied online for being on the healthier side. There is a need to address this issue and find a way to build their confidence. This is so crucial, especially now since youngsters are comparing their lives to what their friends post on social media,” he rued. 

According to this writer, many youngsters have no mentors to guide them through life’s sticky phases. “There is a need for mentors or counsellors or even an anonymous forum, especially since many spend a lot of time online,” he noted. 

Sriram pointed out that youngsters are finding it challenging to deal with sexuality. “If an adolescent has a problem related to sexuality, it is classified as bad behaviour. Now, with sexual awareness starting as early as 14, it is important to tackle this subject. In case of children who don’t know their own orientation, it gets worse. There is a lack of communication between parents and children,” he concluded.