The antidote

In a statement made to the Indian Parliament in July 1991, Mr. M.M. Jacob, Minister of State for Home Affairs, put the number of suicides in Delhi alone during the three-and-a-half-year period from January 1988, to June 30, 1991, at 2,700. He said that the primary reason for taking this step was extreme frustration. (Hindustan Times, August 1, 1991)

It is only very rare that a disabled person kills himself. Most people who die by their own hands are physically quite healthy. There are many reasons, however, for their taking the extreme step of suicide: failure to gain admission to post-graduate courses or to secure a good job after completing a university education, postponement of promotion, and inability to marry the person of one’s choice.

Most of these people had everything in their favour, including good health. They lacked none of the necessities of life. But because one thing, which seemed of great importance to them, eluded their grasp, they fell prey to such an overwhelming sense of frustration that they decided to end it all.