Why people commit suicide? That’s a leading question haunting humankind for ages. Why some people find it a better option to end their life than to live it to the fullest? We all know life is not a bed of roses. It throws different challenges at us from time to time. The insight, courage and knowledge with which we face those challenges mark the way of our lives. You see, life is like a burger; one side is birth, another death. It’s what you put in-between determines how it tastes. Life sometimes forces us, drops or just throws us in a situation which becomes unbearable and one seeks an escape. Unfortunately, some find the escape route in finishing the life.
Recently I came across a book, The Story of A Suicide by Sriram Ayer. The book is a page-turner, with a gripping tale that deals with the life, education, social circumstances, desire, passion and pride of four youngsters; Sam, Hari, Mani and Charu.
Though everyone in this society, in today’s world, is supposed to deal with abnormal stress, tension and often the chasm between their desire and limitation leads to depression. But, in this book, Sriram Ayer has dealt with the vulnerability of the young generation, their dreams and nightmares.
The Story of A suicide begins in a rather happy-go-lucky manner where we find Hari as an easygoing boy, loved and cared by his family. Sam, another protagonist, is from an affluent background and wants to take everything and everyone in his grip, under control.
Things began to unfold when they meet each other at KIT. Here’s where Mani and Charu also came to the scene and, the readers are horrified to watch Mani attempting a suicide hanging himself from the fan in his hostel room!
Mani got saved by his best friend Charu, a girl with indomitable spirit, an independent feminist attitude and enough courage to face the problems as they come. In fact, in the whole story, I liked the character of Charu most well portrayed revealing every nuance of her character. I loved the way she saved her friend, befriended Sam but didn’t want to become a painted doll as his girlfriend saying,
“Sam, women have to negotiate a male-dominated world, so to get ahead we paint a mirage and make men believe that they are always in charge. Like Draupadi said, you men are fools, so easy to please”.
Charu knows and understands the ways of life. She is ready to accept both the good and evil from life and she is resilient enough to take her stride, long and strong. We need more free-spirited and brave girls like Charu in this society.
But, Hari, who has a nightmarish childhood camouflaged under a happy mask, fails to gain that strength. The wealthy lad, Sam, in his persuasion of love and power, begins to take measures that could lead to disastrous consequences. Sam’s friend Aditya acts as an accomplice and, the author directs us to the point what a bad company can do to us, that we should choose our friends carefully.
Mani, a survivor, though, fails to comprehend the feelings, pain and emotions of his closest friend, Hari making the things harder for him.
What happens to them? Why Hari misses over a dozen calls from his father? How a tiny red light from Charu’s mobile destroys several dreams? Well, to get the answers you have to read the book HERE . You can read it for free (great, isn’t it?)
The author Sriram Ayer has done a commendable job by discussing topics like gay sex, child molestation, cyber-crime, social media addiction in accordance with today’s generation. I especially find his writing laudable as all these issues are perfectly mingled with the story itself and, never it appears that he is preaching to his readers. The excruciating pain a male child might suffer from molestation and the effects that are etched in his heart for the rest of his life would give you a shiver.
I request all my readers to go through the book. It will help you understand the problems of your teenage children better, it will help you to stand by them when they need you most. It will help you to identify the signs of depression and frustrations before it’s too late.
Nobody wants to destroy his own life. But, sometimes, the circumstances make him think like a ‘loser’, his inner voices become malevolent enough to command him to put an end to life. I think suicidal instinct comes when people lose the right track of life and, finds nobody in the vicinity to help him out. They, actually, don’t want to die. They just want to escape and, if at least, one of his friends or family members can lend out a hand, give him enough support, he will definitely try to come out of the darkness.
“Strangers in the night exchanging glances.
Wondering in the night
what were the chances we’d be sharing love
before the night was through?”
The Story of A Suicide by Sriram Ayer can teach you how to be the light in the darkness.
I would give 5/5 to the book.
Last but not the least, the incidents in the narration are wonderfully accentuated by the illustrations of Ghana.
You can also visit THIS LINK to know how to help victims of abuse.
“The body is wise, the confusion is from the mind”
― Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel
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