Mystery of Sushant's Death and The Way Forward

As Sadguru puts it, “In our eagerness to develop our economy and exploit the world, we have forgotten to fix ourselves.”

This is in continuance to the earlier article. Sushant’s suicide was no fluke. It is part of a larger pattern 

Sushant Singh Rajput

of suicides in the country. According to a Lancet study titled Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016, Suicide is the most common cause of death in the age group of 15-39 years in India. There is plenty of data available on suicide which is enough to scare anybody yet there seems to be a quiet acceptance of suicides in the country. I believe there is no bigger disgrace to society than seeing its young commit suicide. It pains my heart deeply. Students face huge stresses today than in the past. They carry the burden of expectations of their parents, relatives and society.

Coming back to Sushant, he wasn’t a failure by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, as per the reports, he was diagnosed with depression 6 months before his death and was taking medications for the same. Everybody faces stress and anxiety at some point in their lives. We talk about developing skills among the youth so that they can better utilise technology and tools to transform their lives but we forget to give them the crucial skill sets to deal with anxiety and stress. Sushant’s suicide wasn’t his failure but ours as a society. We have failed to understand that just like we need skills to get employed, we need skills to deal with anxiety and stress. A strong institutional and educational framework dealing with stress management could have prevented his death.

Frittering Away Unseen

There is too much stress in India and a too little talk about it. Be it in schools, colleges or workplaces, everyone faces trauma and distress regularly. In an attempt to become successful at all costs, many young people succumb to death by suicide. The new Zeitgeist of succeeding at all costs seems to be one of the major reasons for suicide among the millennials. Just search for motivational videos on Youtube, and you are bombarded with results with recurrent themes of success at all costs. All costs? Even death? This result in a perennial dissatisfaction among the masses. We need not glorify success to the extent that it becomes a matter of life and death. Our mainstream media and society at large are responsible for glorifying successes and comparing one individual to the other. We need to teach and showcase to our youth that there is nothing abominable in failure. It’s a part of life and should be accepted gracefully.

Now let’s come to the solutions to this crisis. India, the land of yoga and meditation, has the tools to tackle this crisis. Acceptance of stress and anxiety as existing within one’s own physical boundaries and emotions is important.

1. Recognition of stress as a problem is paramount before we learn to deal with it. School and college curriculums should compulsorily carry stress management as practical approaches towards a fulfilling life.
2. Yoga and meditation should be made mandatory in schools and colleges. We have blindly 

   

   Ray of Hope?

   followed the western model of education sans physical and mental development. Yoga and meditation have the power to become the best tools for dealing with stress and anxiety. Having experienced it first hand, I can personally stand up for its efficacy. A mind without stress has the power to not only benefit the individual but also the country at large.
3. How does one define progress and growth? Progress should be measured by parameters of Wellness and Happiness than by abstract financial numbers indicated by GDP. Just imagine a country where the government is trying to keep its citizens happy.
4. On an individual level, families and parents should understand how life works before putting undue pressure on their wards. Unlike what Viru Sahastrabuddhi said in the movie 3 idiots, Life is not a race, if you don’t run fast, you will not be a broken anda. Lose your focus on being ultra-competitive. And we should remember what Keyness had once said, "In the long run we are all dead.” Would you rather see your child dead than not being successful at getting admission into an IIT or a Medical College or a Job?

The simple yet powerful steps above could help tackle not only the health crisis of suicide but also stress-related conditions such as diabetes, depression, migraine, Alzheimer’s, Obesity and Asthma. Lastly, for God’s sake, stop blaming nepotism, him, her, this, that for Sushant Singh Rajput's death. His death epitomizes the poor stress management skills we have as a society. Hopefully, it will work as a wakeup call for many of us to bring about changes in our lifestyle.

Rest in Peace, Sushant.

-Sunny Gusain

*Views are personal.