Newspapers are so gory

wELL, i WAS GOING THROUGH THE NEWSPAPERS AGAIN AND WHAT DO i FIND...some more gory recollections of suicide deaths.

Slapped by husband, mulund housewife sets herself, three kids ablaze. While second is critical, the third is out of danger.
The housewife is supposed to have had a fight with her husband over the serving of food...
How much more ridiculous can the reasons get??? Why do we forget that suicides do not happen for one single reason alone. It's a piling up of unresolved issues that leads to that one so called trivial incident to become the trigger that sets off a suicide attempt. It's so very distressing to see more and more people succumbing to the pressures of modern day existence. This seems to have become an endemic problem. Children need to be taught resilience and coping skills. Why is this aspect of education being neglected so callously. Is human life not so valuable anymore? Are our population figures so debilitating that we are willing to overlook the apparent few who are succumbing to acts of voluntary self-destruction?
It's sad that the education system in India fails to keep apace with the drastic and phenomenal changes in society today. Values have taken a 360 degree shift yet formal education does not provide for the necessary knowledge base to cope with these changes. Sex education is still on the back burner and education to prevent suicides is much much further behind...As far as education goes , our children still learn by rote and fail to remember anything they have learnt in their school years, when in college and beyond. Isn't that a crying shame????



Mom tries to end life after cadets death in a swimming accident...This was really distressing. Imagine how the mother felt when her dear son drowned in the pool of the training center on which she had rested her hopes, to lift them out of middle class drudgery. The loss was intense and the mother in a fit of despondency tried to take her own life, She is now in a coma...

What can I say..'Is the rising number of suicides, for seemingly trivial reasons is a sign of the society's lackadaisal attitude and lack of value for an individual's life?

Appreciative Gesture!

This is my gesture of appreciation towards Dhirubai Ambani International School. It is for its efforts to rightly understand the need of the situation and taking wise and corrective measures to deal with the same.

 Last week while going through the newspaper I got to read very pleasing news. It reported about the students of Dhirubai Ambani International School being indulged in drug addiction and substance abuse. When the same was brought to the notice of the authorities, instead of worrying about the bad publicity and reputation of the school the school rightly took a wise decision to send the students for counseling instead of expelling them from the school.

 I appreciate the approach of the school coz; I believe that it has rightly understood the demand of the time. It is right in realizing the fact that the students are naïve to understand the thin line between right and wrong and they need a proper guidance to help them understand the difference and its significance in their life. Today with the demand of the life to maintain the status quo parents hardly get to spent quality time with their children. Knowing this, the next best person for guidance in their life are their tutors.  And I am happy that Dhirububai Ambani International school has got good mentors to lead the students on right path.

I congratulate the school for their thoughtful decision. Hope other schools follow the same foot steps.

 

 

HELP for troubled MARRIAGE

tHIS WAS AN INTERESTING EMAIL THAT I RECIEVED ,
and since I am not married and not thinking of such an entanglement in the near future, I thought I'd pass it on to those who are...

HELP ( Health Education Library for People ) is organizing a free talk
on *"Secrets
of Happy Marriage" *by *Dr. Rajiv Anand *on *29th April 2009* at *3.30
pm*at HELP ( Health Education Library for People ) 206, National
Insurance
Building, Dr.D.N.Road, Wallace Street, Mumbai 400 001.To register call:
/ 94, ,

go ahead and attend...learn to be happy!

HORRRN PUKARE

Yesterday Anil, Stuti, Yours truly and Director of AASRA saw the movie HORRN PUKARE, made by the noted film maker SAI PARANJPE.
The movie was about HIV-AIDS Awareness and Prevention.As the title suggests, the the story is about truck drivers and their tough lives.Now,I dont know about the others but I thought that the film was quite satisfactory. It is fit to be shown to truck drivers and all those connected with them. It is also a movie that can be part of a sex education program in schools and colleges.(though it deals only with one method of prevention . ie condoms.)
The actors were average( some below average)having said that, I should mention that the principal protogonist really looks and acts the part.Most shots were shot on location( highways and sidey dhabas).The dialogues were quite well written without being too preachy( and minus the mothers and sisters abuses which is part of the truckdrivers lingo, as SAI jokingly said) . The street play at the end could have been omitted(it was like a recap of all that was taught ! Silly, I thought!)
Acccording to me, the film could have explored the mental state of the protogonist when he is diagonised with being HIV+.( one does not become happy and accepting of a life altering situation so easily!)that part in the movie was too abrupt, I felt.
Most people living with HIV+ with their family go through a lot of stress and despair. They dont know how to handle the excommunication by society.
AASRA being a helpline for suicide prevention, has recieved numerous calls from people suffering form HIV/AIDS.We, I think dont look at the situation so clinically but with a lot of empathy and commpassion, that was what was missing in the movie I felt.

Later, all of us sat down for a bit at the marine drive and the best thing was that we all took a VICTORIA ride..wow! that was so fabo!
Thanks to our BOSS...! Saalam, sir!;-0

COMMUNICATION!

H: Husband W: Wife

Scenario 1    Family: Happy

H: I think you have added excess salt to the vegetable.

W: Have I? Am so sorry I could not concentrate full heartedly in cooking.

H: What happened? Is all well?

W: I had real bad and demanding day in the office today.

H: Any major problem?

W: Our department head has come down to our office from his London based office and his meetings are really grilling. So whole day we were tied up with presenting our team progress and digging historic issues. Two more days he is scheduled to stay in Mumbai. So another two days of meetings with him. So I was just lost in the thoughts and was thinking of tomorrows meeting.

H: Its ok chill! Don’t you worry! If you are sure about your work just present it confidently without any hesitation or unnecessary worries. And for now we can squeeze little lemon to the vegetable to reduce the taste of salt in vegetable. Wats say?

W: Sure darling! It feels so great to even share my day’s experience with you. And thanks a lot for patiently hearing me out.

Scenario 1    Family: UnHappy

H: What a horrible mess you have made out of this vegetable.

W: What happened? Is anything wrong with my cooking?

H: Were you in hurry to finish the salt jar?

W: Oh! have I added excess salt in vegetable? Am so sorry! I could not concentrate full heartedly in cooking. I had real bad and demanding day in the office today.

H: You please maintain your family life and professional life separate. Whatever problems you face in the office let them be in the office itself once you cross your office gate in the evening.

W: Am so sorry darling! Let me add some lemon to it to set the vegetable taste right.

H: leave it! I have lost my appetite also now.

            The above illustration is an example of how a good listener can lead to a good communication helping deal with stress, and similarly how does lack of communication entangles too many issues creating complications and lead to an over burden of stress.

Wife in the first case is relived for time being from her office stress and is able to concentrate on her family. Five minutes of her husband’s patience has helped her to be relived from stress. Whereas, in the second case the wife’s worries are multiplied coz, now along with her office worries she has an upset husband to handle.

In today’s demanding world communicating ones mind has become an essence of routine. When you speak your mind you open avenues for opinion, suggestion, solution, appreciation, guidance and many more. And all this helps one to lessen the stress.

Stress is a singular form of Depression. Lack of communication multiplies stress and leads to Depression. And communication helps in deducting stress out of life as it occurs.

 

a seminar..

Today I attended a seminar on relaxation training and technique....it was an interesting seminar. The speaker spoke about the importance of self.He gave examples about how we dont understand the value of increasing our self worth and self esteem...he then gave reasons as to why people become stressed and depressed.
later he demonstrated various techniques...on how to relax etc...
the whole session was good.
I was wondering if we could incorporate somethng like this in our workshops..
what does evryone think???..( I could teach u the next time we meet)

Brain not hard-wired to feel compassion

Reports in newspapers suggest that New brain imaging research showed an almost immediate 'wince' reaction to seeing someone's physical pain . By contrast the brain took a long time to respond to stories of social pain.
So is compassion a learned /developed skill or does it come inborn with our usual emo-make-up? This kind of research can throw on it's head the entire presumptions and assumptions of psychiatric medicine. Man develops his skills while he grows up and these developments are in direct response to the environment. Imagine if someone doesnt ever realise an opportunity for compassion when a child, how will that person ever be human- as we recognise ourselves ...
But this research tells a lot on why politicians seem to do everything to gain power to the extent that religion and casteism are played up to a point where conflict and violence are generated. Once the polity gets polarised the politicians can work their manifestos to accomodate the polarised segments. While enacting this deviousness they never feel that they are causing harm to the public. For them the ends justifies the means. That explains Gujrat and several other riots that have been engineered in the country for political gain.The politicians definitely lack compassion in this respect.
People who commit suicide do it because they do not find the compassion and understanding that they expect from their near and dear ones. When the expected support is wanting and they begin to feel alone and neglected that's when the feeling of hopelessness sets in and depression takes over. When the person find that there is no other way out, that's when he or she decides to end their lives.
Compassion is a nurturing element in life. It is life affirming as well as healing. Without compassion, there can be no understanding of another's pain!