I was as shocked as anyone else when I learned about the suicide of actor Shushant Singh Rajput on Sunday, 14 June 2020. A young, talented, self-made man, on the cusp of greatness; a light snuffed out in its prime. As the news cycle progressed, my shock and dismay at the tragic end of a young life turned into disgust at the sort of reportage that accompanied this occurrence. It also made me introspect about the kind of society that is blind and indifferent to how troubled people can be; how such indifference can be directly responsible for suicide.
People expressed their sadness, disbelief and devastation that a bright young talent such as Shushant Singh Rajput was no more. People recalled his memorable films with anguish and regret.
He was just 34. People who loved him and his movies expressed their anguish at his passing and condoled with the family.
People from the film industry as well as sportspersons (since Singh's athleticism meant that he played athletes in several of his movies) expressed their shock and deep regret at the news.
The actor’s recent movie Chhichhore was about suicide and the importance of rallying around those who feel alone, or helpless or who have mental issues. It is ironical that someone like him should feel so hopeless and bereft of options that he felt the need to take his own life.
Fans of the actor and others who were shocked by the news obviously had one question – why? They tried to look for clues on his social media pages.
As soon as I heard the news, I knew we would be flooded by a flood of salacious conjecture, speculative gossip and voyeurism in the name of journalism and fact-finding, as was seen in the case of Sridevi’s death. And sure enough, reporters were seen intruding on the family's grief and speculating about the death.
Soon, images of the actor's dead body started to circulate on WhatsApp and truly tone dead headlines such as these started to beam on TV news. What does it say about us as a society that has such a prurient interest in someone's death; which lacks the empathy to respect the privacy of the dead and their families?
This tragic incident has once again focused attention on how mental health issues so frequently slip under the radar and receive not a fraction of the attention they deserve and need. Mental health issues are frequently undiagnosed and may not receive the help they need in time. Tragically often they result in suicide.
Much of our society is still ignorant about and indifferent to depression and mental health issues. People either do not believe that there is a real problem or erroneously feel that things will somehow sort themselves out. There is still a lot of stigma attached to getting help for these ailments and families often refuse to even admit that there could be a problem. As a society, we do not have the kind of empathy and the support system required for people who have depression, anxiety and other mental issues.
What does it say about us that so many of us ghoulishly chose to view and forward pictures of someone who had just ended their life? This is simply repulsive. With the COVID pandemic requiring us to isolate ourselves, loneliness is something that many of us may be struggling with. At this difficult time, are we all making the effort to reach out to those around us? What are we doing to ensure that there isn't a Sushant Singh Rajput among us somewhere; someone with a beautiful promising life before him; who felt that he had no choice but to end his life? How can we make sure that we as a society do not fail others who may be feeling just as hopeless?
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
