A Seven Boats initiative towards spreading true awareness about this extremely misunderstood and stigmatized social issue on the World Suicide Prevention Day

Each suicide is a personal tragedy that prematurely takes the life of an individual and has a continuing ripple effect, affecting the lives of families, friends and communities. Every year, more than 1,00,000 people commit suicide in our country. There are various causes of suicides like professional/career problems, sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental disorders, addiction to alcohol, financial loss, chronic pain etc. NCRB collects data on suicides from police-recorded suicide cases.

On the occasion of the World Suicide Prevention Day, a panel discussion was held at Press Club with eminent panelist like Sudipta Chakraborty, National award-winning actress and social activist, Dr Tirthankar Dasgupta, Psychiatrist, Madhabilata Mitra Award Winning Motivational Leader and Trek Leader, Jimmy Tangree, Head 91.9 Friends FM, Mohon Bose Graphologist, Actor Chaiti Ghoshal, Calypso king Sumit Roy, and Indrajyoti Sengupta, Motivational Speaker and Leadership Trainer. The Panel discussion was moderated by Debajyoti Banerjee, Digital Marketer, Founder and Director, Seven Boats Info-System Private Limited. The speakers raised their concern on the increase in the number of suicide cases in the country and in west Bengal in particular.

On this occasion a book "AMAL- Suicide prevention awareness Compendium" was launched by the guests.

Speaking about this initiative Debajyoti Banerjee, Digital Marketer, Founder and Director, Seven Boats Info-System Private Limited said, "With #HumJiyenge Seven Boats has taken a step towards spreading true awareness about this extremely misunderstood and stigmatized social issue and creating a safe & compassionate place for people suffering to voice their anguish and find solace and support. With support from eminent personalities from different backgrounds with their experiences and opinions, our initiative is to create hope through actions."

According to the report - Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2021- Majority of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (22,207) followed by 18,925 suicides in Tamil Nadu, 14,965 suicides in Madhya Pradesh, 13,500 suicides in West Bengal and 13,056 suicides in Karnataka accounting for 13.5 per cent, 11.5 per cent, 9.1 per cent, 8.2 per cent and 8.0 per cent of total suicides respectively. These 5 States together accounted for 50.4 per cent of the total suicides reported in the country. The remaining 49.6 per cent suicides were reported in the remaining 23 States and 8 UTs. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State (16.9 per cent share of country population) has reported comparatively lower percentage share of suicidal deaths, accounting for only 3.6 per cent of the total suicides reported in the country.

It is a matter of great pride for us all that we are being able to address here today a subject that is otherwise considered as a taboo. It is most unfortunate when people suffering from severe depression choose to or think of taking their own lives finding no other way to let go of their anguish. Fear of being alienated and misunderstood further worsens the situation. It is extremely important for us all to realize how a little empathy can make a big difference. Thus, today we have decided to recognize the work of an organization that has taken up the huge responsibility of bringing hope where there is none.

With #HumJiyenge social initiative Seven Boats has successfully spread the message to nearly 5Lac+ people near Kolkata+48 kms area through their social media campaign and are further requesting more people to join hands and take forward this initiative to a larger scale.

So now it's time to create a culture that is smart about mental health, advocates for legislative policies which make suicide prevention a priority. By encouraging a culture that funds innovative research, we can save lives

A big round of applause for Lifeline Foundation for their support in this noble initiative. Lifeline Foundation is a voluntary organization working in the field of mental health and suicide prevention in Kolkata for over 26 yrs. - since 1996. The organization runs tele helplines to try and provide emotional support to callers who may be depressed, distressed or suicidal. Volunteers are extensively trained in Suicide Prevention Gatekeeping as per international standards. Their Mission is to break the stigma, prevent suicides and provide support to families affected by suicide. Their outreach work spans educational institutions as well as govt organizations to enhance awareness of Mental Health in India.

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( With inputs from ANI )

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