This morning I switched on my laptop and as expected the default yahoo page popped up... What I was not prepared to face was the news it carried "Snubbed on FB, IIM student kills herself"..
When I read on, what I found out that Malini Murmu, a 23 years old young engineer from KIIT, Bhubaneswar who had made it big in life by cracking the IIM and was in her 1st year at the prestigious B-School.. Recently her boyfriend broke up with her after some disagreement and posted the status on his Facebook account which said “Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new ex-girlfriend. Happy independence day.”...
Disturbed and embarrassed by the status message, Malini did the unthinkable and committed suicide..
What disturbed me was not how so little is taught in terms of emotional coping in our so called hallowed educational institutes of learning nor the fact that she was a budding talent who could have made her mark in the world and would have gone on to be a force to reckon with in the future...
What really disturbed me and moved me emotionally was what her parents must be going through... I can well imagine... being the father of a cute 9 months old daughter... I can well imagine... I can well imagine what it is to see the delight of your heart, your princess grow up to be a super achiever one day and suddenly everything coming to a grinding halt one day just because some stupid asshole said something (which does not even register in his thick demented brain as something even closely offensive) and phew.... just like that the fruit of your labour, the centre of your universe and the object of your living deciding to end it all.. your life slips out of the finger gaps like sand... bursts like a soap bubble.. while you watch...watch feeling so powerless and vulnerable...
It gives me sleepless nights thinking of how am I ever going to mange and ensure that my daughter is equipped with the necessary coping mechanism to cope in such situation... How would I ever tell her that she is so precious to us that no matter what other think or write about her it is not going to make an iota of a difference ever to what she means to us... How can I be too sure that she is really ready to take up her stand and manage her world... Will she ever be up to the task.. Will she ever manage the emotional roller coaster we call life...Will she ever be ready... Will I ever be ready...
I am sure such would have been the fear and apprehension that Malini's parent must have had when she came to this world... Indeed,such is the fear and apprehension that each parent undergo who has when blessed with their little one...
Is it not time enough for us to stand up and say that enough voyeurism and exhibitionism on social network site... Was social network supposed to bring people closer and make the global community to 'coalesce' on the same page or drive them to despair and killing them...
While such debbates will rage on for next couple of days on news media, in the intellectual circles and numerous candle march which would be carried out wishing Malini's soul peace, I will again go back to the gloomy corner and scare myself beyond imagination as I ruminate on the future of our children in such a heartless world...
