The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Suicide a rude shock to family

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 17, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Suicide a rude shock to family

Sudhish Kamath

Grieving family members harassed by photographers, say friends of actress

Shalini

CHENNAI: Shalini would have turned 23 in August.

Her friends would have thrown her a surprise as they always do for one another.

Her family would have been spared of the trauma caused by her death and the embarrassment caused by lensmen in the room at the moment of their grief.

The television and film actress had ended her life by hanging herself on Wednesday afternoon. Despite repeated requests to be left alone, a few mediapersons thrust a camera on the grieving family shocked by the sudden death.

A popular Tamil news channel not only entered the premises of the artiste but also chased the family all the way to the crematorium. Friends of the deceased artiste alleged harassment by nagging photographers.

"Please give her the right to die with dignity," a friend pleaded. "This is a public place," the news channel's journalist argued at the crematorium. News reports speculating reasons for her death were insensitive and baseless, the family said.

Health problem

Stress owing to medical health had taken its toll on the young actress. Family sources said she was admitted to a private hospital last month for ten days on account of food poisoning, after being initially suspected of cancer. Having lost about 20 kg over the past few months, the artiste had been rejecting the best of assignments, say friends.

"I have lost the confidence to live," she said in a note. Before killing herself, Shalini wrote three long notes: one addressed to her friends, one bidding adieu to her family and another stating that no one was to be held responsible for her death and that she wished to donate her eyes. And, she did.

Friends term Shalini the nerve-centre of her gang. Rarely did she discuss her problems, for she was the boss. "Anytime there was someone's birthday, she would be the first to remember, message reminders to all the others and plan a surprise," a friend recalls.

"She hanged herself in the same room we surprised her last August. There were about a dozen of us hiding in the room, we had a cake on the bed with 22 candles as she walked in to be completely taken by surprise," he adds. She had tears of joy.

After all, Shalini herself was the mastermind behind most birthday surprises. Little did her friends guess that weeks before she turned 23, she would pull the rudest surprise of them all.

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