The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : This helpline is always open

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 13, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

This helpline is always open

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Lakshmi Vijayakumar.

Her organisation has infused hope in several people’s lives over the years. The seed of an idea to start a suicide prevention centre was sown during visits to various countries in the early 1980s. As her organisation, Sneha, completes 22 years of service on Sunday, founder trustee Lakshmi Vijayakumar speaks to K. Lakshmi about reaching out to people contemplating suicide.

“Suicide is not just an individual’s problem but a social issue. It cannot be prevented unless society is involved in it,” says Lakshmi Vijayakumar, who started Sneha in 1986 on the lines of Samaritans, a suicide prevention centre in the U.K. “It is the elderly feeling isolated who contemplate suicide in western countries. But here, the most vulnerable group are youth. The reasons that drive people to the impulsive decision are aplenty,” she said.

Her concept of supporting such people through a telephone helpline was initially met with opposition on the grounds of Chennai being a conservative city, in terms of people openly expressing their problems. However, this notion was proved wrong over the years.

“Rain or shine, we have remained open to support people in need of emotional help, thanks to our dedicated volunteers,” Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar said. Lauding the service of the volunteers, she recalled the time when a volunteer cycled early morning from Perambur to open Sneha’s office at Royapettah during the tense days following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. The organisation, which has 51 volunteers, recently launched round-the-clock services.

On an average, Sneha gets 20-30 calls daily and has supported over 1.5 lakh people in the city. The callers are counselled for various problems — depression, failed love affairs, and exam failure, she said. “From an 80-year old man who does not get anyone’s attention to share his views on cricket to a seven-year-old boy who has no one to narrate bedtime stories, we hear different people’s problems,” she said.

“We get more calls from students during examination time. With awareness programmes, the city has seen a decrease in suicide rate among students from 54 in 2005 to 40 in 2006,” she added.

Citing National Crime Records Bureau’s reports, Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar said 2,427 people had committed suicide in 2006 in Chennai. Suicide rates often go up when the city sees rapid changes.

Besides the helpline, 24640050, the organisation’s email support service, help@snehaindia.org, is also used regularly.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu