Be it poverty, illness or disability, there is gendered stigmatisation, said retired Madras High Court Judge Prabha Sridevan at the release of a book penned by writer and activist Nandini Murali titled, ‘Left behind: surviving suicide loss.’ The book deals with how to deal with the stigma.
Justice Prabha Sridevan received the first copy of the book at the event held at LAICO Auditorium here on Saturday.
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist R. Raguram called the book a path-breaking contribution. He stressed the need for establishing a digital archive for the use of survivors of suicide loss.
Consultant Psychiatrist S. Mohan Raj said there is very little material in India to help the survivors of suicide loss. This is the beginning, he said. Agreeing with him was Director of Projects, Aravind Eyecare Systems Aravind Srinivasan.
Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University M. Krishnan said the book was a platform for such issues. Managing Director of Hi-Tech Arai B.T. Bangera recollected his association with Ms. Nandini Murali.
The first copy of the book was released by S. Renuka of Novartis, and a survivor of suicide loss.
Overwhelmed by the support, Ms. Nandini Murali said, “Through the book on surviving suicide loss, I found a channel to express myself and the pain acted as the catalyst.” She read out a passage from the book and thanked her family members for the support. Her husband T.R. Murali, a rrenowned urologist, committed suicide in 2017.
Earlier, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist C. Ramasubramanian of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation welcomed the gathering. A support page for survivors of suicide loss, www.speakinitiative.org , was launched at the event.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044 24640050).
