The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2024 is “Changing the narrative on suicide,” emphasizing the need for open and compassionate dialogue and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Goa, India, 5th September 2024: BITS Pilani organised its thought-provoking event, ‘Samvaad’, featuring renowned Vedanta philosopher and national best-selling author Acharya Prashant on 3rd September. The timely discussion, held ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, It attracted a large audience of students, teachers and mental health advocates. Acharya Prashant, A former civil servant and IIT-IIM alumnus, he offered a different take on the pressing issue of suicide prevention. His experience in both the secular and spiritual realms gave weight to his unconventional approach to the issue.
Prashant challenged traditional views on suicide and proposed a broader, more existential definition. “It is not the end of the body that should be called suicide, but the end of possibility and potential,” he said, shifting the focus from the physical act to the deeper question of unrealized human potential.
He provocatively asked whether society at large is complicit in a form of existential suicide. “If we define suicide as the end of potential and possibility, aren’t we all killing ourselves?” he asked, urging the audience to reflect on their progress toward realizing their full potential.
Introducing the concept of Samadhi, Acharya Prashant presented it as a profound alternative to both physical and existential forms of suicide. He described Samadhi not as a distant state but as a profound realization and transformation of consciousness, offering a “true and lasting solution” to life’s existential challenges.
While acknowledging the importance of conventional approaches to suicide prevention, Acharya Prashant advocated a deeper, more holistic strategy. He encouraged self-observation and understanding as paths to attaining Samadhi and true realization.
At the end of the event, attendees walked away with a renewed perspective on suicide prevention and mental health. The Samvaad at BITS Pilani proved to be a timely and insightful prelude to World Suicide Prevention Day, encouraging a deeper, more existential approach to addressing human suffering.
The event aligns with this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme, “Changing the narrative on suicide,” emphasizing the need for open and compassionate dialogue and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
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If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or is in crisis, please seek help immediately. Below are some phone numbers for suicide prevention organizations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families. These services are free and confidential.
(Conversations about suicide can be triggering. However, suicides can be prevented.)
MITRAM FOUNDATION (Bengaluru) – 080-25722573
COOJ Mental Health Foundation (GOA): 0832-2252525
SANJIVINI (DELHI) – Center 1 (Jangpura): 011-24311918, 011-24318883, 011-43001456, Center 2 (Qutub Institutional Area): 011- 40769002, 011-41092787
VANDRAVELA FOUNDATION (Gujarat) – 18602662345
NOTE: These numbers have been compiled from publicly available sources and their veracity is not attributed to India.com..
