Wary of the negative impact of the spate of suicides in middle-class families, where mothers killed their children and ended their own lives afterwards, on the young minds, city schools are contemplating calling for a parent-children counselling sessions as soon as the institutes reopen.
Wary of the negative impact of the spate of suicides in middle-class families, where mothers killed their children and ended their own lives afterwards, on the young minds, city schools are contemplating calling for a parent-children counselling sessions as soon as the institutes reopen. In the two recent incidents, three children -- aged 3, 5 and 7 years, respectively -- were killed by their own mothers who themselves committed suicide afterwards. The worry has been the collateral damage to those left behind.
Nidhi Gupta threw her children from the 19th floor before she jumped to
death
Parents, particularly younger couples, are discussing the reasons and impact of this disturbing trend on their children. Purvi Gogri, parent of a student of Vissanji Academy School in Andheri (east), feels that it was not right for a mother to kill her child and commit suicide. "But sometimes financial pressure and problems at home can be very depressing and if the husband is not supportive than one feels very helpless."
With increasing depression and marital discord among couples, children become the vulnerable victim of their warring parents' ire. "It's almost scary. What sort of a social order are we creating, where people, driven to death, dare not leave their children behind for fear of what the rest of the world will do to them? But, parents have no right to end the lives of their own children." says Kalpana Raut, principal of a Virar school.
Ankita Mittal, a Std VIII student of Uttpal Shanghvi School, said, "I cannot imagine the plight of a 5-year-old boy who died last Saturday after his mother pushed him from the building terrace. It's hard to believe a mother can kill her own child. I am still shocked."
A little over a month ago, 32-year-old chartered accountant Nidhi Gupta threw her son (7) and daughter (3) down from the 19th floor of a Malad building, before jumping to death herself. A few days ago, in a similar incident Deepti Chauhan (32) hurled her 5-year-old son, Sandesh, from a seven-storey building and herself leapt to death in Dahisar.
Panicked by the incident Ritu Duggal, principal of Thakur Public School where Sandesh studied, has decided to have a meeting and counselling sessions with the parents of their students. Dr Mohini Paul, a child psychologist at Bandra (west), said, "Inflation is one of the major reasons for stress. In today's times, the expectation from women is a lot more. Today, a woman is not only expected to do household chores, but also make money to survive the growing expenses. Often, constant negative thinking, loneliness and depression lead to committing suicide."
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
