Aasra- IASP Suicide Prevention Day Sept 10th, 2013, Light a candle 8 pm

Aasra in the Midday (05 June 2013)

http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2013/jun/050613-expert-speak-girl-interrupted.htm

Expert speak: Girl, interrupted

With suicide cases on the rise in the country, psychology experts speculate on what could have driven Jiah Khan to end her life

June 05, 2013

Mumbai

Shakti Shetty

 

 

 

 

Ever since the news about Jiah Khan started doing the rounds, what’s everyone thinking about is what could have driven the young actress to end her life so abruptly. And what’s more alarming is that with every passing year, there seems to be more and more suicide cases being reported in the country.
Photos: Jiah Khan - Snapshots from the past

In a medical study published in 2012, the estimated number of suicides in India in 2010 was about 1,87,000. A large proportion of adult suicide deaths were found to occur between the ages of 15 years and 29 years. Incidentally, of the five lakh people reported to die of suicide worldwide every year, 20 per cent are Indians.
While in an industry where one-upmanship is rife, there is always pressure to perform. The entertainment industry has always been demanding but to what extent? We spoke to psychology experts to get their views on what could have prompted the 25-year-old to take such a drastic step.
Missing Plan B?
Seema Hingorrany, clinical psychologist and author, points out the lack of planning in case of professional disasters. “In a metropolitan city like Mumbai, depression often goes undetected. There’s a deep sense of loneliness that even the immediate family or friends can’t see.


Especially, in the case of an actress like Jiah who has seen some instances of success only to face a downward slide in her acting career. So what she didn’t have was a Plan B. Unfortunately, she was left with a Plan A that simply didn’t work.”
Photos: Who was Jiah Khan
Turns out the toughest part in showbiz is not to bag stardom but to sustain it. Johnson Thomas of Aasra, a helpline against suicide, says several factors could have contributed to the actress’ drastic decision. “The young actress in question did seek stardom and even received some with her debut film. Later, she was seen in minor roles. Sadly, the film industry seems great provided you’ve got work and it turns cruel as soon as you run out of work.”
Clinical psychologist Varkha Chulani emphasises on the overwhelming possibility of depression. “From a clinical point of view, we don’t know yet whether it was an impulsive suicide or a depressive suicide.

The former is a phase where a person decides that life is not worth living and the latter is a case of elongated hopelessness. In Jiah’s case, we’ve read about her break-up and struggling career but then she also reportedly went to audition for a Telugu film. Someone with a severe case of depression won’t even be able to think of work.”
Life’s like that
Lata Shenava, counsellor and educator, takes a different route while explaining the more deep-rooted problem related to parenting. “There’s something structurally wrong with the way kids are raised nowadays. For the most part, they are put in a comfort-oriented environment and expected to grow strong, which is impossible. As a result, we see youngsters not being able to face challenges.” 

“SANKALP FORUM 2013” April 16-18, 2013

“SANKALP FORUM 2013”

April 16-18, 2013

Renaissance Hotel and Convention Centre, Powai, Mumbai 

Sankalp’s Annual Summit is the largest social enterprises focused gathering in the World. In its 5th year, Sankalp has grown truly global with speakers such as:-

 Susanne Dorasil – Susanne Dorasil is Head of the Economic Policy; Financial Sector Division at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development     (BMZ. She is currently serving as German co-facilitator of the G20 development pillar on Private Investment and Job Creation and as German co-chair of the Sub–group on SME Finance of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.

 Mark Stoleson is Chief Executive Officer of Legatum, and has served with the firm for over 7 years in various capacities including Head of Group Investments.

 Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund (joins via video conferencing) – Antony Bugg-Levine is the CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Prior to taking up this position in October, 2011, he was a Managing Director at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he designed and led the Rockefeller Foundation’s Impact Investing initiative.

 WatananPetersik, Director, Lien Centre for Social Innovation; Chair, Ashoka Singapore Advisory Council.

 Afeefa Sayeed, Senior Advisor, USAID – AfeefaSyeed is Senior Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development Middle East and Asia Bureaus, where she designs and implements initiatives and training on emerging programs, including engaging traditional and religious leaders and institutions, radicalization, and madrassah enhancement. She works with Washington based and mission staff to define best practices, highlight success stories, develop tools, and frame country strategies to bring expertise in engaging with the cultural contexts.

Paul Basil: Founder & CEO, Villgro- Paul also has contributed to building the social enterprise eco-system in India, through  Unconvention, Wantrapreneur, Villgro and  championing the ANDE Chapter (Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs).

Other names this year at Sankalp include –

Thomas Davenport, Director, South Asia, International Finance Corporation (IFC),Jerry Ng, President Director, BTPN and other stakeholders.

 Vineet Rai, Founder Aavishkaar and Intellecap; Anurag Agarwal, CEO Intellecap and Aparajita Agarwal, Head Initiatives at Intellecap will facilitate the Sankalp Awards, Villgro Awards, DFID women recognition awards and the Global Cookstove alliance awards for clean cooking.

 Over the last 4 years, Sankalp has recognized & rewarded social enterprises across the length and breadth of the country. Sankalp will engage over 11,000 stakeholders globally which includes:-Social Enterprises, Impact & Mainstream Investors, Policymakers to encourage innovation and Enablers, who are part of the ecosystem.

 This year however, the theme is looking - beyond impact, seeking transformational change through plenary sessions and world café formats.

 A major highlight on the 16^th of April, 2013 is G20 inclusive business workshop to promote learning & exchange. 

• http://www.sankalpforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Summit-Draft-Agenda.pdf