Are we Killers?

I hit upon this interesting Novel of Sriram Ayer by the name “The Story of a suicide” and I actually finished it in one go. The story was kept me involved and I was kind of addicted to this till the end. It was about midnight when I got to read this and finished it in flat 4 hours. I realized at 4am that it was too late to sleep. The story revolves around a few characters Hari, Charu, Sam and Mani, who are connected to each other and show many shades of love, friendship,revenge, betrayal, silent blackmailing and passion which knows no bounds. I decided to write a review and went to the kitchen to make a strong cup of Tea for me. I used to smoke earlier so tea and smoke used to be my companions in writing, but after I divorced the cigarette, the Tea has been a faithful partner and has kept company with me all along.

What came to my mind initially were these thoughts of relationships and society which actually lead to such incidents happening. The author has indeed seen someone close suffer this way which has inspired him to write this beautiful masterpiece. I myself have lost a close friend who supported the LGBT movement and was himself not ashamed to admit that he was a Gay. We as friends always gave him the space he needed and I could see the level of confidence he had gained over the years and his proficiency in addressing huge crowds during rallies. He was a true leader and respected by all. He was Lucky because his family supported and accepted his changed tendency and never made him feel guilty about his being gay. We as his friends were open minded and gave him full support in his movement. It was the society which had not accepted him fully but he was very helpful to all and I am sure he would have convinced one and all and brought a change in the society. Unfortunately, his being overweight did the damage to him and he had a severe heart attack and succumbed to in at a young age of 38.

As I came to my desk to write a review about this book, I wondered about the whole novel I read. I My friend lived that long, and had not death, beaten him, he would have won his race of life and rights. Are the others like him so lucky? Are the others so lucky to have such beautiful families? Are the other so lucky to have such cooperative friends? Are the others so lucky to have even partial acceptance by the society around them? The answer is perhaps a big NO and that is what exactly happens to the central character in the Novel.

I personally found the book very interesting and after reviewing it I would give it a 4.5/5. The plot revolves around passion. It is the passion that leads one Lover to cross all limits of Humanity and go to the extent of putting a software in the mobile of the girl he once loved and upload her private moment pics and videos in real time on the Internet just to get his revenge of being rejected by her. Here we see that in spite of good upbringing which parents give, the ego factor is always personal and keeps coming up depending on the individual human nature. On the other side, we see two Boys in love with each other, aware that the society may not accept their relationship, but still ready to live and die for each other. Here again, there are moments when Lust takes over and one forgets to care for the other who has already been subjected to such physical torture in his childhood. So in a way he brings back bitter memories to the other rather than giving him some consolation. The same boy who is then subjected to rejection by family and society takes up the decision to end his life and does so leaving behind this big question mark to the society and us as readers. Was this necessary? What right did we have to judge the boy and his actions? Could we not accept his individuality and let him live in peace? This interesting Novel unfolds each chapter delicately, making us think on this very sensitive issue.

Pic Source: Illustration by Ghana (http://www.storyofasuicide.com/images/chap11/11-32.jpg)

Some line written with the sheer intent of heart piercing and touching the emotional chord is: “So if I get abused as a child by a much older adult, according to your logic, I should shut-up, forget as if nothing happened and to top it all off forgive the bastard too?” or “I don’t have the energy and will to live anymore Charu. I am tired of being a failure. I am tired of being defeated. I am tired of being heartbroken.”

As I finished penning down my thoughts on this subject and the review, I felt a sense of relief. I was wondering what other Tips could I offer on this subject when I saw that some Tea was left in the cup and it was no longer piping hot and I enjoyed sipping it. It teaches us that if taken instantly it is Hot and sometimes burns the tongue, but once we allow it to stay for a while, we can enjoy the taste of the tea. Same is with sensitive issues. When we see such cases in the society around us, rather than reacting strongly about them, if we allow some time to pass, our strong words and thoughts would mellow down and the human in us would definitely accept this change. Only if we were like the tea, which eventually cools down and tastes better when not too hot. If we change our perspective towards the person and his/her family around us, the person won’t become a victim like Hari and give up his/her life. Let’s save some lives, Lets be Human.!!    

Uttpal K

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