It has almost been 8 years since the most dreaded day of my life. What began as a usual morning turned out to be a nightmare for me. My mother and I lived next door and as usual, I was getting ready to go to the gym with her. When I rang the doorbell, I did not hear her chirpy self from across the door. Something felt off, and she looked groggy. I asked her to get ready, gave her some lime juice, and went to get ready myself. When I returned in 20 minutes, I rang the doorbell continuously since I did not hear her coming. After a long while, when nobody opened the door and I started feeling uneasy, I broke open the door. 

I Am At A Better Place Right Now

I could not hear the dogs bark and could not even see them. When I ran inside, I found that my mother had hung herself and died by suicide. I was 23-years-old and my life changed forever that fateful day. I could not imagine a life without my mother. When I read her diary, I found that she was sad for a long time, if only she had shared her grief with me. I was so lost and hopeless that I tried taking my life. I tried to seek help – calling local helplines, but no one picked up. My husband found me, and helped me, and today, with all the help I have gotten, I am doing fine.

Spreading Awareness On Mental Health

There must be so many people out there who are trying to get help but are not able to because no one is answering the helpline. And I want to change that. No one should lose their loved ones because they could not get help. And the first step towards changing this is making sure everyone knows about Kiran – the national suicide prevention helpline. OTT platforms are a welcome addition to the lives of millions of viewers around the world. Based on a study, India will have over 500 million OTT subscribers by 2023, with content that primarily caters to the 15-35 years age group.

I want the 24×7 free tele counselling mental health helpline to be displayed across all Indian OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and others. Adding this number as a disclaimer during relevant scenes, and before a show starts, will make viewers aware of whom to reach out to when they need help. I have started a petition with Change.org and have received over 15,000 signatures. My next aim is to reach 25,000 signatories and then keep going further up with the numbers. 

If you, too, have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com