Bengaluru: At the age of 42, Bindu’s life took a shocking turn when her father ended his life following a family feud. The grief-stricken Anganwadi worker and devoted mother of two from Ramanagara tried to commit suicide a year later after a heated argument with her brother over property.
Fortunately, Bindu found hope SURAKSHA project. This initiative offers comprehensive support, including psychotherapy and grief counseling, to people in rural areas. Each case is reviewed through a series of counseling sessions designed to discuss troubling thoughts and provide the tools needed for recovery.
Project SURAKSHA, a collaboration between Himalaya Wellness Company, the Government of Karnataka and Nimhans, focuses on creating a comprehensive suicide surveillance system. In view of the alarming increase in the number of suicides in Karnataka, the project was implemented in Channapatna Taluk of Ramanagara district and covered 32 panchayats. They engage various community stakeholders, including farmers, daily wage workers, students, media workers and women’s groups, providing early identification, crisis intervention and referrals to specialists mental health support.
Latha NT, an ASHA worker from Nagavara village in Channapatna, says, “The project has changed ASHA workers in trained guards who can now identify people showing suicidal thoughts and intervene. Before the project began, awareness of suicide was limited and deaths were often misclassified as heart attacks or natural causes. We now have a separate suicide registry in 16 PHCs in Channapatna for immediate reporting and support. Communities are better informed and report incidents quickly. Our regular PHC meetings deal with suicide cases, providing crucial support to survivors and their families.
KG Umesh, HR Director, Himalaya Wellness, says. “Before this initiative, many suicide cases were under-reported. Now, with specialized training, ASHA workers can recognize warning signs and refer individuals for timely advice, saving lives. Our partnership with Nimhans ensures that our interventions are research-based. Dedicated suicide registries and timely strategies foster a culture of mental health awareness, proving that earlier intervention could have saved many lives.”