New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “joke” on a woman’s death by suicide at a media event on April 26 has led to outrage on social media, with many noting that for a prime minister to recite a purported joke about suicide is extremely insensitive.At the media meet, Modi spoke in front of an audience in Hindi and his speech was broadcast live on a television channel. The following is a translation of his speech. It may be triggering to some, so caution is advised.Modi said:“In our childhood, we would hear a joke. I want to tell you that.“There was a professor and his daughter committed suicide. She left a chit, ‘I am tired of life and don’t want to live. So I will jump into the Kankaria Lake and die. In the morning, he saw his daughter was not at home. On the bed he found the letter. The father was very angry. “I am a professor. For so many years I have worked hard, and even now, she has spelt ‘Kankaria’ wrong.”The audience bursts into applause at this point. Modi is also seen laughing.He then said, “I am happy that Arnab [Goswami, Republic TV head] has begun speaking great Hindi.” More applause followed.“I didn’t hear what he said but I was paying attention to whether his Hindi is correct or not,” Modi added. “Maybe you have learned Hindi properly because you have been living in Mumbai.”It is unclear why this “joke” was necessary to compliment Goswami’s Hindi.According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest data, 1,64,033 people died by suicide in India in 2021. This means that 450 people died each day. This was an increase of 7.2% in terms of absolute numbers as compared to the previous year.According to this paper published in Indian Journal of Psychiatry, this was the highest recorded ever since the NCRB came into existence.More than one-third (34.5%) of those who died by suicide belonged to the age group of 18-30 years. Another 31% were aged between 30-45 years – thus showing that the very people who are referred to as India’s “demographic dividend” are who are dying by suicide.The fact that mental health does not figure in as priority and people don’t consider suicide a serious issue was revealed in a survey carried out by the The Live Love Laugh Foundation.In a survey of 3,556 respondents from eight cities across India, a staggering 47% could be categorised as being highly judgmental of people perceived as having a mental illness, Quartz had reported.Recent reports have also shed light on how academic distress among young Indians is combined with factors like caste discrimination even in elite institutions, rising unemployment and financial struggle, leading students to feel isolated like never before.Opposition leaders are among those who have registered their outrage against Modi’s comments.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter in Hindi that thousands of families lose their children due to suicide and the Prime Minister should not make fun of them.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was one of the first to comment on the remarks on Twitter. She said that India’s high suicide numbers were a tragedy and not a joke.“Depression and suicide, especially among the youth IS NOT a laughing matter. According to NCRB data, 164033 Indians committed suicide in 2021. Of which a huge percentage were below the age of 30. This is a tragedy not a joke.“The Prime Minister and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better and create awareness rather than ridicule mental health issues in this insensitive, morbid manner.”In a Hindi tweet, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, incisively, noted the applause that followed Modi’s comments:“Malaise is visible when the Prime Minister of the country tells a joke on a sensitive issue like ‘suicide’. But even more frightening is the applause and laughter after the joke. We have become a very sick society…Jai Hind.”Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared 2021 NCRB data to show India’s numbers when it came to deaths by suicide. She also called the video triggering.Respected PM,I won’t share the triggering video where you cracked a joke on suicide while the audience laughed at the insensitive ‘joke’, however I’d definitely like to remind you that 2021 NCRB data shows that over 1.5 lakh Indians committed suicide, also deaths by suicide… pic.twitter.com/nWysoJSIRL— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) April 27, 2023Aam Aadmi Party tweeted through its official handle, “Imagine the insensitive disregard for human life by our Prime Minister who needs to crack a joke on suicide!?!?”Samajwadi Party’s Gaurav Prakash cited a report from The Quint, to note that “every nine minutes a woman in India takes her own life.”Journalists, too, have spoken on the joke.“No aspect of insensitivity should be devoid of your indulgence,” Abhishek Baxi tweeted.“Modi outdoes himself,” wrote Swati Chaturvedi.If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. Icall, a counselling service run by TISS, has maintained a crowdsourced list of therapists across the country. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.
