Once more local residents have learnt with much sadness of the tragic news of another suicide, apparently committed by a resident living within the community.
took her own life
This follows the apparent suicide about a month ago, of Dr Junaid Hassim (42), on July20. Clearly there is an urgent need for the leadership within the community, including religious leaders to address the ongoing depression that may residents are facing each day, leading to suicide, instead of hiding such matters ‘under the carpet.’ Over a short period, the Laudium Sun has learnt of many suicides taking place within the community, which were ‘hidden’ by embarrassed family members and friends, involving both youngsters and adults who faced various forms of depression due to, amongst others, family pressure, drugs, loss of jobs, relationships and finances.
This time it was with much sadness that family members and close friends learnt of the tragic death of a young female from Taj Street, Laudium, apparently due to suicide.
According to a family friend, who spoke to the Laudium Sun on condition of anonymity, the body of the young woman, Vaishnavi Nileshbhal Parekh (24), was found hanging in her room at around 10pm, last Tuesday night (August 19). The family friend told the Laudium Sun that the only reason he was informing the Laudium Sun about the tragedy, was that he hoped that the community would seriously address the stress and depression that many people are facing each day. The friend told the Laudium Sun, “I heard that Vaishnavi’s parents were concerned that she was besotted with a Pakistani national who was also older than her and who wooed her and made all kinds of promises to marry her. As he was not from this country, they could also not do a background check on him and felt that he was just using her. They were also concerned with the cultural and religious differences. Like any parent, they wanted only happiness for their daughter and thus arranged for her to meet a boy overseas, whose family they knew and who was from the same religious and cultural background, with the hope that she would like him and marry him. But tragedy struck and the parents hopes were dashed.”
Nileshbhal Parekh of Taj Street, the father of the deceased, told the Laudium Sun, “We are completely broken and have very little to say, as we have lost our child. At this point, we just want everyone to pray for our family. Nothing can bring back our daughter. Vaishnavi was a pretty, energetic and loving young woman and we still cannot believe why or how this happened. We have no answers. Right now, words cannot describe our pain. This devastating tragedy has left us shattered and we are all in mourning. It is still hard to believe that this has happened to my daughter. It feels like a bad dream, because we still feel her presence with us. We just ask everyone to keep us in their prayers, because prayer is the only thing that can give us strength now and help our daughter to be in a better place.”
Om Prakesh Patel, a resident of Taj Street and neighbour of the family, told the Laudium Sun, “It is a very sad moment for Nileshbhai’s family. We were deeply shocked when we heard the news that their daughter, Vaishnavi, committed suicide on Tuesday evening. As a neighbour, I cannot confirm the full details, but according to what I have heard, Vaishnavi, who was just 24 years old, was in a relationship with a Pakistani national from Lenasia. Her family opposed the relationship due to religious and cultural differences. It is said that her family then arranged for Vaishnavi to get married in Australia and she was supposed to fly out from South Africa for the marriage. However, it seems Vaishnavi was still in love with the Pakistani national and may not have been able to cope with the break-up. Reports suggest that this emotional distress, combined with the arranged marriage, may have contributed to her taking her own life by hanging herself in her room at her home on Taj Street. The family discovered the tragedy after hearing a noise from the room. They went to check and found Vaishnavi hanging. It is a truly tragic incident and I hope she rests in peace wherever she is now.”
Abdul Kadar Abed, also of Taj Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the suicide incident and it is truly tragic that such a young lady could take her own life. Nowadays, youngsters are going through many challenges and mental support is extremely important. I really feel the pain, because it is shocking that at such a young age, someone could decide to end their life. It is time that we in our community address the crucial issue of depression and mental health. We have seen many times that youngsters and even adults face tough times and as parents and grandparents, we need to support and guide our children. We must do everything we can to save our children.”
community must address the crucial issue of depression and mental health.