Last week there was a newsitem in local newspapers :"The 17-year-old son of Fazilka deputy commissioner (DC) committed suicide at his Sector-8 residence in Chandigarh. The deceased has been identified as Sumer Singh Brar, son of Manjit Singh Brar.

Sumer, a student of Class 11 in prestigious St John’s High School, Sector 26, hung himself from a fan in his room, with his pet dog’s leash.

Family servant Sohan Singh was the first to spot the body at around 9:30am.

The deceased’s 20-year-old elder sister, a law student at Panjab University, was at home, while his mother was in Goa to attend a family function. The police was informed and Sumer’s body was rushed to the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where doctors declared him brought dead.

“Family members have told the police that he was a lively child and was not under any stress

A school spokesperson said, “We are shocked as Sumer was good at studies and was a sweet child. He always seemed to be happy and at ease with life."

The news item is nagging me since I happened to read it. 17 years is not the age to opt to die. On the other hand, he had all the reasons to look forward to the bliss of living. He had all the resources and reasons in the present milieu required to hope and expect a successful and honourable life within his reach. Is it a classic example of loneliness at the top?

Emphasis on individual and atomization of family and society has resulted in disintegration of family as we know it. Every member of the family tends to be a unit and not a component of the unit. Head of the family lives in Fazilka, mother has gone to Goa. The only sibling has her own schedule. The only companion is the pet, whose leash was used for the final act.

Dr. S Radhakrishnan writes, “We are afraid to be alone with ourselves.”

Tailpiece – A mythological story seems relevant – A number of pregnant rishipatnis were on way to take holy bath in sacred river on the occasion of a religious festival. All of a sudden their foetuses got ejected out of their mothers’ wombs. They were dumbfounded, looked towards each other . They had a query, why we were deprived of our rightful nutrition, stay and security of our mothers’ wombs. Whose karmaphal is visiting us? It is definitely the sins of our parents, teachers, rulers or priests.

They called for an assembly for fixing the culprit.