Fighting suicides the T-shirt way

Garment manufacturers have resorted to a new way of wooing their customers, cashing on to the exam fever and student stress that is usually on the rise during the exam months of March and April.

Printed T-shirts proposing “Aal is well” was already making their rounds after the phenomenal success of the Aamir Khar starrer 3 idiots, at the box office.

3 idiots took a dig at the failing education system of the country where achievement is measured by the marks secured at exams. From the cut throat competition that ensues academic success becomes a matter of life and death.

The Rajkumar Hirani movie may have tickled the creativity of these manufacturers to use T-shirts to attract more buyers in a totally new commercial move but bold step taken to confront the suicide issue in particular, brings a fresh understanding of the magnitude of this malady - suicide being the fourth leading cause of death in the 15-19 age group.

In a phenomenal jump from a previous record of 6,000 students who committed suicide in 2006, the numbers have touched 16,000, according to unofficial sources.

In 2006, the most recent year for which official figures are available, some 5,857 students or 16 students a day, killed themselves due to exam stress. These figures climbed further recently.

The increase in the number of suicides coincides with board exams, various entrance tests and professional school tests during the month of April and May.

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