Breaking the silence

A web novel that talks about suicide through text, audio, and visuals, is the easiest way of describing Sriram Ayer’s The Story of a Suicide. This novel isn’t just a story, it is an awareness campaign

The Story of a Suicide is a unique web novel that talks about the issues young people face in this day and age. This story also comes at a time when the suicide rates in the country are abysmally high, and there is very little being done to address the problem.

Utilising several different forms of media like video, audio, and paintings, the novel aims to reach youngsters who spend most of their time on the internet and talk about this important issue. With four leads — Hari, Charu, Sam, and Mani — the story narrates how their lives become entangled in a web of passion and deceit. Sriram Ayer, the author and founder of NalandaWay Foundation, talks about its origins and what the story hopes to achieve.

“A dear friend tried to commit suicide while studying in the US, and that was traumatic. My work at NalandaWay has helped me understand the challenges faced by youngsters. India has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. Fifteen people commit suicide every hour. One out of three suicides in the country is committed by a young person. The novel consciously sounds raw and edgy so that it might resonate with the audience,” he tells us about what prompted him to write The Story of a Suicide.

Relating the story and the message it wants to convey, he says, “In the novel, a young person decides to commit suicide. Why does he/she want to die Where do they come from Why are they depressed , are some questions the story answers.”

He adds, “Against the backdrop of a powerful story and visuals, this project aims to reach out to young people by verbalising their struggles, informing the dos and don’ts when they face challenges, and providing a platform to share their experiences. It is a difficult subject, but gripping and definitely engaging.”

The decision to use audio, video, and illustrations was a conscious one for Sriram. “Youngsters are surprisingly apathetic when it comes to things outside the internet. So, we decided to host it online instead of making it a physical book. We also wanted to do something unique and innovative. That’s when we decided to bring a text-led story together with art, audio-based narration, music, and powerful trailer to get their attention. The watercolour paintings that supplement the story are done by my friend Ghana, and lend room for imagination. So far, the trailer has already crossed 3,00,000 views on YouTube in just one week. We will also be releasing a music video soon.”

Writing on such a grim topic wasn’t a cakewalk for Sriram. “I started writing the novel in 2012 and completed it in 2014. The illustrations, video, and technology development took the rest of the time. I should admit that some portions were disturbing even for me to write.”

Besides partnering with Youth Ki Awaa’ to reach out to more youngsters for this campaign/novel, he has more plans — “I am in talks with directors and producers to turn this novel into a movie. I am also working on ideas for my next novel. It could even be non-fiction, but I’ll make my mind up once this campaign is done.”