Mumbai: In a move to curb student suicides, T-shirts with anti-suicide slogans like "Hang Not, Hang Out" are being peddled by a store in Nakshatra mall at Dadar in Mumbai. (Image courtesy: Mid-day.com)
JMV Lifestyle store owner and T-shirt creator Manmohan Singh said, "Taking one's life because of exam failure or not getting admission into a college of choice, is never an option."
Singh's anti-suicide T-shirt line, which has featured eight designs till date, will include two more. With results expected in two months and the admission rigmarole to follow, Singh believes these T-shirts, priced at approximately Rs 250 each, will find many takers.
On how he hit on the idea of slogans, Manmohan said: "I was researching recently for a health channel called Care TV. As host and producer of a show that is to be aired soon, I met parents, psychiatrists, students and people connected to the academic fraternity. It helped me understand the pressure youngsters face."
Singh comes up with catch lines along with his brother Jagmohan. "We were running an apparel export business, and have recently entered the retail segment".
The businessmen are quick to add: "We are not encouraging young people not to study. We just want parents to not treat marks as a status symbol. Your son or daughter is not a racehorse."
Singh cites examples of great failures - "Mahatma Gandhi failed in Latin. If he had committed suicide, the world would not have had Gandhi. R K Narayanan failed in English literature and became a great writer. Never give up when low."