SHE may not have dreamed of becoming a legend. She may not have wanted to earn a huge amount of money. But the shortage of basic needs to live did not allow her to read and write and grow as an enlightened human being. Foreseeing her ambition going down the drain, she bid farewell to her own life.
The 18-years-old Nadia Baloch of Larkana passed away on Aug 24 when doctors failed to save her life struggling for a week after she gulped down poison when her father asked her to discontinue studies. The reasons her father had dished out for not allowing her to complete her education was that the expenses had become unbearable for an aging father who was serving as a peon at some office in Karachi and had to feed a family of eight children.
Nadia had passed her matriculation securing more than 70 per cent marks and was a student of first year at the Larkana College. Like her elder sister, she too wanted to continue her studies. But her parents knew that additional expenses would be difficult to make her fulfil her desire. Seeing no way out, she thought of putting an end to her life.
Unlike many other suicides, Nadia’s tryst with death is much astonishing in a society where such actions are often a result of family feuds, social taboos and injustices. In theory, there may be a universal phenomenon where the act of suicide is linked to many psychological and emotional causes. But some people are of the view that if at some stage a person does not feel leading a life without achieving his aims, he has the right to kill himself. Societies such as Japanese consider it a part of their culture to stab such a person or push him off Mount Fuji.
Whether suicide attaches an ethical, legal or religious interpretation or not, the essence of the act is that it is the reaction to some injustice that’s been meted out to a person. Certain kinds of crime too fall into this category where injustice, suppression and cruelty are associated with this particular psychological phenomenon.
Nadia’s case falls into many categories, but chiefly it is the most pathetic reflection on the social order we live in and are not ashamed of being a part of. Nadia is among those over 87 per cent girls who live an illiterate life, are wedded to social taboos, butchered by male chauvinism and are forced to lead an inhuman existence. Nobody would be unaware of the miserable life of rural and semi-urban settlements where girls and women spend a soulless life.
Could Nadia’s suicide have been avoided? It may be a difficult question to answer, but the fact remains that despite such tragic acts, we are too averse to the ground realities and continue putting the blame on one person or another. How unfortunate the reality is that no one seems to even comprehend these causes and make an honest effort to reduce the magnitude of the problem that contributes to such cases of suicide.
According to the sociological aspect of the situation, there are many factors to ponder over. Obviously, the government, society and the new element of non-government organizations (NGOs) form a triangle whose job is to not only cure social ailments but it is also committed to making people’s lives less arduous.
The government comes first. One of its duties is to provide education to the masses, particularly the downtrodden segment of society. There are numerous ways through which a poor and deserving student can be helped. One of them is awarding scholarships to the intelligent and deserving students. These scholarships bear a meagre amount. But, unfortunately, this practice has fallen prey to nepotism. Even a trivial amount has failed to reach those who deserve it. The anomalous pattern of awarding these scholarships is so cruel and cumbersome that a man with the slightest of self-respect would hate to pursue it. When books, stationary and other articles of education given by international donors can be found in open markets for sale, how can the genuine aid-seekers get what the government finds suitable to meet their education requirements?
The other source can be the Zakat fund. In fact, this should be a major support to the genuine education seeker. Incidentally, this has also been so politicized that a very small minority is benefited from it..
The NGOs also display this attitude. A very few can rightly boast of making a real effort towards achieving the objective of helping the poor and deserving talent, the rest are found convening luxurious conferences at urban centres and publishing news releases, highlighting their achievements.
Let us not forget that we live in a predominantly feudal and tribal society that breeds innumerable miseries, especially creating an economic system that does not ensure honourable living for the majority of our population. This has divided our society into two classes — the rich and the poor. There is no existence of a middle or upper middle class, which acts as a buffer between the two. Without realizing the effects of this unrealistic phenomenon, our planners have developed a policy that can only suit the rich.
In fact, the people who are in a position to change this system come from the feudal and other ruling dynasties who reach the corridors of power to safeguard their own interests. It would be an absurdity to expect an agenda from them that could bring about a change into the system and ensure social security. They need a poor class that they can rule, which is exactly what’s been done for the past 57 years.
Female education faces the same dilemma and is something that’s looked down upon in the rural areas. In such a situation, to increase the literacy rate among the female population of the country needs special attention and a concrete structure manned by honest individuals. This many sound a bit difficult task, but it is definitely not impossible. What is required a strong political will and result-oriented modus operandi.
Nadia was the victim of the unjust system we are all associated with. There could be many more Nadias; but let us hope that their fate will not be the same as Nadia’s.
SHE may not have dreamed of becoming a legend. She may not have wanted to earn a huge amount of money. But the shortage of basic needs to live did not allow her to read and write and grow as an enlightened human being. Foreseeing her ambition going down the drain, she bid farewell to her own life.
