Mysore :

With an aim to educate and create awareness among the young minds on how precious life is, a couple from Mysore is on a cycle expedition throughout the country on a modified tandem cycle. The couple who started their journey from Mysore on August 11 has toured Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat till now with a message to prevent suicide and educating youngsters that suicide is not the only solution to solve problems.

M.V. Santhosh and Akshatha S. Rao, both Ballroom dance instructors & residents of Gokulam in city, have been visiting schools and colleges across the country with the message of suicide prevention among youngsters. They also hold interactive sessions with these youngsters and tell them about ways of combating suicidal tendencies if any.

Till the now the couple have visited 53 institutions and interacted with more than 9,000 students. Currently, they are in Bharuch, Gujarat and will be travelling towards Rajasthan after completing their mission in Gujarat. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Akshatha said that the so far the tour has been successful with lot of youngsters coming forward and sharing their experiences with them.

She said, in most of the cases the students were forced to take the extreme step due to the examination pressure and also pressure from their parents. “Some reasons also included molestation and rape not only among girls but also boys, addiction, betrayal from friends by not keeping their secrets, relationship issues.” We interact with the students and also stay at a place for a sometime to interact one-on-one with students if need be,” said Akshatha.

When asked about her inspiration to go on a cycle expedition with a social cause, Akshatha said that it was during a dance workshop in one of the colleges in Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district, they found out that four girls of the college had committed suicide in a single academic year unable to bear examination pressure. This inspired us to go on a expedition with a message to youngsters not to end their lives.

Akshatha also mentioned that during their interaction, on an average, around 4-5 students have the courage to tell them that they have had suicidal tendencies citing various reasons. “We interact with them and educate them regarding their precious lives. There have been many examples of students changing their minds not to take extreme steps and assuring us to not to end their lives through suicide,” added Akshatha.

The couple also conduct dance classes at the places they visit and collect funds to continue with their journey. During their recent visit to Maharashtra, Santhosh and Akshatha met Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chauhan and actor, model Milind Soman and shared their message.

They have been visiting NGOs who have been working on distress helpline, share their experiences and also learn from them. COOJ (You Matter) in Goa, Connecting NGO, Pune, Samaritans, Mumbai are a few of the NGOs that the couple have visited so far.

The couple have not planned their date of return back to city. As of now, they are happy touring the entire nation.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 25th, 2013