Extremely saddened at the demise of the founder of Coffee Cafe Day, Sidhartha Hegde. The CCD spread across the country not only created gainful employment for thousands of youth, it provided a unique happy space for young and old to just relax over a cup of coffee, without being rushed to leave. It is in these outlets that many dreams have been woven, many relationships have been sealed and many business deals have been closed. This formed a perfect meeting venue for friends and professionals It is an irony that the person who made it all happen buckled under pressure of financial losses and took the extreme step.

Death is an ultimate loss, but when it is suicide it leaves a trail of multiple, overlapping emotions – shock, sorrow, guilt and anger among family, friends, relatives, acquaintances and even the public. The shear preventability of the incident is what makes it most disturbing. The “what if” question, continues to haunt the family and close associates for a long long time, sometimes eternally. “what if I had recognised the signs”, “what if he had spoken to me” ” what if I had been a little more kind and caring”, “what if he had sought professional help”, “what if he had a little more resilience”…… endless mind wringing thoughts.

Despite huge amount of initiatives being taken by Psychologists and Psychiatrists in helping people deal with depression, sadly the rate of suicides continues to rise. It is for all to realise the worth of mental fitness from an early age. Life is certainly not always rosy; it is during the low times that one needs that one hand to hold, perhaps extended by either a family member, friend or a professional. Unfortunately in this case the timely help eluded him.
RIP Sidhartha!!