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Anti-suicide ceiling fans are the next big thing and here's the man who invented it
Meet the man whose anti-suicide fans are being installed in Kota Hostels...
Depression amongst teens leading to suicide has majorly escalated in recent times and has become a matter of utter concern. Over the last six years, over 60 students have committed suicide in Kota, Rajasthan, a hub for young students in India. This means, there's almost one suicide very single month, which is obviously abnormal and truly alarming.
What causes most people to take this drastic step is stress related to their education and grades, or the enormous burden of expectations that Indian families are infamous for putting on their kids.
If reports are to believed, the technique used by most youngsters to take their own lives is by hanging themselves from ceiling fans of their hostel rooms.
Recently, Kota's administration decided to take things into their own hands and get to the bottom of these happenings by finding out the root causes of stress and any other factor that might trigger of suicidal thoughts, as well as find a solution to this major issue. While reflecting upon this sensitive topic, a matter of concern was raised - the ceiling fans! After some thought, the idea of customising these fans came about, in order to eliminate the possibility of anyone using this 'popular' technique across hostels.
That's when electrical engineer Sharad Ashani stepped in to save the day. Sharad, is a retired assistant general manager who is the creator of an intriguing product that, when fitted to a ceiling fan, makes it suicide proof! As insane as this may sound, Sharad is suddenly in the limelight (rightfully) for his morbid yet pretty cool invention that might actually help curb the rate of suicide.
According to reports, Sharad holds a patent on his invention and claims over 500 successful trials of his product in the last decade. Today, is a significant day in his life, as the very first batch of his anti-suicide product (the fan rods) are to be delivered to hostels in Kota.
Intrigued yet? Well, there's more! Here's how the product actually works:
A spring is fitted into the rod that supports the ceiling fan. When someone attempts to hang themselves, the load exceeds the determined point and the unlatching mechanism in the rod is activated. This is because the rod disengages from the fan and the person is instantly brought safely back to the ground.
This product is priced at the affordable rate of 250 Rupees and can be fitted with new, as well as old fans.
While speaking to a popular website, Sharad said that the idea to come up with this came about back in 2004, after he had heard and read about VJ Nafisa's suicide in her home in Versova, Mumbai. After some research, he came to find that the most common technique used to take ones own life is by hanging oneself from a fan. It was that moment when Sharad set out on a mission to find a solution to this problem. Today, Sharad is a local hero.
A noble man, indeed, the world definitely needs more heroes like this ex-assistant manager, with the simple aim to help humanity.
