Saving the Indian 'face'

'Saving face' may be a term usually associated with Chinese cultural norms, but it is an omnipresent feature of desi culture too.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, which could be attributed to their cultural perception of suicide: "[f]or the for the first time ever, Japan is looking at suicide as something perhaps caused by mental illness."

While suicide has never been praised in Indian society, it does have one of the highest suicide rates worldwide:

The survey of 10- to 19-year-olds in the region around Vellore found that the average rate for women was 148 per 100,000, and 58 per 100,000 for men.

The average suicide rate worldwide is 14.5 per 100,000.

There are tough times ahead for everyone, but hopefully we won't be seeing _any_ more of these: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/06/california.murder.suicide

Neighbor Trish Harrison, who lives three houses from the crime scene, said the family had lived in the community for about a year. They kept to themselves and had little interaction with neighbors. The parents were from India, she said.

Submitted by shrimpy on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 11:40.
Tags:
»
1

guyana gyal:

Ohhhh yes. *Shame* we call it. But not so bad that folks commit suicide. Here, suicide is committed because of love gone bad.

10/11/2008 - 20:50
2

shrimpy:

Thanks for stopping by GG.

10/13/2008 - 00:09
Movie Ticket Giveaway

The award winning, and buzz generating Slumdog Millionaire will be opening in Australia on 18 December. A few lucky Chingri Maachh community members will be able to get free tickets to the Advanced Screening on 12 - 14 December. Stay tuned for details!

Want to be on TV?


I was contacted by Julia Timms, a producer of 60 Minutes, asking for participation from the desi expat community in their new show:

60 Minutes is looking to do a story about the world of arranged marriages. It seems in the days of high divorce rates, there's a renewed interest in asking your family to help you find the "one". 60 Minutes is looking for people who are now about to enter an arranged marriage with the help of family and friends. We also want to explore the philosophy of arranged marriages - where a shared sense of cultural heritage and a similar set of goals in life are all important. If you are interested in finding out more about the show please contact producer Julia Timms at jtimms@nine.com.au