When you want to learn to drive a car, you can walk into a driving school. When you want to learn IT, you can go to an Engineering College. You have a School, College or institution to teach you anything - literally anything under the sun.

However, if you want to learn to live, is there any place they teach you? Is there any institution that teaches how to live?

And, you start living the moment you are born. Before you learn how to live, your life is over. That is the irony of life. Birth is not our choice. In fact we have no option. Nature decides the time and place of our birth. We are compelled to accept it as it comes. The question is, do we have the right to end our life? The simple straight answer is a big NO.

Our IPC holds attempt to commit suicide a cognizable offence. What does the law say? According to section 309 of IPC, Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both. This is a provision of law which cannot punish the perpetrator of the crime. It can only punish the one who attempts it.

Why should at all people end their own lives? This attempt normally follows the inability to endure misery and pain. That is, when you feel you have reached a dead end. You feel you have no option. You are at your wit's end. Your guts are at their lowest ebb. You feel helpless. You feel you cannot live any more. These are feelings only a coward can have.

Why kill yourself? Life in any case is going to do it to you. As some one said, Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. No problem, however complex it might be is insurmountable. It is not worth dying, however serious the problem might be. One should feel sorry that Parimalam, son of our great leader Annadurai chose to prematurely end his life.