Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
CGC Landran observes World Suicide Prevention Day with awareness initiative
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 10, 2025: Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC) Landran observed World Suicide Prevention Day by hosting an Awareness Talk and Interactive Session on emotional health and suicide prevention for its students and staff.
Organized by the Department of Student Welfare, the event featured distinguished panelists including Dr. Harvandan Kaur Bedi, Psychiatrist & Co-founder of Let’s Be Okay; Dr. Karuna Singh, Assistant Professor and Counselling Psychologist; and Ms. Gurleen Kaur, Psychologist & Counsellor. The guests were warmly welcomed by Dr. Gagandeep Kaur Bhullar, Director, Student Welfare and Alumni Affairs, CGC Landran.
The program commenced with a thought-provoking skit highlighting the impact of peer pressure on mental health, portraying a student’s descent into hopelessness and despair due to unshared emotional struggles.
This performance served as a springboard for a panel discussion on suicide prevention and the need to change the societal narrative surrounding it.During the session, the panelists addressed the importance of mental health awareness, emotional resilience and the power of open conversations.
Dr. Karuna Singh emphasized the value of confiding in trusted family members as an effective way to combat severe stress and suicidal thoughts, while Dr. Harvandan Kaur Bedi urged participants to overcome the fear of judgment and express their emotions freely.
The experts encouraged attendees to seek timely help, adopt healthy coping mechanisms and to reach out to friends, family, or professionals when feeling emotionally fragile. They stressed the importance of destigmatizing mental health and fostering empathy, understanding and patience within society and communities.
An interactive Q&A session allowed students and staff to engage with the panel, exploring factors contributing to mental and emotional distress, including academic pressure, career challenges, relationships, cyberbullying, cell phone addiction, substance abuse, loneliness and low self-esteem.
The experts provided practical strategies for managing psychological turmoil, such as implementing a buddy system, introducing “wheel of emotions” training, and teaching the ACE (Ask, Care, Escort) approach for suicide prevention.
They also highlighted resources such as 24x7 helplines and Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States), a Ministry of Health & Family Welfare initiative offering nationwide access to counseling, psychotherapy, psychiatric consultations, and referral services through its toll-free helpline number 14416.
The program concluded with a short film on suicide prevention, followed by the felicitation of the esteemed guests and a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Bhullar.
The event served as a meaningful step towards spreading awareness, building emotional resilience and reinforcing CGC Landran’s commitment to nurturing not just academic excellence, but also the mental well-being of its students, faculty and employees.