Left Behind

About the book

In April 2017, Nandini Murali lost her urologist husband Dr T.R. Murali to suicide. In the wake of that devastation, her life changed forever. As she struggled to find her feet and begin to live again, she discovered that survivors of suicide loss are unheard and unseen, their needs and concerns not recognised. She writes of the angst of the survivor, and of the overwhelming feelings of confusion, anger, shame, loneliness and guilt that survivors of suicide loss face.

Her lived experience inspired Nandini Murali to institute intervention strategies, through her initiative SPEAK, for those grappling with suicide and for survivors of suicide loss. She distils her experience, personal and professional, and her research to write this necessary account.

Left Behind is an important contribution towards addressing the shame, secrecy, silence and stigma of suicide loss, and a step towards bringing it out of the closet. A chronicle of love and loss, it is an inspirational story of transmuting pain into purpose, healing and transforming through loss, building resilience and discovering newer meanings in life.

About the Author

Dr Nandini Murali is a diversity, equity and inclusion professional and a certified life coach (with a focus on loss and transition). She has a doctorate in Gender Studies and is currently Vice-President, Learning & Research at Avtar, Chennai.

A suicide prevention and mental health activist, her lived experience of suicide loss inspired her to establish SPEAK (www.speakinitiative.org)-an initiative of MS Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, Madurai, to create safe, supportive inclusive spaces to prevent suicide and promote mental health, SPEAK2us (93754 93754), a mental health helpline and Project SPEAK, a postvention services initiative for women impacted by suicide loss, in collaboration with Mariwala Health Initiative, Mumbai.

A student of Vedanta and a seeker on a sacred quest, her daily spiritual practices enrich her personal space and her writerly life. Passionate about wildlife photography, Nandini loves to wander in the forests with her camera. She is the author of six books that span genres as diverse as fiction, nonfiction, Indic Studies, translation, and poetry. She can be contacted at nandini.murali8@gmail.com.