Q: I am upset with my life. I used to be a brilliant student. I had been a topper since school days. I joined engineering but was very shy and reticent. I was the only one in the group who could not interact with others; this lead to emotional trauma and poor grades. Now I don't even have a decent percentage for placements. My parents are upset with me and their expectations are worrying me. I am scared to face them and my friends. I am thinking of committing suicide, but I don't have the guts to do so. All my friends are well placed in their careers. I feel that god doesn't love and I don't know where to go. Please advise.

A:Do you remember seeing that clipping in “Lage Raho Munnabhai” , when the young man says he is scared of facing his father because he has lost all the money and does not know how he can repay it. And Munnabhai helps him to face his father- which benefited him by – having faced the truth , he had nothing to hide, now suicide was of no use, it lead to self realization , and courage and he worked with dignity and could face his family and be supported by them with respect. That is what the family is all about. Mere success or failure in a single venture does not sign off on life. Take courage , try to discuss with your college counselor, then friends, and the placement incharge. Try for what ever you get. And thereafter try to work better. However, while you do this also along with your parents visit a Psychiatrist , since social phobia / anxiety disorders are eminently manageable these days, and are a world wide phenomenon, although coming into prominence only since last decade , have always been a part and parcel of human nature and in many a cause of morbidity.