'Bol Ukusmukus Bol' spreads message of life over suicide

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, July20: Suicide was the second major crime reported in the country in the Fiscal Year 2021/22. Of the 46,902 crimes reported by Nepal Police, 6,792 were suicide (14.48 per cent).

The law enforcement agency and mental health experts argue that suicide can be preventable if an individual can share his/her problems with others rather than getting suffocated within themselves.

In a similar response, Anup Ojha, singer and journalist, and Pradeep Lama, choreographer of a Sydney-based Nepali dance crew 'The NeXt', came up with a song titled "Bol Ukusmukus Bol" with a message of the importance of life over suicide. Ojha, who is also the lyricist, and Lama have given voices to the song. 

The song was uploaded with a 10-minute-long video through the official YouTube channel of "The Next Team" on July 14. 

The song's lyrics and video story, which are about a story of family and friends helping out a boy to speak out about his problems and seek a solution by living, depict that an individual needs proper support from his/her kin at a time when s/he gives up.

The video also has energetic dance moves, choreographed by Lama and Kebika Khatri with Srijan Rawal as an assistant choreographer. With Ojha, Lama, Khatri and Bishnu Nepal as the main cast in the video, 50 other dancers have performed in it.

In a bid to motivate individuals towards surviving, the video also has inspiring comments from leading figures like senior actor Hari Bansha Acharya and ophthalmologist Dr. Sanduk Ruit.

The comments on the music video on YouTube also suggest that the listeners and viewers were happy to see a song inspiring people to live at a time when the cases of suicides have been rising at an alarming rate.