Kailash Kher recalls his suicide attempt: 'I attempted suicide by jumping into the Ganga'

Kailash Kher needs no introduction! He is one of the most sought-after voices in the music industry when it comes to sufi-rock songs. The singer-composer has several successful music albums to his credit and has also given his mesmeric voice to a number of popular Hindi film songs, including “Yuhi Chala Chal,” and “Arziyan”.

In his recent interview with a news agency, Kher opened up about one of the lowest phases of his life which took him to the verge of committing suicide. During the interview, he recounted how he once jumped into the river Ganga in Rishikesh to end his life.

Kailash Kher said that he had to go through a lot of hardship before he discovered his passion for music. “I had done many odd jobs to survive. I was 20 or 21 when I started doing export business in Delhi. I used to send handicrafts to Germany. Unfortunately, all of a sudden that business collapsed. After facing several problems in business, I went to Rishikesh to become a ‘pandit’. However, I used to feel that I was a misfit there as my fellow mates were younger than me and my views never matched theirs. I was dejected as I was failing in everything, so one day I tried to commit suicide by jumping into the river Ganga,” Kher told the agency.

He continued, “But a person at the Ghat jumped in the Ganga immediately and saved me. He asked, ‘Why did you jump when you don’t know how to swim?” I replied, ‘To die.’ After learning about my intentions of ending my life, he hit me hard on my head.”

In 2022, Kailash opened up about his suicide attempt with Hindustan Times also. He revealed that he was in his early 20s when he was sent to become a priest in Rishikesh.

“I was a 30-year-old man when I came to Bombay and knew life by then. But I was in my 20s when I had failures in many other endeavours and then struggled with depression. I even attempted suicide. I must be 21 or 22 when I had such feelings that I am useless to the world and I am not supposed to be born in this time and world, this plastic world. This is what I thought at the time. I jumped in the Ganga river one day - I am a suicide survivor. Then someone saved me. It must be a miracle, but at the time I thought I must be such a useless man and failure that I even failed in this. After that, I stayed inside my room for a few days, lamenting my own failures.”

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