I was reading an article on color psychology and accidentally found an interesting story concerning blue lights at the railway stations. The title of the piece reads (https://bbc.in/3knOCLY) - can blue lights prevent suicide at the train station? In 2013, a scientific paper revealed that blue lamps at the train stations stop suicide. The Paper also showed that the suicide rate fell by as much as 84%.
It all started in late 2000 when a Japanese railway company installed blue lamps above the train station. It was an attempt to deter people from committing suicides at train stations. The idea was to bring change in the psychology of passengers using blue light. One study showed that people with a stressed mind returned more quickly to relaxation when they lay in a room bathed in blue light.
Now the main reason behind writing this piece is that Kolkata Metro is the unspoken suicide point in Kolkata. Before COVID-19, when everything was normal, suicide attempts were rampant at Kolkata Metro. Suicide attempts at Kolkata Metro were regular. Death by suicides at Kolkata Metro kept on increasing before the lockdown days. The rail authority failed to stop suicides while having armed personnel at the platforms. The attempters found ways to commit suicide at Kolkata Metro.
As we live in a pandemic-hit world and busy to navigate the deadly virus, we've forgotten the cases of suicide at Kolkata Metro. Is the Metro Authority prepared to stop suicide when Kolkata Metro services become fully operational? Did Metro authorities analyze why they failed to prevent suicide, and what went wrong? Are they preparing for the future? Regular metro commuters get pissed off when services get halted because of suicide attempts. I even heard them saying that there are so many places to commit suicide in Kolkata, why disrupt the metro service.
I think railway authority should give a thought on the 'nudge' technique applied by the Japanese railway companies. The lights at platforms in Kolkata Metro are predominantly white. If the railway authority is at least able to run a pilot project by installing blue lights at the stations where suicide attempts are rampant, that would be a good step in showing that the Metro Authority is a responsible citizen and cares about its fellow citizen.
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