By Rohan Seth:
On August 10, Sushant Rohilla, a 3rd year student from Amity Law School committed suicide. According to tweets put out by Teerth Waraich, his friend from the same college, Sushant was debarred from giving his exams due to “unfulfillment of attendance”. He missed class due to a foot injury though the college paid no heed to his email pleading for another chance. “My college killed him,” says Teerth.
Looking at Teerth’s tweets, that have been retweeted hundreds of time since they were posted, AIB’s Rohan Joshi took to the social media platform to share his personal experience of dealing with humiliation and anxiety due to the prejudice he faced from a teacher. We’ve probably all had that one professor who was unfair or rude to us, but when benign curtness changes to an obsessive spite from the teacher’s end, it can simply ruin lives. It’s hurtful and confusing for a student, when teachers are intentionally out to kill their career prospects, especially for a young child, whose parents probably have instilled in him or her, the value of education and of teachers, imparting that education.
In all of my years of being a student and working with students, I know that it can take a really long time for a student to bounce back, reignite the spark and get the confidence back. To compound the issue, there are hardly any readressal mechanisms for students in such instances of mental and emotional abuse. Therefore, Rohan speaking up on this issue is important because it will not only encourage more students to stand up and speak out, but will tell them that they aren’t alone.
Here are the tweets Rohan put out:
https://twitter.com/mojorojo/status/765469788898492416
In my 2nd semester of engineering, I had an Engineering Drawing teacher who was a complete bastard and a turd of a human being
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
For whatever reason, he decided he just didn’t like me. In an Indian college, this is pretty much a death sentence in the concerned subject
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
He made me redo one particular assignment 20 times, I went to college four times during our scheduled study leave just to submit
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
It got to a point where I’d be weeping in my room over the assignment and my mum would come in and draw for a bit, late at night
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
I couldn’t tell if I was imagining the prejudice, so I borrowed a friend’s assignment, which the teacher had graded with a perfect score
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
I got a gigantic piece of tracing paper and over several hours, traced his assignment out exactly. Submitted the next day. FAILED. “Redo.”
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
Luckily I overheard him grumbling to his assistant about how he had to leave town the next day for a family thing. So I waited.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
Two days later I went back to college and went to the HoD. Said “this teacher was supposed to correct my assignment but he’s left town”
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
The HoD took my assignment, gave it a near perfect score and sent me on my way. I cried in the train, the whole way back
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
There were a hundred factors I considered before I dropped out of college in the next semester, but this asshole was a key factor.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
And I bet he’s still there, lording it over his fiefdom, wrecking careers, tearing apart kids’ interest in his subject.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
I start shaking even today, just thinking about it. The humiliation, the helplessness. And the rage that follows.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
I literally never went back to that college. I’d get anxiety attacks at the gate. I skipped the entire next term, voluntarily flunked out.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
If you’re a student and you’re going through anything even remotely similar to this, please talk to someone. Because this is abuse
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
And it took me entirely too long to recognise that. We brush it off as “tough love teaching methods” but it’s not. It’s soul-crushing.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
Also, the only reason I can stand here and talk about it today is because I had a support system that told me it was okay to fail
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
I recognise that. So if you have a friend, relative, kid, whatever, know that this COULD be what they’re dealing with. Be there for em.
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2016
Looking at Rohan’s tweets, many students came forward and shared their experiences as well.
I was asked to sit in the library once (alone) till midnight as punishment because I was hanging out in the premises beyond 4 pm.
— andheri ki furiosa (@navdhad) August 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/gayatrikotbagi/status/765531194465325056
Discovered once a teacher used to call me Genda behind my back
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) August 16, 2016
@mojorojo As a teenager I got persecuted for being differently abled. My teachers had a disturbing preconceived notion +
— mukta (@MuktaPassi) August 16, 2016
Roshan Shankar, an advisor to the Delhi Govt., also joined in and promised action.
Abuse: Unacceptable.
At educational institutions: Unpardonable.
Tag me if you're facing it in Delhi.
Will follow up asap as best as I can.— Roshan Shankar (@roshankar) August 16, 2016
If you’re someone who’s facing harassment in your school or college, or knows someone who do, do try reaching out to these helplines if you feel comfortable.