TW: Suicide
Today, when I saw the above pic on the Instagram page of The Tatva, I wasn’t astonished. For your information, it’s about the ‘unique’ solution pursued by the hostels in Kota, Rajasthan- known widely for its competitive exam coaching institutions- against the increasing number of suicides of aspirants. To be frank, it’s a not so unique solution.
According to Vice India, “In 2010, the Indian Institute of Technology’s (IIT) campus in the northern Indian city of Kanpur decided to replace ceiling fans with pedestal fans after a string of student suicides. In 2017, an association of around 700 dorms in the very Kota announced they’d do the same as student suicides were reported within their members’ facilities every year. In 2019, IIT Madras, located in the southern Indian city of Chennai, announced a suicide-prevention device on its dorm fans, which will make a fan drop if a weight of over 40 kilograms is attached to it.”
The common thing all these institutions have is that they all have students like me and you. But we are not the problem. Also, another common thing is that all are ‘aspirants’ too. What does it mean by an aspirant? It’s a person who aspires for something – someone who has a goal to achieve. But the painful truth is that the way is not a cakewalk. However, what if the burden is so unbearable that students have to die!?
One can dismiss this possibility but it’s a reality. According to Vice India again, “In 2019, more than 90,000 young Indians died by suicide. India has one of the world’s highest suicide death rates and government data shows that suicide is among the top causes of death among the young. India’s youth, aged between 15 and 29, make up 27.5 percent of its population of nearly 1.4 billion, according to the most recent National Youth Policy estimate.”
We aren’t dying because of pandemics. We’re dying because our mental health isn’t prioritised equally as our physical health. I’m pretty sure, the pandemic might have boosted up the rates or at least contributed to the mental health tragedy of India. But Indian institutions still don’t realise that they are behind the loss of the most valuable property of their country- the youth. Instead, they blame us. They tighten the shackles. It’s really unimaginable when there’s no space to move, to talk, to shout.
Institutional mental health threats can be many – not just academic, financial and parental pressure. Indian institutions, be it a school, college or a coaching institute of Kota- have so many other factors which can affect the mental health of students, which are ignored and normalised as things every institution can have- Institutional patriarchy, fake morality, casteism, queerphobia, ableism, bullying etc to name a few. Plus, the absence of trauma informing. It might seem that these factors are trivial but they are indeed instrumental.
You may not feel but there’s a comfort zone inside your mind, an equilibrium, which needs to be protected. Every student is different just like the fingers of one’s hand. Undoubtedly, mental health can’t be taken individually. Of course, some students might already have mental health issues and neurodivergence, but since each one of us are social animals, our lives are largely influenced by others. You can’t stand alone with the sack of mental burden.
A mental health positive environment is the bare minimum that students need for their holistic health. This includes making the institution mentally safe for all students taking into consideration of all their intersectionalities. Surely, this can’t be made with grilling fans ? , removing them entirely or placing a ‘suicide prevention device’.
It needs a full fledged change. Curriculum, instruction and institutions need to be student friendly. Trauma informed, queer affirmative mental health professionals should be made available regularly. Students and teachers should be sensitised regarding the role of society, that’s each one of us, in the mental health of each one of us.
Controlling and surveilling more can’t make a difference. It can instead suffocate only. Our greatest asset is our youth, and what if they are wrecked completely? If the government really cares about its greatest investment, it should start doing something meaningful.