Syed Mustafa
Given the present situation, anyone can feel suffocated. The chaotic situation prevailing all-around force anybody to look for an easy escape, suicide. But among all the groups, the age group of 15_29 is my concern as I myself belong to this group.
This stage of life is called the age of strife. There are physical, emotional, mental, etc., changes happening in an adolescent or a youth. He or she has a storehouse of energy, creativity, agility, sympathy, love, etc., to name a few. Every youth tries to fulfil his or her aims, whatever they are. The chaos and confusion comes to play when he or she feels that nothing is working for him or her. It shall be taken into account. Before that, let us have a look at some facts.
Live a little every day, ek hi zindagi milti hai (we have got but only one life), these were the last words of the postgraduate student, written on the suicide note, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, on July 2, 2019. What forced him to take this step is of utmost importance? He felt frustrated as the things were going. Cutthroat competition with no aim is forcing the students to go for the extreme steps.
According to the facts, every hour one suicide takes place in India. It means about 28 suicide incidents take place every day in India. According to the National Crime Research Bureau, in 2018, 10,159 incidents of suicide took place. 9,905 incidents of suicide took place in 2017. 9, 478 incidents took place in 2016. Among the states and the union territories, Maharashtra is at the top of the list. Every year 1,448 incidents of suicide take place here. Tamil Nadu is the second in this crime. There are 953 cases of this type everywhere. Madhya Pradesh is at the third place. 862 cases of this kind are recorded there. From1999_ 2003, 27,990 students expired their lives. From 2004_2008, 28,913 students ended their lives. From 2014_ 2018, 46,554 students went for the extreme step.
As per the data by the Department of Higher Education, under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, between 2014_ 2019, 27 students committed suicide in the top IITs of the country. The top most among the IITs is the IIT Madras with the cases at 7. It shows the reality of our educational system. Why our creative minds are failing in living this life? Why do they look out at escapism? It, indeed, is a bothering question.
Last year, in Telangana, 19 students committed suicide after their results were out. They failed on their intermediate examination. It is the secondary question that there were many lapses from the authorities. Why to go for this extreme step? It shows our level of teaching. We still believe in fantasies. We don’t prepare our students for failure. It is failure that makes the real worth of education possible. In 2017, like the same fashion as in Telangana, 12 students found an escape from the life by committing suicide. In Kota, Rajasthan, 58 students ended their lives in between 2013_2017. The hub of coaching centres is still lacking in giving the real education.
According to the Lancet report, most suicides are found in the age group between 15 _29. Among men, 40% were individuals, while it is 60% among women. Why does this age group become the scapegoat of everything? They, being the torch bearers of a nation, cannot die like in this fashion. As told by Karan Singh, the son of the legendary Shri Maharaja Hari Singh, that the youth are not children now. They are not married yet. It becomes possible for them to face the realities. They can do it very efficiently. The same was told by Sir CV Raman. He told that it is nature with science that gives the reality of life. It means that all the happenings of life are to be welcomed and looking for the solutions, make our life.
According to Mrugesh Vaishnav , the president of the Indian Society said that stress , anxiety, disorder , depression, personality disorder, etc., lead to the extreme step. He says that there should be a proper mechanism from the very beginning so that the students often don’t become worried about their lives. They should be taught in a healthy environment. Maximum effort should be placed on the well-being of the individuals.
Sanjeev Alam, faculty at the Centre for the study of Developing Societies, New Delhi said that a student commits suicide when he doesn’t get emotional support at the time of crisis. This might happen when individual expectations are too high. Parental and peer pressure also have an adverse effect. Furthermore, it can be a personal relationship as well. In our country, we have wrong perception about the personal relationships. There is no healthy environment for these things.
A.K. Joshi, Professor and Head of Sociology, Banaras Hindu University stated that academic stress is an obvious factor for students taking their own lives. After studying to a certain level, when they feel they are without support or he/ she can’t fulfil their own and their parents’ role expectations, a role conflict starts within the student. In this type of situation, students feel they are left without any choice and so they take such an extreme step.
Pradip Kumar Saha, Directorate of Institute of psychiatry, Kolkata said that the fear of failure is a leading cause for suicide among students. When students pass through an unsuccessful phase, everything seems pessimistic to them. They feel their future is bleak and this may result in committing suicide.
Having said all the above things, now the need of the hour is to do something on the ground level. As being a healthy society, we should make it our duty to create a healthy environment. A lot of work is to be done. The causes are known. There is the need of a sustainable approach. It means that all the responsible guys have to find ways to get out of the present sameness. Try to know each other shifts our focus that the students should not isolated. They need care. They need love. They are not in a position to know themselves. They want comfort at every level. We have to make them understand the true realities of life. Imitation is never an option for them. Live your life is the mantra for them. It is a long way to go. Change mentality and the way of looking at the things, can do miracles. And we are in a need of such miracles.
The author can be reached at Syedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com.
