New Delhi: Moved and shocked by the suicide of Aishwarya Reddy, a student of Lady Shriram College (LSR) who cited financial difficulties, students of her own institute and St Stephen’s College have mobilised to raise funds for needy students without seeking help from their respective college authorities.
Students of the colleges said Aishwarya’s death has been an “eye-opener” and that there might be many such students suffering from financial difficulties.
The fundraising initiatives was launched 9 November, with students creating online platforms through which people can donate funds that will be distributed to those in need at both colleges. These platforms are being solely managed by the students concerned, with no links to college administrations.
Besides raising funds, the Stephen’s and LSR students have also been collecting electronic devices and data packs as part of the aid since classes have moved online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Second-year mathematics honours student Aishwarya died by suicide at her home in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana on 2 November. Aishwarya, whose father is a mechanic and mother a tailor, wanted to get a laptop to pursue online classes amid the pandemic. In a suicide note left behind, she wrote: “I don’t want to become a burden on the family.”
Two months prior to her death, Aishwarya had filled out a survey by the LSR’s students union, stating her struggle to attend online classes. She had revealed she did not have a stable internet connection at home or a laptop or even a properly functioning mobile phone.
Aishwarya had also said due to the long class hours, she had to buy additional data packs as her classes would continue for 5-8 hours a day, while her mobile data pack allowed her to attend less than three hours of class a day.
Results of the survey further indicated that 30 per cent of LSR students did not have their own laptop, while 40 per cent were attending online classes without a proper internet connection.
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The fundraiser by LSR
From LSR, the fundraising initiative was started by four students, including one of Aishwarya’s batchmates. Their goal is to raise Rs 5 lakh.
“We are a group of students from LSR college and we are fundraising for students in need for financial assistance so that they can attend online classes. We believe everyone deserves an education and nobody deserves to die. This fund will help allow undergraduate students and the money collected will be divided equally amongst those who need data packs and other means to access the internet,” the students stated.
Avayaraj Singh, a second-year political science student at LSR and one of the four to start the initiative, told ThePrint Aishwarya’s death “shook everyone to the core”.
The incident, she said, also angered students as discussions regarding problems arising out of vacating hostels and over college fees had been going on for a while now.
“I did not know her but we were in the same batch,” she said.
Singh and her three friends (Khushi, Shivani Raturi and Meghna Prakash) have been collecting funds from friends, family members, alumni and other students of LSR.
The fundraising drive, which started Monday, has so far collected nearly Rs 2 lakh.
Singh told ThePrint funds would be collected until 23 November, following which they will distribute a form to find out who needs funds the most and then distribute them on a need-based priority. She further said they would collaborate with the students’ union as they have data from the survey they conducted earlier.
She also said if the college administration was more proactive and empathetic about lack of funds among students, especially during Covid, and treated this year differently via-a-vis scholarships, mobile access, online connectivity, hostel availability, then students didn’t need to raise funds.
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Initiative by St Stephen’s students
The initiative by these students involves sending out a Google form, which both the donors and beneficiaries can fill up. None of the students keep the money and it goes straight from the donor to the beneficiary as they give the bank details directly to the donors.
The students individually call up the beneficiaries to verify their credentials and ask for their college ID cards, fee receipts and income certificates. If they do not have income certificates, then they check their BPL cards.
A second-year student pursuing BA from the college said on condition of anonymity the death of Aishwarya was an “eye-opener” for many, which prompted them to raise funds.
“Initially, there were only 10-12 of us coordinating among the donors and beneficiaries. However, as the number of beneficiaries (those in need of funds) and donors increased, we also increased the number of volunteers. At present, there are 25-30 of us coordinating the entire initiative,” said the student.
The students decided to remain anonymous as they said the college was “finicky about students raising money”.
In March this year, when there were salary cuts for college employees, many students raised funds, which the college did not appreciate. St Stephen’s even put out a press release stating: “Official donation requests are only made by the principal through the college website and through the official alumni association of St Stephen’s College, when authorised by him.”
But this didn’t stop the college students from launching the fundraising drive.
Like the LSR initiative, these students are also trying to tie up with NGOs to get electronic devices and data packs. They are also planning to launch a separate Google form for those wanting to donate electronic devices, said another student involved in the initiative.
As of now, more than 60 people have reached out to donate, while over 150 students have reached out for help, the first student told ThePrint.
“We are getting requests from people (for funds) outside Delhi University as well. However, our main priority is DU students. These mainly include those doing their graduation and masters,” added the student.
She further said the university has been quite lackadaisical in disbursing scholarships, leading to frustration among students.
“When you hear cases like that of Aishwarya’s death, it is very sad as it was preventable. I know the background many of the students come from. Their financial constraints and delays in getting scholarships impact them mentally,” she added.
Evita Rodrigues, a third-year BA student, told ThePrint this is not about only Aishwarya anymore.
“When I got to know about the suicide of Aishwarya, it shook me but also created anger at the system as this was something that was preventable. The fact that we have over 200 students reaching out to us shows us that it isn’t an individual case,” Rodrigues added.
Former general secretary of the St Stephen’s student union Teresa Vattoly, who is pursuing her third-year BA programme, said when she first read about Aishwarya’s death she was taken aback and shocked.
“I realised this was not an isolated case. And that many had even taken loans at high interest rates to pay just the college fees,” Vattoly added.
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What…!? NON-SENSE. As per narrative – all Upper Caste students are Rich.