In the wake of the heart-wrenching suicide of Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Bombay student Vijay Nukala in 2005, The Times of India published a report imbued with the vivid hues of my existence within the formidable fortress of the institution. Under the chilling headline ‘When Dalits Hear Voices’, the newspaper dared to shine a spotlight on a sinister spectre of caste-based discrimination that haunts the illustrious corridors of India’s acclaimed educational edifices.
A ghastly reality, a festering wound on the face of modern India, insidiously rooted in age-old biases, now stealthily invades the sanctuaries of our globally recognised institutions. Regrettably, since 2005, we have only seen these wounds grow deeper. The tragic loss of yet another Dalit student — Darshan Solanki at IIT Bombay — stands as a harsh indictment of our collective failure to shatter the oppressive chains of discrimination.
These esteemed academic fortresses, the IITs, once shone as the zenith of India’s educational aspirations, a guiding light leading millions of ambitious minds toward a promising future abundant with knowledge, prosperity, and dignity. Today, however, this guiding torch flickers weakly, casting a dreadful shadow of uncertainty and fear. It brings into question the safety and emotional well-being of the Dalit scholars seeking refuge within its walls.
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Not mere figures on paper
In 2021, the Narendra Modi government said in Lok Sabha that between 2014 and that year, 122 students in the hallowed precincts of IIT, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), among other central universities, chose to end their lives. More than half of these students were Dalit, a chilling testament to the insidious cancer of casteism that seeps into the very marrow of our campuses. The names of those we tragically lost, from Aniket Ambhore to Darshan Solanki, are not mere figures in a statistical report. They form a heartbreaking narrative of our collective inability to drive out the malignant ghost of casteism from the high ranks of academia. Their untimely departures reverberate as a mournful echo, a haunting reminder of a deeply embedded socio-cultural malady that undermines the intellectual integrity of our revered institutions.
The piercing statistic from the World Health Organization (WHO), which states one person dies of suicide every 40 seconds in the world, is not merely numbers on paper. It is a solemn elegy echoing through the silent hallways of complacency, a chilling ballad sung by the spectre of death itself. Each life abruptly extinguished by suicide leaves behind a yawning abyss of heartrending pain — families torn asunder, friendships mourning the loss of their cherished bonds, and communities scarred by the premature departure of life. These are the lives we failed to cradle within our protective embrace, cries for help we failed to respond to.
The WHO’s ‘Preventing Suicide: A Community Engagement Toolkit holds the promise of a new dawn, a blueprint that could guide us towards a gentler, kinder narrative. This toolkit sings a powerful aria of community engagement, mental health awareness, early intervention, research, and data collection. If effectively transposed onto our academic landscape, this harmony of approaches could transform our campuses into a symphony of safety and inclusivity, where no struggle goes unheard, and no plea for help goes unheeded.
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Look at Harvard, Johns Hopkins
After IIT, I also attended Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University, and both are extremely dedicated to addressing mental health issues and suicide prevention among their student populations. The contrasting approaches to mental health support between IIT, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University highlight a significant disparity in their dedication to student well-being. While IIT appears to lack comprehensive mental health services, Harvard and Johns Hopkins have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to addressing mental health concerns and suicide prevention among their student populations. This stark difference underscores the importance of prioritising mental health support within the academic community, as it directly impacts the emotional and psychological well-being of students.
Harvard and Johns Hopkins’ emphasis on mental health awareness is evident through their robust workshops and educational programmes, which actively work to break down the stigma surrounding emotional struggles. By fostering an open and supportive dialogue, these institutions create a nurturing campus environment that encourages students to seek help when needed. Moreover, providing comprehensive mental health services, including counselling, crisis support, and psychiatric care, showcases their dedication to meeting the diverse needs of their student communities.
Meanwhile, the IIT’s apparent lack of such initiatives and services may leave students without critical support during challenging times, potentially exacerbating mental health issues and hampering their overall well-being. In light of these disparities, it becomes evident that a strong emphasis on mental health support is paramount for the holistic development and success of students. IIT could benefit from considering partnerships with institutions like Harvard and Johns Hopkins to bolster their strategies for suicide prevention and mental health care, ensuring that all students have access to the support they need to thrive academically and emotionally.
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The transformation we must envisage
Our institutions stand on the precipice of a new era, an epoch that necessitates evolution and adaptation. We must envision these institutions as sanctuaries, where the ideals of empathy, understanding, and support substitute the stifling silence of indifference and isolation. Spaces wherein the discourse surrounding mental health is not a whisper but an open conversation. The environment in which professional help is not a distant concept but within an arm’s reach. There must be an unspoken understanding where shared struggles fortify the bonds of peer support, while a steadfast, zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination serves as the bulwark, safeguarding every student’s dignity.
This envisaged transformation is not a mere necessity that IIT and other institutions need to fulfil; it is a testament to their unwavering conviction, a manifesto of their core beliefs. They must assert that every student’s life is invaluable, each struggle has its unique contour, and every student possesses the right to thrive in an environment that respects, protects, and nurtures them. As these institutions orchestrate this change, they must etch in their minds that their actions and decisions will resonate through the annals of history. They will serve as a powerful testament to India’s collective determination to root out discrimination from campuses and to uphold the sacrosanct principle of human life’s inviolability, irrespective of the students’ caste, gender, or ability.
The author is the president of Foundation for Human Horizon, an UN-affiliated NGO that’s
leading the Anti-Caste legislation movement in the USA and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Research Scholar at Johns Hopkins University.Views are personal.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)