When the remedy mocks the disease

IN PERSPECTIVE

The removal of ceiling fans in the student hostels of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in order to prevent suicides on the campus reminded me of RK Narayan’s wry comment during an interview: “Funny chaps, these scientists.” He was speaking about the Nobel Laureate CV Raman, the first director of this institute. The eminent scientist had invited this equally eminent writer to discuss something important, but instead showed him a piece of broken glass held up to sunlight.

“That’s a prism,” said the man of science who continued to show RKN similar wonders while walking in the sprawling gardens of the IISc, forgetting why he had invited him. RKN was speaking in a lighter vein about his interaction with scientists.

This extraordinary move of removing ceiling fans to thwart suicides came after four students ended their lives by hanging in their rooms last year. Such occurrences have become common in professional college hostels where sadistic ragging has resulted in suicide.

Engineering and medical college hostels in India have always had a notorious reputation in this regard, but not a reputed science university like the IISc, which has been classified as one of the world’s leading research institutes with its multidisciplinary courses and programmes.

When Jamsetji Tata established his dream project more than a century ago, his aim was to promote the best in science and its allied subjects in an environment of peaceful study and scholarship. Several eminent scientists, including Nobel laureates, have left their footprints here. It has been home to the best in scientific research and teaching. Students from India and other countries have gained and given scholarly inputs to make it a world-class university. It is a tragedy and travesty of academic excellence that the brilliant minds of such an institution should feel driven to the depths of despair, resulting in acts of self-destruction.

The ceiling fans were said to have been removed on the advice of mental health ‘experts’. Who are these experts who thought fit to remove the fans rather than treat the cause that drove the students to suicide? It is well known that the underlying cause for suicide is extreme mental or emotional distress. Inability to cope with stress or failure drove these young people to take what they thought was the easy way out. According to a study by LANCET, suicide deaths in India are among the highest in the world. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also shows that more than 10,000 young adults between the ages of 15 and 29 account for nearly 70% of such deaths every year. This is a growing concern that calls for a more rational approach and remedy than merely removing ceiling fans from hostel rooms.

There are many risk factors for suicides in college hostels, such as depression, lack of confidence, low self-esteem and other such mental disturbances, that may go unnoticed. More than 90% of young victims who end their lives have these risk factors. They may occur in combination with external circumstances like disciplinary problems, sexual orientation problems, physical and sexual abuse by senior students, or just being harassed by aggressive bullying that seem to overwhelm them, and which authorities could easily identify.

In the case of a high-profile university like the IISc, it may even be the fear of failure. Students may have opted to study here succumbing to parental pressure. They may have been brilliant in clearing all the entrance tests and examinations, but their aptitude and preference may have been in areas other than science. They may have preferred careers in the performing arts. They may have had great talent in other fields. They may have even wanted to take the road less travelled. They may have felt cheated out of their true vocation in life. In a country like India, where social and family pressures dictate personal and professional lives, the younger generation is not allowed to think or act in freedom.

If the authorities at the IISc had perhaps cared to communicate better with their students, they would have noticed subtle changes in their behaviour that predicted signs of deep depression. The pandemic may have made matters worse for sensitive youngsters separated from their families for long stretches. Teachers and counsellors could have ferreted out more information about their frustrations by simply talking to them and being there for them.

It is a tragedy that such interaction was missing. The very fact that mental health experts recommended the removal of ceiling fans rather than the demons that haunted these youngsters, shows utter disregard of student welfare in an institution that boasts of scientific excellence.

Finally, the teachers who guide these students have to take responsibility for the spate of suicides on campus. Their duties did not end in the classroom or laboratory. They are the guardians of their students’ mental health and emotional security as well. That is the hallmark of a great university.