Subhro Niyogi, TNN May 1, 2013, 05.11AM IST
KOLKATA: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur has firmed up plans to set up a stress bust centre to curb suicides and help students cope with pressures of a competitive environment. To be built on an island in a lake within the campus, the Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development is inspired by the Lotus Temple in Delhi where people from all faiths congregate to pray and meditate.
Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of a conference on workplace stress management organized by Confederation of Indian Industry, IIT-Kharagpur dean of alumni affairs and international relations Amit Patra said the centre would deal with the increasing level of stress among students and faculty.
"Most students who come to IIT are used to being in the top 5% in class all life. But at IIT, everyone cannot be a topper. Typically, 5% are top performers while the bottom 5% pass after the second attempt. The realization that one is no longer in the top 50% is difficult to digest and can lead to erratic behaviour and frustration, sometimes driving the desperate to suicide," explained Patra.
While IIT-Kanpur has the worst suicide record among IITs, IIT-Kharagpur has been recording a fatality each year for the past few years. These are only the number of suicides that succeed; the failed attempts that are many times higher never get recorded. The Vivekananda Centre aims to address the needs of these students as well as others seeking a break from an intensely stressful environment.
"Four years ago, when the IIT management realized that suicide was an issue needed to be dealt with, a counselling unit was set up. But students don't like to go there as they feel they will get stigmatized. Last year, the idea of a meditation-cum-introspection centre came up. The Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development will comprise mediation hall and gallery, where spiritual lectures will be delivered, self study rooms and library. The lake island has been chosen for its serene setting.
An alumni of IIT-Kharagpur has submitted the building plan. The building will be a green one, with natural light and cooling solutions," the professor of electrical engineering said.
Sources said the architecture will be a natural form and remain true to the 'golden ratio' that fascinated mankind for ages. Many of the proportions of the Parthenon, Great Mosque of Kairouan and even the Taj Mahal exhibit the golden ratio.
Construction on the Rs 10 crore project is likely to start later this year and be completed by 2015. While the centre will primarily draw students and teachers of IIT, Patra expects it to become a centre of attraction and tourist interest in the years ahead. Pradip Kumar Ray, professor at the department of industrial engineering & management at IIT, said the current economic situation with a shrinking job market was further increasing stress.
"Like Tale of Two Cities in which Charles Dickens wrote: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times', externally the situation seems better with improved technology and physical work environment but internally, everyone is mentally stressed. There is also a conflict between eastern values on which family culture is based and Western values that determine the way offices function. Our homes are society oriented, breed inefficiency and are long-lasting. Offices on the other hand are individualistic, drive efficiency but are not sustainable as they lead to a lot of stress on individual," he added.
