Ex-IITians Attempt to Prevent Student Suicides in Kota, Launch ‘Happiness Hostels’!

Concerned at the alarming levels of suicide cases in Kota and across India, a group of IIT alumni is converting city’s hostels into ‘Happiness Hostels’.

by Gopi KareliaMarch 27, 2019, 10:14 am

High on aspirations and dreams to make it big, each year thousands of students from across India move to Kota, one of the major coaching hubs in the country. With a hope to get admissions in IITs and prestigious medical colleges, the students undergo rigorous coaching involving 14-16 hours of intense study sessions every day.

Most of the aspiring students feel overwhelmed with the pressure of competition and being away from their families makes it difficult for them to deal with this stress. And at dire times, this stress coerces them into taking extreme steps in hopes of a way out.

As per Kota District Administration statistics there has been a rise in student suicides, and 77 students have died since 2013.

A group of IIT alumni are converting Kota’s hostels into ‘Happiness Hostels’.

Concerned at the alarming levels of suicide cases in Kota and across India, a group of IIT alumni are converting city’s hostels into ‘Happiness Hostels’.

---

Also Read: For 20 Years, These Kerala Teachers & Students Provided a Safe Home to Sea Turtles!

---

Speaking to The Better India (TBI), Nikita Jain, an alumna associated with this project says, “With the insane rat race, students tend to have an emotional breakdown, and when they cannot share their problems, the depression mounts. Our main objective of Happiness Hostels is to tell the students that failing or scoring less is not the end of the world and they are not alone.”

What are Happiness Hostels and How Do they Work?

Explaining the concept of Happiness Hostels in one line, Nikita says, “These hostels aim at giving easy access to facilities to students.”

Hostel facilities give the students a much-needed break

Hostels facilities include internet, books, indoor and outdoor games, cultural activities, and even counselling. These facilities give the students a much-needed break. The premises also include a social hall where students can sit and interact in their leisure time.

From TBI Shop

For students who wish to share their problems and issues, each hostel also employs two caretakers, and a team of doctors is also available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

Along with introducing many facilities, these hostels also focus on providing quality food and work on maintaining overall hygiene.

Hostels also focus on providing quality food and work on maintaining overall hygiene

Last year, the 12-member team of former IITians had also distributed ‘happiness guide’ booklet containing discount coupons of restaurants, juice centres, coffee shops, and stationery shops among others, to one lakh coaching students. This initiative would save these students around Rs 20,000 every month.

---

Also Read: Meet The Art Professor & His Students Carving Some ‘Peace’ In A Kerala Town

---

So, has the happiness index increased?

“When I came to Kota for the first time, my only worry was allotting my time to buy groceries and other household requirements. Plus, I had to make sure that I don’t go beyond my monthly expenditure. Managing studies along with other work could get stressful at times. Last year, when they released the Happiness guide book with discounts and included all facilities within or around the hostel, it was a relief for me. Every month, I manage to save money because of discounts, and the fact that I don’t have to travel far to buy things was an added relief,” says Satvik, one of the students.

Besides befriending classmates who help me in my studies, I have also made friends whom I can confide in. At times, it does get overwhelming, but indoor games help me get that much needed break, says Anurag Rai, another student.

Arish Waradh feels the happiness programme is a great initiative. He says that usually when it comes to entrance exam coaching places there are no recreational activities provided to avoid distractions. But here, they are reducing the pressure by providing all the facilities.

“Staying away from the family and spending most of my hours studying without immediate outcomes does get frustrating at times. The newly introduced indoor games have helped me make friends who have now become family,” says Nikhil who moved to Kota last year.

There are more than 2,500 hostels in Kota that house close to two lakh students.

The initiative has roped in 600 hostels, and of them, 100 hostels have already been converted into Happiness Hostels. The rest of them are in the process. Happiness Hostels are on the right track. We wish them success in their endeavours to make the lives of students easier.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

6 hard-hitting commercials on exam pressure and student stress that get the message across

6 hard-hitting commercials on exam pressure and student stress that get the message across

Major brands are coming up with hard-hitting commercials talking about the evils of exam pressure and student stress to raise awareness on how it affects the mental health of children because of the pressure added by parents and students.

India Today Web Desk

New Delhi

March 25, 2019

UPDATED: March 25, 2019 15:40 IST

These hard-hitting commercials raise awareness on exam pressure and student stress, and how it wrecks the mental health of children.

Exam pressure has come to a whole different level in modern times and it is now a leading cause of depression and suicidal tendencies in Indian students. With children reeling under symptoms of anxiety during exam season, different brands and companies are coming up with hard-hitting commercials to get the message across to parents to ease up on the pressure they put on their kids.

The rush for jobs and the growing population passing out from colleges means competition is higher in almost every field. This makes most Indian parents worry for their children’s career in the future and end up putting more pressure on them than they can deal with.

Add to that the sarcasm from teachers, a constant culture of comparison, and a push towards only a handful of career fields whether the child is interested in it or not, all add to the pressure on young minds that can have grave consequences.

With a major shift in the way consumers are thinking now, there is a spike in commercials and ads now with a socially conscious angle. The topic of exam pressure is something that almost every child and youth today has faced.

The standard of 'success' is now slowly but surely changing from just good marks and a good college to something much more wholesome.

The danger of this source of immense stress on such young minds needs to be checked, and there are a few brands who have picked up this topic to bring awareness to the masses, especially parents, on how to tackle exam pressure and take care of their kids’ mental health.

Here are a few commercials on exam pressure which drive the message home on controlling student stress:

1. Mirinda 'Release the Pressure’ campaign (2017)

In February 2017, Mirinda released a powerful campaign conceptualised by BBDO urging everyone to #ReleaseThePressure.

In its short film type commercial, the brand shows teenagers writing open letters to their parents talking about how exam pressure and parental expectation affects them, which the parents read tearfully in a dramatised manner.

With its message of "No more pressurepanti, only pagalpanti", the ad tries to create the awareness that a little break can go a long way in easing exam pressure and stress from the minds of young students.

It opens the platform for kids and parents to enter a dialogue on this grave problem plaguing young minds. It gives children at least one way to reach out to their parents to talk about how badly exam pressure and stress could be affecting them.

2. Mirinda 'Release the Pressure’ campaign on comparison (2018)

In January 2018, Mirinda took out its second editing of the 'Release the Pressure' campaign which focused on the issue of peer-comparison between different students, usually by parents or teachers, which can reduce the self-esteem in students leading to poor mental health.

This short film type commercial was also conceptualised by BBDO and shot by Shoojit Sircar like the last one.

3. Extramarks’ #FundaClearHai campaign (2018)

The 'Funda Clear Hai' campaign by Extramarks talks about how exams and studies can be a lot easier if students try to understand the "funda" or the concept behind the various topics in their syllabus rather than try to mug up everything.

The campaign conceptualised by ADK-Fortune shows how Extramarks has been trying to disrupt this kind of learning practices with something more visual and engaging with the help of their learning app.

4. Horlicks' #FearlessKota campaign (2019)

This campaign by Horlicks early this year focused on the rising trend of student suicides in Kota, the hub of IIT coaching centres, and how emotional nutrition could keep the minds of children healthy.

Many students in India are enrolled in these coaching centres at Kota which replace regular schools. The focus here is one: cracking IIT JEE and getting admitted into one of the prestigious IITs in India.

However, the routine followed at these coaching centres is harmful to the minds of teenagers. It gives little space for an individual student to pursue their preferred line of career and creates an environment wherein they feel so trapped and for so long, that it leads to depression, and often to student suicide.

The short film type commercial was conceptualised by FCBUlka. It allows parents to share with their kids a bottle of love an empty bottle filled with things parents want to send or tell their children.

It features mothers visiting their kids in Kota and it doesn’t use actors. Most of these mothers were actually visiting Kota for the first time. It also shows real-life bytes of children who are preparing for IIT while staying away from home.

5. Bournvita’s 'The Exam Collection' (2019)

The idea behind this commercial was to show parents the importance of letting children choose their own career.

Too many youngsters now are stuck in jobs they didn’t even want just to make their parents happy, and after a couple of years, they struggle to move to an industry they are actually interested in. This is a tough change and most often remains a distant dream all through their lives leading to added stress, and even depression.

The ad shows adults walking into a shopping mall and encountering only black t-shirts in XL size for sale. Stuck without choice, everyone gets annoyed and calls for the manager.

In every case depicted, the manager is a young kid who makes the adult realise the importance of choice even in something like clothes, and how they feel when that option of a choice is taken away from them.

Every single child doesn’t need to grow up to be a doctor or always be the class topper, the kids say in the commercial. Conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai, the ad inspires parents to look beyond marks’ and allow their children the choice of their own future.

6. Godrej Interio Mattresses talk about sleep deprivation (2019)

Over 84 percent of children and teenagers in India are sleep deprived and the long term effects of consistently getting less sleep can wreck havoc on the mind and body.

Sleeplessness is aggravated right before and during exams but it shouldn’t be taken lightly as children require more sleep than adults do.

The TV commercial conceptualised by Creativeland Asia shows the story of one kid who is an all-rounder because he gets 10 hours of sleep every night.

The commercial shows the statistics on sleep deprivation in Indian kids and teens along with its possible effects in the future.

Such inspiring commercials for TV or the digital space are raising awareness on the harmful effects of exam pressure and student stress and helping to get the message across to parents and teachers.

Read: High rate of stress among college students tied to mentalhealth issue

Read: Here's why schools should include mental health education in curriculum

Read: Huge number of schoolchildren suffer from anxiety, depression: Gujarat state health department

Read: 5 barriers to addressing mental health issues, facts you should know, common mental disorders worldwide

Suicidal tendencies among students

Suicidal tendencies among students

Prof. Shiv Sethi, The Milli Gazette Online

Published Online: Mar 22, 2019

In a past few decades India has painfully witnessed a surging spate of miserable farmer suicides. The statistics have shaken the nation badly but no concrete steps have been taken by any government to curb the malady of farmer suicides. Still in absence of optimal rain falls when the famines strike, the first and foremost victims are the debt-ridden farmers who have to pay their debts by encircling the death noose around their necks. 

It is a lamentable state of affairs that needs immediate attention but in this article we are going to draw your attention towards another vulnerable class who are unfortunately and unabatedly taking recourse to the scourge of suicides. We are referring to the aspirant community of the young students who harbour lofty dreams and when due to multiple reasons, present galore, they fail to translate their dreams into reality, many of them out of sheer desperation and despondency are driven to the deadly dark dungeons of suicides. 

Recently, we had got an official assignment due to which we were bound to pay a visit to Kota which is notoriously known as India’s suicide capital. We were astounded to see the mushrooming growth of the IIT coaching centers in the city. The city has almost fifty coaching centers which have roaring business there. The mind-boggling number of these institutes first of all puts a big question mark on our educational system which truly speaking is in a complete shambles and hence teeters on the brink of collapse. Kota is indeed a popular destination for those students who are aspiring to secure their seats in some elite IIT and medical institutes of our country. 

Many of the aspirant students who take admissions in coaching classes at Kota have to undergo the rigorous study regime for which they all are not prepared neither equipped with the needed set of skills. These days unfortunately the parents community have begun to pin very high hopes on their children. It is the desire of every parent that their son or daughter must either become an engineer or a doctor. 

The complex ridden parents are most of the times unable to recognise the real aptitude and the latent potential of their children and forcibly goad them to tread the path of their own choice whereas the choice of the children is least bothered about. The results for such unwise decisions turn out to be disastrous and prove fatal for the students. 

When a student is sent to some coaching institute like Kota, his parents have to pay a hefty sum of fee along with other expenditures. Each institute charges around two lakhs as their annual fee which burns a big hole on the not so deep pockets of the parents. But determined parents do not hesitate to go to any lengths. Money is borrowed on a high interest rate which puts equally high pressure on the students. 

There is no denying the fact that in the absence of quality school education, all children are not properly schooled to encounter the tough challenges ahead. The coaching institutes which can be rightly compared with the money making educational industry are thriving like anything. They have no considerations for the prescribed code of conduct. The prescribed code of conduct says that an institute is bound to give an aptitude test to a student before admitting him or her for a particular course. This test can well determine the capabilities of a student and the experts can be sure of the success chances of a student at hand to a large extent. But in an absolute flagrant violation to the set norms, no such test is conducted, and even if it is conducted, it is nothing short of a perfunctory ritual. 

No one is denied admission on the basis of unsatisfactory performance in the aptitude test because the owners of these institutes are basically devious minded businesses men. Their sole objective is to line their own pockets. In utter disregard to the rules, they go on admitting the students and stuffing their own coffers. Since the fee once paid is not refundable, these institutes are busy like bee in minting money. When a student sans needed aptitude for such studies fails to deliver the goods, he tends to fall in the quagmire of depression. A depressed student finds himself stuck in a catch twenty two situation out of which many a time he comes not alive but dead. Many students have lost their precious lives at Kota in the rat race of getting seat in top-notch medical and IIT institutes. 

The saga of suicides is not only confined to the four walls of Kota. It has spread its tentacles outside also. Many students who somehow manage to make their niche in a medical college or an engineering institute have succumbed to the pressures of gruelling contents of their course and consequently they have taken to the extreme means by putting a full stop to the small sentence of their life. It is time for the government and the parents community to come out of their hibernation. The parents must not forget the fact that their children are not of them. They are only through them. Thus, they children have every right to exercise their own choice when it comes to the matters of their life and career. The parents must not consider their children as mere chattels and goods. 

At the same time, it is also incumbent on the government that they adopt some robust measures to revamp our decaying education system. The faulty and flawed elementary education must be overhauled as it has badly failed to train all the students to take the tough calls of engendering and medical professions. The fact can also not be gainsaid that our governments have always soft paddled the matters pertaining to the killing coaching industry. In the absence of a stern code of conduct for the coaching centres and its proper implementation, many innocent lives have been untimely snuffed out. All these coaching institutes must be governed by a regulatory government body so that they are not allowed to practise their unbridled rampant highhandedness and the flowers of beautiful lives are not mercilessly plucked.

Prof Shiv Sethi is Head Deptt English language and linguistics at Dev Samaj College For women, Ferozepur and can be reached at shiv.sethi%ymail

1. HOME 
2. SOCIETY

Dalit student commits suicide at Bengaluru's National Law School; decomposed body found after 3 days

Kanishk Bharti, an undergraduate student at National Law School in Bengaluru, was apparently suffering from stress after failing in his exams.

By : Bismah Malik 

Mar 18, 2019 12:32 IST

[Representational image]Creative Commons

Kanishk Bharti, a Dalit student of National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan. His body was found on March 16. The police reckon that the body may have been hanging inside the room for three days.

According to The Times of India, Kanish's body was in a decomposed state and emanating foul smell.

The incident came to light only after Kanishk's parents called other students. According to the police sources, Kanishk's parents were calling him since March 14 but he did not respond. Kanishk hails from Uttar Pradesh and was pursuing an undergraduate course.

"When they approached room no. 3 on the third floor of the hostel, the students peeped through the window and saw Kanishk's body hanging from the fan. They reported the incident to management who later on called the police," an official said.

Kanish's father Veerendra Bharti has said that his son wasn't keeping well and was being treated at a hospital. He was also under a lot of stress because he wasn't faring well academically and had to repeat a year.

Serious questions are being raised as to how nobody at the hostel came to know about the student's death and why it took a phone call from his parents after several days to inquire about the student. The police said that they would question the management, hostel students and the faculty.

Student suicides at premier institutes continue unabated

Despite efforts put by the country's top colleges, especially IITs and IIMs, for addressing the problems on student stress and suicides, there has been apparently no relief. Last year, multiple student suicide incidents were reported from IIT- Guwahati, IIT-Kanpur and IIT- Madras.

A task force set up by the IIT council to look into the issue noted that recurrent images portrayed by the media for glorifying the education put the students under a lot of stress. It also entailed that the students who are already facing a fierce academic environment should be given enough time for leisure activities as well as socialising.

A probe by IIT Kanpur revealed that the problem of single room occupancy in the hostel rooms should be done away with. The IITs should also remove ceiling fans from hostel rooms and use pedestal fans.

IIT Madras himalaya messWikimedia

Runway2Life gives renewed hope through its podcasts,classesd and fashion shows

Runway2Life gives renewed hope through its podcasts, classes and fashion shows

By Kristi K. Higgins, Staff Writer

Posted Mar 17, 2019 at 3:41 PM

Alicia Amsler found her calling in a most devastating way.

Amsler, who owns Alicia’s Salon and Day Spa in Chesterfield County, founded the nonprofit Runway2Life after a former employee committed suicide..

“I fired her and she came back a couple of years later to say she was sorry for how things were left and to make amends,” Amsler said. “She took her life three days later. I never knew the signs, and I now know she was demonstrating many signs of someone that was suicidal.”

She also lost a friend who was a bartender to suicide.

“It took our whole community by storm,” she said.

Amsler said she did not have to look very far for material. She said her mother has battled depression for five years, adding that “she was always the strong one in our family.

“Sickness and surgery brought on Mom’s depression,” Amsler said. “Not understanding what was going on, I struggled with not knowing how to help her. So, I decided to start understanding it and getting educated on mental health.”

So she started Runway2Life. Runway2Life’s mission is to encourage people to engage in conversation on mental health and suicide awareness, provide resources, and education.

Runway2Life partners with beauty product maker Redken, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,


“With the resources donated from our generous sponsors, clothing from top brands, local talent, and an audience of up to 1,500 supporters, our goal is to provide resources to help enlighten each and every individual who struggles to find the light in their darkness,” Amsler said,

Runway2Life has sponsored shows the past two years. Its third show is set for Oct, 11 at Main Street Station in Richmond. Models of all ages will be taking part.

One of those who has modelled in the past is Nikki Goss, who was crowned Mrs. Virginia in 2017.

“It was one of the top moments of my reign, raising awareness for mental health by walking in the Runway2Life Fashion Show,” Goss recalled. “This opportunity meant the world to me. As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who suffers from severe PTSD, I was honored to walk and call attention to the mental health crisis in America so those in need may have access to the resources available to them.”

“We have different designers that will, also, sell the items that spectators see on the runway, and they donate the proceeds to Runway2Life,” Amsler added.

This year’s show will feature dancers from the Tri-City area

Amsler said past participants in the fashion show have dealt with their own suicidal thoughts. When asked if she thought her project was helping to prevent suicides, Amsler said more than 13 lives were saved in the first year of the program because Runway2Life was able to help them get the counseling they needed.


“We have lost count on how many people we have rescued ... the numbers have been staggering; there are so many reaching out for help in our community,” Amsler said. “Some that struggled and gained help through us became models and volunteers for the show.”

Colonial Heights resident Suzanne Spearman shared her reasons for helping out.

“I volunteered last year and intend to help again this year,” Spearman said. “I stuffed loot bags. Runway2Life means young people have a safe place to know they’re loved and special, but most of all beautiful. The organization helps folks who are at their emotional end by providing peace and encouraging support. This world needs a lot more of this kind of love.”

Runway2Life’s proceeds go towards training instructors to teach classes, materials for classes, marketing materials to provide to people that are in need of help and resources among other things. Amsler said Runway2Life is also working on a phone hotline this year for people to reach out and provide them with help with finding resources, doctors or just to listen to them.

Amsler also hosts a podcast on the topic, and provides a three-hour class called “SafeTALK” that trains people to recognize the signs of suicidal thoughts.

“Everyone is welcome to take the class,” she said. “Many bartenders and hairdressers have taken the initiative. Some of the classes are free by being sponsored by nonprofits and businesses. Interested parties can go to our website to sign up. They can sign up to receive our monthly newsletter as well.”

Amsler admits to being in awe of how much the project has grown in such a short time. She credits her faith with providing her the strength to see it through.


“I can see Runway2Life growing at an amazing pace with the needs of the people,” she said.

“I could write a book on the lives that we have touched, the stories of how their darkness turned to victory and how they are doing great today,” she added. “I had a lady that tried to take her life, and now, she is a teacher and advocate for helping others for suicide. Being educated on suicide prevention and mental health can and will help save lives.

Visit www.Runway2Life.com to purchase tickets for the 2019 fashion show, to view the podcast, sign up for a “SafeTALK” class, or to learn how to become a model or volunteer.

Kristi K. Higgins may be reached at 804-722-5162 or khiggins@progress-index.com.

IIT-Guwahati student from Karnataka ends life in hostel

By

 Josh Clayton

 - 

March 13, 2019

GUWAHATI: A first-year BTech student at IIT-Guwahati from was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room on Wednesday. 

The deceased, identified as Nagashree SC, 19, was a mechanical engineering student and belonged to Hosanagara near Shivamogga in Karnataka. She had joined the institute in July this year. “Nagashree‘s roommate had left to attend classes in the morning. When she returned, she found the door of the room was locked. No one responded. She alerted the institute‘s security and local police. The security guards broke the door‘s lock and found her hanged inside,” IIT-Guwahati spokesperson Labanu Konwar told TOI. 

T he case has been taken up by police. “We found a note inside her personal diary, in which she has asked for forgiveness from her family,” a police officer said. “She wrote she was sorry that she could not live up to the expectations of her family and that no one was responsible for her death,” the officer added. 

Police suspect she was not happy with the career option she had opted for. “She had joined recently, so it cannot be linked to academic failure,” the officer said, adding that her family is expected to reach by Thursday. Her body has been sent for postmortem examination. 

Police have seized her mobile phone and other notebooks for a handwriting match. 

This was the third case of suspected suicide at the institute this year. In April, another BTech student Kanuwar Paul Singh Yadav, from Alwar in Rajasthan, was found dead beside a train track near the Agyathuri railway station, located close to the institute. Last month, a contractual employee at had also reportedly committed suicide.