The most recent suicide on an IIT campus lends another poignant reference point to where we are headed as a nation. Son of an agricultural worker couple from Andhra, the M.Tech. student took his life in Chennai, unable to cope with failure in getting a good GATE rank as a gateway to a good job. As a society, we may have matured to the extent of repealing IPC Section 309, decriminalising the attempt to commit suicide on compassionate grounds.
The larger question is the more difficult one of whether we can provide enough jobs compatible with the technical talent of our emerging generation. It is frightening to ponder over whether we can create employment opportunities in keeping with the numbers even as millions graduate every year, including from elite institutions like the IITs, IIMs and IISc.
Taking one’s life may be impulsive even if the final act is the culmination of unfortunate circumstances. A recent WHO report showed India to be the global leader in suicides among 15 to 29-year-olds, which shows how the young and educated are having a problem facing the real world. It is the duty of all educational institutions to provide counselling. The elite institutes would probably have to take an even bigger call on this because the damage tis greater if we lose gifted minds. Given the emotional disconnect between parents and offspring, it is the educational institution that bears a greater responsibility. A society must take care of its young.
