Most of us have heard the musical masterpiece ‘Fue elise’ by the legendary music maestro Beethoven, as if the whole song somehow portrays the surreal hurriedness and peace in a single composition. Trying to convey that it’s just a moment of hardships, sorrow, or happiness that will pass by, rest that will remain will be our deeds, that would portray us as cowards who feared the system, or fearless who did something with belief.
In recent times, it has become quite evident that the suicide rates among students in India have been on a surge. According to a report, there has been 13,000 recorded cases of students committing suicide in 2021, and up until the present time in 2024, the scenario has become even worse. Even after reviewing the academic policies of a major institution like (IIT), this issue has remained unresolved.
The Rat Race: A Race to Nowhere
Even after facing harsh criticism over the years, the Indian education system has focused only on academic achievements to assess a student’s credibility, rather than giving importance on what domain the student might excel with passion, interest, and can make a good profession out of it.
Today the 15 year old iconic dialogue of Viru Sahastrabudhhe from the movie ‘3 idiots’, “Life is a race” is becoming an unfortunate reality, that was considered as comic relief back then but now after looking at the scenario where we are, we really need a Ram Shankar Nikumbh like ‘Taare Zamin Par’, to come up as a guide so that students stop being harsh on themselves and stop overthinking about outcomes that might lead nowhere.
Not only schools, coaching centres, but also families push students to join the rat race, emphasizing test scores, through exams like JEE, NEET, CLAT, AILET, and other professional degrees. Hence the pressure to outperform peers is immense.
A systematic environment that considers failure to be worthlessness or thinks of it as an end is surely to be termed as a toxic one. Trying hard better for the next time through rectification is the only option we humans are born and are left with and we have to go through the trial and error process at different stages as a course of life.
Equating failure in exams to being nothing in life boggles down students’ expected thoughts and on top of that, expectations placed upon them by society and their families does the work of a catalyst to take harsh steps on oneself.
The Problem
The main problem lies deep within the education system and societal attitudes, where a relentless rat race, intense competition, and unhealthy comparisons are eroding the mental health of students. We as a civilized society must culturally shift our perception of what is the meaning of being successful, and parents must encourage their children to embrace and explore their uniqueness and their ability.
It’s time we embrace individuality and promote mental well-being. Until then, the pressures of the rat race will continue to weigh heavily on India’s youth, and the tragic cycle of student suicides will persist.
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