Between empathy and social dominance: sensitising the IITs
This article examines the high rate of student suicides in elite Indian institutions like the IITs, linking them to systemic issues of caste-based discrimination and the pressures of a meritocratic culture. It argues that inequality in academia is deeply rooted in social and political history rather than just individual academic performance.
Why it matters
It highlights the urgent need for mental health support and social reform within elite educational institutions to address systemic exclusion and 'deaths of despair'.
When Rohith Vemula penned his suicide note on January 16, 2016, it was a searing indictment on Indian academia. A decade has passed, and students taking their own lives have become too frequent in elite institutions, especially in the IITs. Very often, the debate is framed in terms of ‘merit’ and the lack of coping mechanisms among students from socially marginalised communities to negotiate the academic rigour in such institutions. These islands of excellence also reflect the larger social, economic and cultural cleavages which exist in our society.
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