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A disheartening news of yet another IIT student committing suicide, its high time Indian parents get over their engineering mania and let their children live.
Disheartening news of yet another IIT student committing suicide; it’s high time Indian parents get over their engineering/ medicine mania and let their children follow their passion.
Trigger alert: This post contains discussions & descriptions of suicide.
Imagine a world where all the people, each and everyone, can either build infrastructure, deal with computers, machines etc., or treat illnesses and that’s it, nothing else. If that’s the case then who would write books which we love to read, make films that we all enjoy watching, sing or dance to entertain us, or run businesses to earn money for the country?
Many of our parents, bound by the societal norms of best careers, wish the same for their children. They are caught by society’s fixation for specific professions like medical, engineering, law or chartered accountancy. They want nothing but a bright future for their kids. So intending good, they discourage their sons and daughters from perusing a career of their choice, apart from the ‘regular’ ones.
The recent news of a Karnataka girl studying in IIT-Guwahati committing suicide is a result of society’s whims and fancies being imposed on children. She was depressed and wanted to peruse engineering no more. She felt she would be hurting her parents by not meeting their expectations. Hence decided to sacrifice her own life instead. This is heartbreaking.
Many Indian movies have made tons of money dealing with this very issue, hundreds of articles and books have been written as to how its absolutely fine to choose a different career path, and there are many real life examples out there – of successful people who have earned name, fame and money by following a career of their choice. In spite of all these efforts, the society’s notion hasn’t changed much. Parents are still made to feel that it’s not right on their part to encourage children follow a ‘wrong path.’ So, the poor cries of their children never reach their ears?
It had just been one and a half month since this girl joined IIT-Guwahati. It’s hard to even imagine the emotional trauma she must have undergone to take such a drastic step. It’s so hard to crack JEE exams, and the very fact that she made it to IIT proves her mettle. It’s clear that she must have been feeling desperate to take such a step, and it’s important for all of us to be more supportive of young people and their aspirations, rather than steering them towards what we think they need to do.
Image Source – Pexels
If you or anyone you know is feeling suicidal, here are some of the helplines available in India. Please call.
Aasra, Mumbai: 022-27546669 Sneha, Chennai: 044-2464 0050 Lifeline, Kolkata: 033-2474 4704 Sahai, Bangalore: 080–25497777 Roshni, Hyderabad: 040-66202000, 040-66202001
Apart from being the Associate Editor at Women's Web, where I get to read, edit and write a lot of interesting articles, my life is simple. It begins at 'M' (Movies) and ends with ' read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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