Kota: Students battle loneliness, with no friend, family to lean on

An IIT JEE aspirant studies at his room in a hostel, in Kota. Pic/PTI

There are no friends but only competitors in the country's coaching capital popularly known as "Kota factory", say students and experts as the government struggles to keep a check on the spate of suicides among engineering and medical aspirants.

Authorities say 20 students preparing for competitive exams in Kota have ended their lives so far in 2023 - highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15.

Battling with packed schedules, cut-throat competition, constant pressure to do better, burden of parents' expectations and homesickness, students say they often find themselves alone with no one to talk to and share their feelings with.

Experts said parents also see friendships as potential distractions for their wards and discourage them to make friends when they are here for coaching.

‘Cannot slow down'

"There is no concept of friendship here...there are only competitors. Every student sitting next to you is seen as an additional burden to fight with. Unlike schools and colleges, nobody shares notes among peers here because everybody is seen as a threat who might take one's seat away in the college of his or her choice," Ridhima Swamy, a NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ) aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, told PTI.

Mansi Singh, a Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirant from Odisha, who has been here for the past two years, said, "It is like running on a treadmill. You only have two options either to get down or keep running. You cannot take a break, cannot slow down but only keep running."

Dinesh Sharma, the head of the Psychology Department at Government Nursing College, said students neither open up nor develop empathy for their peers here.

Parents discourage bonding

"The first instructions from the parents when they drop their kids here is...do not waste time in friendships, you are here to study. When parents see it negatively, students feel that it is something wrong and should not be done.

"Every coaching has counsellors now but these students are apprehensive about opening up as they think their parents might be informed... Having friends can be really helpful, but here, those who make friends are not seen in good light," he said.

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