Let Them Be

A 17-year-old girl was beaten to death by her father for not getting good score in a mock test for the pre-medical National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Sangli, Maharashtra, recently.

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The bright girl who had scored 95 per cent in Plus II lost her life at the altar of parental and societal expectation. These kinds of incidents have become all too common in India where becoming a doctor or an engineer is perceived as one of life’s biggest achievement. This societal mentality that takes the form of unrealistic parental expectations has cut many young lives short. Kota in Rajasthan which is known for its NEET coaching centres has acquired the dark title of the suicide capital for NEET students. The pressure to quality NEET is so high that most students struggle with mental health issues and many give up on life altogether. Media spotlight on Kota and the pressures students face has hardly helped change anything. Once a student cracks the examination, the family gloats and preens and the student is thrown into another long period of medical studies under intense pressure. It is no wonder many students are forced to tolerate ragging, bullying, even torture and opt to end their lives but never think of quitting medicine after getting through a good medical college. Their path, dictated by par