BE student ends life

[1]

A second semester civil engineering student at Anna University killed herself in her hostel room on Tuesday, leaving behind a suicide note saying that she was not able to cope with the studies.

S. Dhyriya Lakshmi, 19, who was present in the class in the morning, went back to her hostel room (No. 10) and hanged herself. This is the third suicide by an engineering student in the city in the last three weeks.

On April 9, Kuldeep Yadav, an IIT student, killed himself, reportedly over love failure. Another Anna University engineering student, D. Manivannan, 21, committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room on March 28. A native of Dharmapuri, he had many arrears.

“On Tuesday, a few friends noticed that Dhyriya Lakshmi, a native of Villupuram, who went into her room around 10.10 am, did not come out even after 30 minutes.

The friends knocked on the door and when there was no reply, they broke open the door and found her dead,” the police said.

The police said, quoting her friends, that as a Tamil medium student, Dhyriya Lakshmi was finding it difficult to handle the course. She had six arrears for the first semester.

The suicide note that she left behind said, “I failed in a lot of subjects in the first semester. I think I will fail in the second semester too. My parents are striving hard to pay for my education.” She also said no one was responsible for her act.

Call to appoint Counsellors to help students

Alarmed at the growing number of student suicides over the past two years, city psychiatrists demand that high schools and colleges appoint experienced counsellors to help depressed students cope with their problems.

“It is pitiable that such brainy children, students of IIT and other engineering colleges are taking their own lives. Whether the reason be academic pressure or a turbulent love life, it is clear that these youngsters are unable to deal with defeat,” says senior psychiatrist Dr R. Sathianathan, pointing out that the students’ upbringing was most probably to blame for such behaviour.

“From a small age, such children would have led protected and pampered lives. Their parents would have rewarded them whenever they score high marks, and the children get conditioned to expect appreciation when they perform well in exams, and disappointment and rebuke when they get poor marks,” he explains.

Parents should understand that intelligence is not getting good marks, but being able to adapt to a situation, learning to face a difficult situation, accept defeat and move on—such qualities are not taught by parents these days, laments Dr Sathianathan.

“The universities should ensure that students have someone to go to with their problems.. Students should be encouraged to meet and befriend the counsellor, who should mingle freely with the children,” advises Dr Sathianathan.