Kota is a city where there are a lot of residential coaching institutes drawing students for preparation of medical and engineering entrance examinations.
Investigating the deaths, The Indian Express accessed police records and interviewed over 50 stakeholders, including students, institute representatives, parents and doctors, to find how Kota, the famed national coaching hub, has become a veritable factory which grinds 24 by 7 in crammed shop-floors where students are treated as little more than raw material. A four-part investigation will show how over 300 institutes — Allen, Resonance, Bansal, Vibrant, Career Point being the big five — promise the world to lure over 1.5 lakh aspirants for engineering and medical seats. And then put them in a system where the cost of failure, as in the case of Anjali Anand, can be shame, fear — and death. Her parents, 49-year-old M K Sagar, an insurance administration officer and his wife Rajkumari, 42, are struggling to cope with the pain, anguish and a "deep sense of guilt". "I killed my daughter, I gave into her demand of studying in Kota," said Rajkumari as she broke down in their small, two-room rented house at Railway Harthala Colony in Moradabad.
Investigating the deaths, The Indian Express accessed police records and interviewed over 50 stakeholders, including students, institute representatives, parents and doctors, to find how Kota, the famed national coaching hub, has become a veritable factory which grinds 24 by 7 in crammed shop-floors where students are treated as little more than raw material. A four-part investigation will show how over 300 institutes — Allen, Resonance, Bansal, Vibrant, Career Point being the big five — promise the world to lure over 1.5 lakh aspirants for engineering and medical seats. And then put them in a system where the cost of failure, as in the case of Anjali Anand, can be shame, fear — and death.
Ref: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/an-express-series-part-one-why-an-18-yr-old-signs-off-her-note-mein-aaj-apni-life-khatam-karti-hoon/#sthash.0SXm8xf3.dpuf
"HAMARA AGAR selection nahin hua toh hum aap logon se nazrein nahi mila payenge. I am sorry. Mein apni marzi se aaj apni life khatam karti hoon (I cannot face you if I am not selected. I am ending my life)."
On the night of October 31, eight days before she was to reach home for Diwali, Anjali Anand scribbled these lines on a sheet of paper before hanging herself from the window of her hostel room at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Kota.
This 18-year-old had arrived here just 18 months ago after her Class 12 from Moradabad to become one among the 77,000 students at Allen Career Institute and chase her dream of cracking the medical entrance examination.
Investigating the deaths, The Indian Express accessed police records and interviewed over 50 stakeholders, including students, institute representatives, parents and doctors, to find how Kota, the famed national coaching hub, has become a veritable factory which grinds 24 by 7 in crammed shop-floors where students are treated as little more than raw material. A four-part investigation will show how over 300 institutes — Allen, Resonance, Bansal, Vibrant, Career Point being the big five — promise the world to lure over 1.5 lakh aspirants for engineering and medical seats. And then put them in a system where the cost of failure, as in the case of Anjali Anand, can be shame, fear — and death. Her parents, 49-year-old M K Sagar, an insurance administration officer and his wife Rajkumari, 42, are struggling to cope with the pain, anguish and a "deep sense of guilt". "I killed my daughter, I gave into her demand of studying in Kota," said Rajkumari as she broke down in their small, two-room rented house at Railway Harthala Colony in Moradabad.
She was staying with her family and had dropped out of her coaching classes in May. Kota police records show that 24 students committed suicide in 2015 so far — more than double of last year's 11. In most cases, they cited "study pressure" for ending their lives.
Investigating the deaths, The Indian Express accessed police records and interviewed over 50 stakeholders, including students, institute representatives, parents and doctors, to find how Kota, the famed national coaching hub, has become a veritable factory which grinds 24 by 7 in crammed shop-floors where students are treated as little more than raw material. A four-part investigation will show how over 300 institutes — Allen, Resonance, Bansal, Vibrant, Career Point being the big five — promise the world to lure over 1.5 lakh aspirants for engineering and medical seats. And then put them in a system where the cost of failure, as in the case of Anjali Anand, can be shame, fear — and death.
Her parents, 49-year-old M K Sagar, an insurance administration officer and his wife Rajkumari, 42, are struggling to cope with the pain, anguish and a "deep sense of guilt". "I killed my daughter, I gave into her demand of studying in Kota," said Rajkumari as she broke down in their small, two-room rented house at Railway Harthala Colony in Moradabad.
Fighting back tears, Sagar said: "When I saw her body in the mortuary, I just wanted to shake her, wake her up and bring her back to Moradabad," he said. "When she failed to crack the pre-medical exam in the first attempt after dropping a year, we took her to Meerut for coaching, but she was adamant on returning to Kota," he added.
Sagar and Rajkumari say they failed to spot any early warning. "I spoke to her two to three times a day, she was confident of cracking the AIIMS entrance this year," said Rajkumari. "On the night of her death, too, I spoke to her and she said 'Ma, I will make you proud one day'."
For Sagar, it was always about giving his children all the opportunities he could. "I get a monthly salary and knew I couldn't put Anjali in a private college where I had to pay a fee of Rs 50 lakh. Kota seemed like a good option," said Sagar, adding that he travels over 100 km to Najibabad every day for work. Apart from the Rs-1 lakh tuition fees, Sagar used to send his daughter Rs 13,000 each month for room and board.
Staying away from home
Anjali's decision to study in Kota brought about major changes in the Sagar household. "This was the first time she was living on her her own, 700 km away from home. I had never travelled alone in my life but for her sake, I began making trips to Kota," said her mother. "Anjali gave me the confidence. Once when she was travelling alone, she told me tension mat lo, agar goonde aaye toh ek-do ko toh mai khud handle kar loongi (if goons attack me, I can tackle a couple of them on my own)'," she added.
On the day The Indian Express visited Sakshi hostel, where Anjali lived, the front facade was draped in dark green cloth. The hostel is, in fact, a private residence housing 30 students. A carton full of Anjali's books and other belongings lay in the courtyard. "After Anjali's death, five of the girls left. We are planning to shift the hostel now," said Rajesh Khanna, the manager.
What kind of pressure was Anjali under? "What pressure? She insisted on coming here on her own," said hostel warden Bhavna Rathore who discovered the body on November 1. "She studied but not as much as the other girls here." Her hostel friends, who Anjali's family say shared great "camaraderie" with her, don't wish to talk about her. "We didn't know Anjali, we concentrate on our studies," is the refrain.
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