About a lakh students were notified, nine thousand or so responded in time,
It was to determine who needs help, not providing it before exams, a crime.
They were preparing for JEE and NEET, each with a dream in their heart,
Finding who was genuinely depressed or anxious, was both a science and an art.
Validated assessments were used, they were screened for suicidal ideation too,
The results were shocking and worrisome; thousands were feeling daily blue.
They felt as if they were a failure, were fatigued and sleep-deprived,
All in an effort to be in the top 2-3%, who would get the coveted prize.
One in six was battling daily, with thoughts they would be better off dead,
I was aghast when I saw the pie charts; the larger slices were all red.
More than half of those who fell in the category, actively contemplating suicide,
Had no one to lean on in bad times, believed no one was on their side.
The situation is truly heartbreaking, but timely support is all one needs,
Please come together to fight this menace, I alone can't, the poet in me pleads.
2 comments:
Great poem for great & relevant cause! Thanks Sandeep!
You are welcome Anil; ; Glad that you read and appreciate my poetry, especially on such sensitive matters. We will be publishing a whitepaper on this also sometime; my poem was sort of an executive summary of that paper:-)
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