A 19-year-old student in Kota wrote to his parents that he was leaving home for a span of 5 years. Rajendra Meena, a resident of Gangarampur’s Bamanwas, was preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET in Kota. He had just Rs. 8,000 in his possession, and would be gone for 5 years, he told his father in a WhatsApp message.
“I don’t want to study further, so I am leaving home”, he mentioned in the text message. The student further added, “Please tell mother that I won’t take any wrong steps”. He informed his father that he would be selling his mobile phone and breaking his SIM card.
He wrote in his text message, “I have everyone’s numbers with me”, while assuring his father that he would be calling once a year and asking him to tell his mother not to worry about him.
Parents filed a missing person complaint with the police
As reported by NDTV, the student had gone missing on May 6, after having left his paying guest accommodation in Kota on the same day at 1:30 pm. After they received his message on Whatsapp, his family members began looking for him. When they couldn’t find him, they filed a missing person complaint with the police.
As per NDTV’s report, Rajendra’s whereabouts remain unknown at this point. The police have begun a search operation to track the missing student down.
Worrisome circumstances for students in Kota
Popularly known as “Kota factory”, students struggle with packed schedules, cut-throat competition, burden of parents’ expectations as well as homesickness.
Stories of students in Kota who lost their life under the pressure of their parents' expectations, their aspirations, and cutthroat competition are not unheard of. In 2023, as per a PTI report, 20 students preparing for competitive exams in Kota had ended their lives, highest for any year. In 2022, the number was 15. As per data, more than 70 students have died by suicide in Kota since 2018.
The demanding nature of their studies in Kota, coupled with being away from their families can cause some students to feel severe stress. There are other factors like isolation, and the fear of failure that can lead to students feeling vulnerable and taking extreme steps.
