IISc Removes Ceiling Fans - Good.

Being the Devil's Advocate for the IISc in their bid to counter suicides.

Recently, the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru came under the fire of the internet when it decided to remove ceiling fans from their hostels after 4 suicides in the college premises over the last year.

Here are some of the comments which were shared under the news story. These are the kinder ones of course. The internet can end up being a pretty harsh place.

And this is why they say just cause someone is educated in science doesn’t mean they have an understanding of what makes better human societies. (@suitcaseindian)

Elite institution, but lacks common sense and empathy. (@_inkwithscars_)

Now, on the surface, I know the outrage makes sense. It is not sensible to think that taking away ceiling fans will stop people from being suicidal but that is the thing isn't it? IISc is not trying to stop people from feeling suicidal with this step, they are trying to prevent the action of suicide from taking place.

Evidence has shown over and over again that reducing the access to means of suicide is an effective step in preventing suicides. The most effective evidence of which comes from Sri Lanka where suicide by pesticide poisoning was a huge problem in villages.

What did the Government do?

They stored all the pesticides of a village in one warehouse and locked it; accessible only when needed. The result? Suicide rates dropped drastically.

Sometimes we forget that the decision to kill yourself is usually (keyword: usually) an impulsive decision that doesn’t have a lot of rational and logical thought behind it. When these impulses are active there are two things that we can do, we either get the person immediate crisis help to control their impulses OR we make it tougher for them to act on these impulses. That is what IISc is trying to do here.

Of course, I hope that they don’t stop here.

Suicide among students is a huge problem and getting rid of ceiling fans while, possibly effective, will not last for a long time. Slowly, other methods will emerge. Until then, it is important that the administration at IISc takes concrete steps to reduce the suicidal ideation in their students. This could include setting up a psychological care centre, having a more humane approach towards students and submissions and creating a suitable environment for their students to flourish.

Ceiling fans may buy them time but it’s important they use this time effectively.

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Question of The Week

What would you do if you were in charge of the IISc administration? What is the first step you would take? You can reply to this to let me know your ideas.

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Until next time,

Arjun Gupta