Updated: November 9, 2020 12:07:48 pm
Aishwarya Reddy received the INSPIRE grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Second-year student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women died by suicide last week in his hometown of Telangana, citing financial troubles in an alleged suicide note. Her father, who is a motorcycle mechanic in the Ranga Reddy district, said she was an IAS aspirant, but the family couldn’t even buy her a second-hand laptop to follow online classes during the pandemic.
According to local police, Aishwarya Reddy, a B.Sc. A math student (honors), he hanged himself at his home in Shadnagar on November 2. The 19-year-old’s family, who had scored 98.5 percent in class 12, said she left a note written in Telugu. “Because of me, my family faces many financial problems. I am a burden to my family. My education is a burden. If I can’t study, I can’t live ”, says the note.
Aishwarya’s father, Srinivas Reddy, said that when Aishwarya was admitted to the prestigious university last year, he had mortgaged his one-bedroom house for 2 lakh rupees. “I’m still paying off the loan,” said Reddy, who opened his own repair shop in March.
“I had to close in a month due to the closure, and although I reopened, business has been slow. My daughter had returned home in February after the close of college. In October, she asked if I could buy her a laptop as the online classes had started and it was difficult for her to attend them over the phone. She said even a used laptop would do. I told him to wait a few days. She didn’t ask again. A few days later, he mentioned that the amount of the scholarship he was supposed to receive was delayed, ”he said.
LSR Director Suman Sharma said that Aishwarya had not approached the university for financial aid: “It is a great loss for us and it is very unfortunate that we cannot help her. However, she had never approached any teacher in the math department or the shelter authorities with her problems. The university has many plans and scholarships, but she never asked for help. We also have many support mechanisms for mental health, but unfortunately she did not approach them either. “
In a short signed suicide note, Aishwarya said that she would not want to be a burden to the family as her education has become one for all. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)
Aishwarya also received the INSPIRE scholarship from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and her note reads: “Please make sure the INSPIRE scholarship is awarded for at least one year.”
INSPIRE offers three scholarship schemes: for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for doctors and doctors. Scholarships are available for up to five years.
While her father said the scholarship was delayed, a letter received by Aishwayra in August indicated that there was still time to complete the procedure. DST’s letter, dated August 6, 2020, reported that she had been “provisionally selected” for the higher education scholarship. He said that the release of the annual fund of Rs 80,000 was subject to the submission of bank account details and a copy of the Aadhaar card before December 31, 2020.
Dr. Sanjay Mishra, who assumed the position of head of the INSPIRE Program in the Department of Science and Technology (DST) on November 1, said that despite financial constraints during the pandemic, the department decided that “at no cost will this crisis be translated into any of the scholarships and scholarships that we grant ”.
“Sometimes a delay can occur in cases of technical problems, such as if the student has not uploaded all the required documents on the scholarship website, if the previous money has been used or if the student has not met the minimum criteria Grading is 60 percent for a sophomore. The funds disbursement process is 45 days from the moment of the request, ”he said.
Aishwarya family. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)
But the latest crisis, Aishwarya’s father said, was that he was asked to leave his room at the shelter in October. The LSR hostel is only available to freshmen. “Arrangements had to be made to move into rented accommodation. I told him not to worry and that I would manage the money, although he had no idea where. On November 2, he insisted on feeding me with his own hand. And then he took the extreme step, ”Reddy said.
“I wanted to be an IAS officer, I had many goals. I used to privately regret that I didn’t have enough money to help her realize her dreams… When she passed her intermediate level from Vigyan Junior College, I was Shadnagar’s proudest parent, ”Reddy said.
To help Aishwarya, Srinivas and his wife Sumathi also pledged their gold ornaments and stopped sending their second daughter to school; Aishwarya’s sister Vaishnavi (16) dropped out of school after class 7.
Sumathi, who worked as a tailor from home, said Aishwarya was depressed after receiving a WhatsApp message asking her to leave the hostel room. “Any private accommodation abroad would cost at least 15,000 rupees a month. We didn’t even have money to buy him a train ticket to Delhi, ”he said. On October 31, Aishwarya sent a WhatsApp message to the hostel director saying that she would be leaving the room before November 7.
“For two days before committing suicide, he did not eat anything. She fought with her mother and was concerned about continuing her education, ”said Gandham Navyashree, LSR’s BA (History and Sociology) student who hails from the same city.
According to her, even 10-15 minutes before ending her life, Aishwarya had a phone conversation with a close friend and discussed the exam preparations. “She had shared with her friends her inability to perform well while using her mobile phone to attend classes and do homework,” he said.
Asihwarya’s parents said they are not sure if the suicide note was written just before the end of her life or earlier. “We were all sitting here. He forced me to dinner and entered the room. The door wasn’t closed and we thought she was studying, ”said her father. “Even in our worst nightmare, we don’t think about it.”
Aishwarya’s house in Hyderabad (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)
Earlier, after actor Sonu Sood tweeted about his student scholarship initiative, Aishwarya wrote him an email on September 14, attaching his certificates as proof. “I don’t have a laptop and I can’t do practical work. I am afraid that I may miss these documents. Our family is completely in debt, so there is no way to buy a laptop… I’m not sure if I can complete my graduation, ”the email read.
In the alleged suicide note, he wrote: “Forgive me. I am not a good daughter. “Her father said:” We want the authorities to make sure that no other student faces a similar fate. “
(With Esha Roy)
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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