Recent deaths of students at IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay have reopened the discussion on well-being and what we owe to students beyond teaching and evaluation, a question that educational institutions have been reluctant to address. I believe we owe students an educational experience built on freedom, equity, trust, and empathy. While such experiences are fundamental, they remain “aspirational” on our campuses. Educational experience is still shaped by the idea of discipline and dizzying hierarchies. If anyone dares to dissent, it is likely to be labelled as indiscipline, political activism, or disrespect.

The demand for change in institutional practices and for student wellbeing initiatives on campus is now gaining traction. While ensuring student wellbeing is a shared responsibility of faculty and administrators, it is often overlooked in practice. Instead, it has been outsourced to counsellors and therapists, because psychological challenges are considered as some sort of “infection” that requires expert treatment — if done appropriately and if the protocols are followed, it can be effectively managed.

At IIT Delhi, an external inquiry committee was formed, and at IIT Bombay, the director said a committee would examine the death and students’ concerns about representation and support services. The question is what such support should mean. In a crisis, professional care may save a life. However, the problem begins when these services become the institution’s primary measure of wellbeing. Distress is then located inside the student, while the university itself appears as a neutral background, but is not. Rules, hierarchies, classrooms, hostels, evaluation systems, grievance procedures, and the everyday exercise of authority shape how people live on campus. So, the question is not only........

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