25 September 2023

• Society: Student suicides in Kota, Rajasthan: the cluster of coaching-centre suicides drew attention to the mental health crisis in India's competitive exam system.
• Education: Parliamentary panel on NEP 2020's Multiple Entry and Multiple Exit system expressed concerns about resource management and geographic disparities.
• Economy: Keeladi excavation: carnelian beads confirmed ancient trade links between Tamil Nadu and western India.
• International: Five Eyes support for Canada's position continued to strain India's Western partnerships.

GS area: Society (mental health, education)

Kota, Rajasthan, India's coaching capital for engineering and medical entrance examinations, recorded a cluster of student suicides in 2023. The pattern was described by public health experts as a "suicide cluster" requiring a systemic response.

• Scale: over 25 student suicides were reported in Kota in 2023 alone. The victims were preparing for JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) or NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test).
• Risk factors: isolation from family, extreme competitive pressure, the high cost of coaching making failure feel catastrophic, peer pressure, and limited mental health support infrastructure.
• Suicide cluster: defined by the WHO as a higher than expected number of suicides in a geographic area and time period. Clusters often have a contagion dimension where one publicised death triggers others.
• India's suicide data: India recorded 164,033 suicides in 2021 (National Crime Records Bureau). Students accounted for roughly 8 per cent. Women account for over one-third of global female suicides, and India recorded 45,000-plus female suicides in 2021.
• Government response: NIMS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) guidelines were invoked. The Rajasthan government required coaching centres to appoint counsellors and remove ceiling fans (a common method).
• National Suicide Prevention Strategy: launched in 2022 with a target of a 10 per cent reduction in suicide rate by 2030.

Static linkage: society (mental health, education), governance (suicide prevention).

GS area: Governance (education), Polity (Parliamentary committee)

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education raised concerns about NEP 2020's Multiple Entry and Multiple Exit (MEME) system.

• What MEME is: NEP 2020 allows students to exit a four-year undergraduate programme at multiple points with appropriate credentials: one year = Certificate, two years = Diploma, three years = Bachelor's Degree, four years = Bachelor's Degree with Research. Students may re-enter later to complete the full degree.
• Committee concerns: resource management (universities must maintain parallel tracks for students at different stages), geographic disparities (smaller state universities lack capacity to implement MEME), and potential devaluation of three-year degrees.
• Kerala opt-out: Kerala's state government chose not to implement MEME in its higher education institutions, citing local conditions.
• NEP 2020 broader framework: the policy envisages a 5+3+3+4 school structure (instead of 10+2), a multidisciplinary higher education system, 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio in higher education by 2035, and instruction in mother tongue up to Class 5.

Static linkage: governance (education, NEP 2020), polity (Parliamentary oversight).

GS area: International Relations (India-Canada, intelligence alliances)

Australia, the UK and the US followed Canada's lead in flagging the Nijjar case, though with varying degrees of pressure. India faced a coordinated Western front for the first time on a major bilateral matter.

• US position: the US called for India's cooperation with Canada's investigation while not expelling any Indian diplomat. This was seen as calibrated pressure rather than full alignment with Canada.
• UK and Australia: expressed concern but stopped short of punitive diplomatic steps.
• India's diplomatic response: India maintained that it had not received any evidence from Canada and that Canada hosts anti-India criminal networks operating under the cover of freedom of expression.
• Broader context: the Nijjar case tests India's relationship with the Western liberal order. India's strategic autonomy means it cannot be easily coerced but must manage reputational costs.

Static linkage: international relations (India-Western relations, strategic autonomy, diaspora).

GS area: Science and Technology (digital), Sports (international)

Esports made its debut as an official medal event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, with seven titles contested including games from the EA Sports, PUBG Mobile and League of Legends franchises.

• Asian Games 2023: the 19th edition held in Hangzhou, China (September-October 2023). China led the medal table.
• Esports inclusion significance: esports has been included as a demonstration event before but medal status in Hangzhou marks a formal recognition of competitive gaming as a sport.
• India at Hangzhou: India sent a contingent of over 600 athletes. Esports was among the events where India participated.
• Olympic future: the International Olympic Committee is considering esports for the 2024 Paris Olympics programme. A separate Olympics Esports Series was held in 2023 as a precursor.
• India's esports ecosystem: India has a growing competitive gaming scene with platforms like BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India, the India version of PUBG Mobile) having tens of millions of players.

Static linkage: science and technology (digital economy), international relations (sports).

GS area: Culture (cinema, awards)

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2021 was conferred on actress Waheeda Rehman. This is India's highest honour in cinema.

• Award history: named after Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, who directed India's first feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913). The award is given by the government on the recommendation of a jury.
• Waheeda Rehman: debuted in Telugu and Tamil films before moving to Hindi cinema. Known for Pyaasa (1957, Guru Dutt), Guide (1965, Vijay Anand) and Khamoshi (1969).
• Presenting ministry: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The award includes a Swarna Kamal medallion, a shawl and 15 lakh rupees.
• Dadasaheb Phalke: born Dhundiraj Govind Phalke in 1870. He is also known for Mohini Bhasmasur (1913) and Lanka Dahan (1917). The film city in Goregaon, Mumbai is named after him.

Static linkage: culture (cinema, Indian art), history (film industry).

GS area: Culture (art, medieval India)

The Mewar School of Painting was featured in an exhibition. It is one of the major Rajput miniature painting traditions.

• Mewar school characteristics: bold colours (red, yellow, green), flat figures with large eyes, nature depicted through stylised trees, birds and plants, and religious themes drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana.
• Patronage: the Mewar rulers (Sisodia Rajputs) of Udaipur patronised this school from the 16th century. Key works include illustrated manuscripts of the Rasikapriya and Gitagovinda.
• Schools of Rajput painting: Mewar, Marwar, Bundi-Kota, Bikaner and Kishangarh are the principal Rajasthani Rajput schools. The Pahari school (Kangra, Basohli) is the Himalayan equivalent.
• Preservation: the National Museum in New Delhi and the City Palace Museum in Udaipur hold significant Mewar collections.

Static linkage: culture (art history, medieval India, Rajput painting).

• Suicides in India (NCRB 2021): 164,033 suicides were reported in 2021. Farmers and agricultural labourers accounted for approximately 6.6 per cent. Students 8 per cent. The Kota cluster sits within this larger picture.
• Keeladi-2 excavation: the Sivakalai (Keeladi Phase 2) site in Ramanathapuram district uncovered pottery and other artefacts extending the Sangam-age civilisation further south, suggesting a larger urbanised culture along the Vaigai river basin.
• London's India Club: the historic India Club in London, a social and cultural hub for the Indian diaspora founded in 1951 by diplomat Krishna Menon, permanently closed after losing its premises. It had hosted Nehru, Gandhi and many independence-era figures.