India’s tech capital is stressed out

India’s tech capital is stressed out


Mohammed Shariff
First Published : 21 Oct 2008 10:37:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 21 Oct 2008 01:06:31 PM IST

BANGALORE: It is a city of contradictions. On the one hand, it is one of the fastest growing cities in India, but its dizzying growth hides a grim statistic, it is witnessing a rapid rise in suicide rate and has become the suicide capital of India.

Over 200 people, including teenagers, commit suicide every month in the city as they suffer from work-related stress or insecurity.

According to Bangalore Police records, in the first seven months of this year, 1,444 people in the city have committed suicide. Of these, more than 655 people belong to IT and ITES sectors. According to a recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, over 40 per cent of the suicides in the city are committed by people who earn more than Rs 30,000 per month.

The statistics reveal a dangerous trend.

Mumbai-based psychiatrist Sheetal Ravi said, “The scenario is quite alarming.

People should find some time for the family and friends when they get distressed.

At the moment, we do not have any other way out. The IT industry itself is very competitive and sometimes it becomes very difficult to cope with the pressure of a rapidly changing industry.” Sheetal said that the use of credit cards among the techies has soared over the last five years, and with pay cuts happening on the one hand and interest rates soaring on the other, more youth might be driven to depression and suicides.

A source from the HR department of IBM said that pressure on the employee cannot be avoided as “all the foreign projects have tight deadlines and in order to achieve this the companies exert high pressure.” They also said that “every company had special programmes to ease the pressure, which sometimes did not work.” Sheetal said that most youth become quickly depressed as their family structure has been de-prioritised. The high expectations from their parents coupled with the lack of an adequate social life also contribute to the rising suicide rates, adds Sheetal.