IIT Bombay Launches Bandhu – A Self-help Website for Students’ Emotional Wellbeing

On 1st Novermber 2020, a website called Bandhu, which has been developed for the students of IIT Bombay, was launched by Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Union Minister for State for Education. Other eminent personalities who were part of this launch were IIT Bombay Director, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhari and noted filmaker, Nitesh Tiwari, who is an alumni of IIT Bombay. 

Speaking on the launch of the website, MoS sad, “A good education institution is one in which every student feels welcomed and cared for, where a safe and stimulating learning environment exists, where a wide range of learning experiences are offered, and where good physical infrastructure and appropriate resources conducive to learning are available to all students. Students are the prime stakeholders in the education system. Vibrant campus life is essential for high-quality teaching-learning processes. Towards this end, students should be given plenty of opportunities for participation in sports, culture/arts clubs, eco-clubs, activity clubs, community service projects etc.”

He further added, “National Education Policy 2020 says that in every education institution, there shall be counselling systems for handling stress and emotional adjustments. Furthermore, a systematized arrangement shall be created to provide the requisite support to students from rural backgrounds, including increasing hostel facilities as needed. All higher education institutions will ensure quality medical facilities for all students in their institutions.”

The website – Bandhu has been developed with collaboration of IIT Bombay counsellors and external experts, and the project was initiated by the alumni of 1992 batch of IIT Bombay. It addresses the challenges that students face in their college life, ranging from academic stress, adjustment to college life and most importantly, mental health.

On the occasion of the launch, Dr. Chaudhuri said, “We live in a time where we are prone to stress. The students of IIT Bombay need to stay strong, both physically and emotionally to construct and pursue their dreams.”

One of the alumni from the 1992 batch, Rekha Koita said, “Many issues, when tackled effectively at the initial stages, can help students overcome challenges in a timely manner before a domino effect starts coming into play. Moreover, it will also point out when it could be time to seek help from the support structure available at IIT Bombay.”