The death in strange circumstances of Bombay Scottish student Gaurang Dalvi has rattled the school at Mahim and landed the other students in counselling sessions.
MUMBAI: The death in strange circumstances of Bombay Scottish student Gaurang Dalvi has rattled the school at Mahim and landed the other students in counselling sessions.
Gaurang, 13, hanged himself at home on December 6. While police registered a case of suicide, his parents have since claimed that the death was the result of a dangerous game gone wrong.
Worried about the impact of the incident and reports about it in the news media on other students, the school has initiated special counselling sessions.
Dr DPN Prasad, principal of Bombay Scottish and a psychologist, said, “Psychiatrists advise against glorifying death as children could get wrong ideas. That is why we have held several sessions for our students.”
To bring back a semblance of normalcy among the shocked students, the school decided to go ahead with its sports day (December 7) and annual day (December 20). Prasad insisted it was not an attempt to “sweep the issue under the carpet”.
Since the incident, the school has invited psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria to conduct two sessions for students of Std IX, Gaurang’s class.
It invited another psychiatrist, Eileen Charlie, to speak to the students of Std X, who are already under immense academic pressure.
“Even parents have been counselled how to deal with their children,” said Prasad. From January 9, the principal plans to introduce counselling on the use of the Internet. The school has three counsellors in its remedial counselling department, which, Prasad said, counsels students regularly.
“Gaurang was a good student and good athlete,” the principal said. “He was a gentle giant, popular with teachers and classmates. Everyone in the school is grieving.”
A prayer service was held for Gaurang the day after his death. It was attended by 1,500 parents and 2,000 students.
“Mumbai has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, unstable floating population,” Prasad said. “This population has its own problems, which are reflected in the family set-up.”
When family members quarrel, he said, problems are bound to erupt in the child’s mind. “There is no point blaming stress, parental pressure, tuitions, etc. Parents should try to spend quality time with their children.”
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