Date: May 2026

From: A Daughter of the Republic, Age 18

To the Parents, The Policymakers, The "Leaders," and a Nation that sleeps while its house burns:

It is 2026. Another headline. Another statistic. A 21-year-old in Kota committed suicide because the weight of the NEET examination crushed his spirit. The immediate reaction is a familiar script: blame the parents, blame the individual, call it,  "mental weakness." 

But stop. Look closer. This death is not an anomaly;  it is a symptom of a systemic disease that has infected the very soul of this country. We are grieving, and you are debating.

THE MATHEMATICS OF MISERY

Let us look at the data you refuse to acknowledge. In 2026, over 26 lakh students applied for NEET, battling for a mere 1.3 lakh MBBS seats. That is a success rate of less than 5%. We are not running a race;  we are leading a lambs to the slaughter. The pressure this creates is not "inspiration".

It is PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE. And for what? To trust a system that is fundamentally broken? We were told this was a "National Level Filtration Test." We were stripped of our dignity, told not to wear trousers with zips, no watches, even told to bring ~transparent bottles~ and frisked as if we were criminals, treated with skepticism to ensure a "fair exam." Yet, the paper was leaked. 

The cancellation of NEET 2026 is not an administrative error; it is a betrayal. I read the plea of a student whose father sold their ancestral land to fund his coaching. He celebrated on May 3rd thinking the struggle was over. Now, with the exam cancelled, he asks, "How do I ask a farmer for more money? NTA, you didn't cancel a test, you crushed my hope."

The coaching mafia is already selling "Re-NEET" batches according to some memes, is that true? Well I thought even NEET LEAK was just a meme. Profiting off our trauma. While the Prime Minister advises us to save fuel and travel less, the exam centers assigned to us are in different states. We fight for Tatkal tickets that vanish in seconds, navigate bug-ridden websites, and now, with exams postponed, families who booked vacations to heal from this stress are left with non-refundable tickets and empty hotels. The airlines profit, the fuel is saved, but the student pays the price. It is a masterstroke of economic cruelty.

 

A CURRICULUM OF OBSOLESCENCE

We are running after JEE and NEET because we are told it is the only path to survival. But what are we actually learning? Consider a student with syllabus at a "national school of importance" is 25 years old. He/she is a future doctor forced to memorize the physics of gravitation; a computer science student wasting brainpower on organic chemistry reactions. In the real world, during ~internships~ he/she finds, they know nothing. They have to unlearn the garbage and relearn what the industry actually needs.

We are not being educated; 

we are being conditioned.

We are taught to cram, not to create.

We have the highest number of engineers in the world, yet zero indigenous inventions in the last century.

We seek enlightenment but have more temples, mosques, and churches than libraries. 

Our system produces workers, not thinkers.

 

THE ECONOMIC APOCALYPSE

You ask us why we are stressed? Look at the economy you are handing us.

The Indian Rupee has crashed from 85 to 95 against the Dollar in a matter of months. In the last four weeks alone, the RBI has burnt $40 billion of our forex reserves just to slow the fall. We have slipped from the world’s 4th largest economy to the 6th.

Crude oil prices have doubled, but our wages remain stagnant. Inflation is not a statistic; it is the poison in our food. We are consuming urea in milk, palm oil in paneer, sugar syrup in honey, iron filings in tea, brick powder in chilli, plastic in rice, and banned pesticides in our fruits. Even our water is contaminated. We are staring at a future where a degree no longer pays, a house costs ten times our salary, and our jobs are being automated by AI before we even graduate. 25 lakh people are plunging back into poverty. And yet, the "Boomers" have the audacity to ask why Gen Z is anxious? 

 

But the truth is,

We are set up for failure before we have even taken our first step.

 

THE GOVERNANCE OF FAILURE

The incompetence is staggering. 

The Election Commission cannot ensure fair elections;

the NTA cannot conduct fair exams;

the CBSE cannot fairly evaluate answer sheets. Due to the failure of the O.S.M. (On-Screen Marking) system, there has been a blunder in the results of millions. Students who scored above 75%—the criteria for IITs, suddenly received marks less than expected, missing the cut-off by decimal points. Teachers report that scanned answer sheets are blurred on digital screens, making them hesitant to award marks.

A faulty system was dragged into this year. The lack of coordination is devastating. Students clearing JEE Mains who have compartment or improvement exams will get their results on freezing the JOSAA counselling process. Why can't dates be extended? Because the bureaucracy does not care about the human cost of their timelines.

 

A DEMOCRACY IN NAME ONLY

We are told we are the world's largest democracy. Is this a joke?

India’s press freedom ranking is now lower than Palestine. Journalists are muzzled. An IITian builds an app to book train tickets efficiently, and he is arrested, only for the government to steal his idea and launch their own version. Our leadership is missing in action. We have a Prime Minister who could have held a press conference to address the economic crisis, the LPG shortage, the children killed in Manipur, or the AQI of 300 in Delhi-NCR. Instead, he distracts us with rhetoric about Pakistan or oppressing the opposition. When accountability is demanded, it is diverted with jokes. When we ask for safety, MLAs like K. R. Ramesh Kumar say in the Assembly, "When rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it." This is the mentality governing our women. Instead of punishing rapists, the system questions the victim. The Parliament passes the Transgender Persons (Protection) Rights Amendment Bill, 2026, stripping away self-perceived gender identity and forcing medical certification: a massive step backward for human rights.

 

THE FINAL WORD

Everyone keeps asking us, "What are your future plans?"

How do we answer that? How do we tell you that the country’s future is uncertain, and we are exhausted?

We are a generation drowning in the dirt caused by your greed and incompetence.

We do not want your sympathy.

We want REFORM.

Fix the System: Stop treating students like cheaters. Fix the leaks. Update the syllabus.

Economic Justice: Stop burning reserves on optics and start building an economy where a degree actually buys a life.

Accountability: When the system fails, resign. Do not hide behind "masterstrokes."

 

How proud would be the past Leaders right? The land for which people sacrificed their life to gain independence,  is just celebrating it every year without claiming it. The country which was once famous as-Sone ki Chidiya is only literary independent. Reality is up-side-down!

 

We wanted to change the world.

But right now, we are just fighting to survive it.

 

Signed,

A Citizen who has had enough.