She gave her life, literally, to EY. Died due to 'work stress' at 26. And no one from her company even showed up for her funeral. This is the reality of the 'hustle' culture. The company will find a replacement for her in no time, but her friends and family will never recover from this. CA Anna Sebastian Perayil died 4 months after joining EY. Her mother blames the company for her death. Her mother wrote a heartbreaking letter addressed to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani. She said "Anna was full of life, dreams, and excitement the future. EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be part of such a prestigious company." "She was a school topper, and a college topper, excelled in extracurricular activities, and passed her CA exams with distinction. She worked tirelessly at EY. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining" "When Anna joined this specific team, she was told that many employees had resigned due to the excessive workload, and the team manager told her, 'Anna, you must stick around and change everyone's opinion about our team.' My child didn't realize she would pay for that with her life" In July, Anna complained of chest congestion. Her parents came to Pune for her convocation and took her to the doctor who said she wasn't getting enough sleep and was eating very late. Even after this, Anna didn't care about her health and went to work right after seeing the doctor, saying there was a lot of work to be done. Her mother added "She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath. When she voiced her concerns, she was met with the dismissive response, "You can work at night; that's what we all do." "Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was a fighter to the core. We told her to quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure." "Anna would never have blamed her managers. She was too kind for that. But I cannot remain silent. Burdening newcomers with such backbreaking work, making them work day and night, even Sundays, has no justification whatsoever. She had just left her hometown (Kerala) and loved ones. The management took full advantage of the fact that she was new and overwhelmed her with both assigned and unassigned work." "Anna's experience sheds light on a work culture that seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the roles. Anna's death should serve as a wake-up call for EY. It is time to reflect on the work culture within your organization and take meaningful steps to prioritize the health and wellness of your employees." The corporate world failed Anna. Nobody deserves this. This must stop now before we hear of more victims of such exploitation.