Exam stress? IIT-Kharagpur director's message for students amid IIT Bombay case

IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty urged students not to let exams or grades define them. His message came amid fresh concern over student welfare and mental-health support after Sahil Wakode's death at IIT Bombay.

In Short

• The note urged students to trust preparation and tackle questions calmly
• He said one bad paper should never define ability or future
• Students were advised to sleep well, eat properly and support friends

“An exam is indeed important, but it is not bigger than you. A grade is important, but it does not define you,” IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty said in a message to students ahead of their examinations. He urged students to keep the outcome of an examination in perspective, noting that neither a single grade nor a disappointing paper should be seen as a measure of their ability or as a determination of what lies ahead.

In a video message posted by IIT Kharagpur on X on the evening of September 20, addressed to students ahead of their examinations, Chakraborty stressed that while exams matter, they are but one part of a student’s life.

“An exam measures what you wrote on one day. It does not measure who you are or what you will become,” he said.

The message comes amid a wider discussion on academic pressure and the well-being of students at the country’s engineering institutes, days after the death of an IIT Bombay student following an incident during an examination.

The second-year student, Sahil Wakode, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly found using ChatGPT on his phone during the examination.

IIT Bombay said the student had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT and that he was subsequently counselled by the instructor and the Head of Department.

The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that he had been assured that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

Against this backdrop, Chakraborty’s message is primarily focused on helping students approach examinations without allowing their performance at academics to become a measure of their worth.

The advice was practical. Students, he said, should trust the preparation they had already made, breathe, and take one question at a time. He also urged them to sleep adequately, eat properly and help their friends remain positive.

“Walk into the exam hall with confidence and above all with honesty,” he said.

Chakraborty also cautioned students against treating a poor examination as a judgment upon themselves.

“Sometimes you will surprise yourself very positively. And sometimes, despite sincere preparation, an exam may simply not go your way,” he said. “Please do not catastrophise such a moment.”

“A poor exam is not a poor life. A disappointing grade is not a verdict on your ability,” he added.

He also assured students that the institution would stand by them in difficult moments.

“If you find yourself in a genuinely difficult situation and you have not intentionally harmed any person, please remember that you are not standing there alone,” Chakraborty said.

“As your director, imagine my hand on your shoulder to protect you,” he adds further.

IIT Kharagpur, one of the country’s oldest IITs, has in recent months placed student welfare alongside academic work in its institutional messaging. Chakraborty, who has served as director since June 2025, has also spoken of the need for a more humane approach to education.

His message ends with a simple request: students should do their honest best, remain cheerful and keep moving forward.

“No single exam can capture the full measure of your talent. No single grade can write the story of your future,” he said.

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