Campuses and Hidden Dangers!

Two news items raises our eyebrows in knowing the reality in our campuses!

The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has reported that over 7,000 students and young people between the ages of 18 and 25 have tested HIV positive.

According to the Karnataka government, the number of people aged 15 to 35 living with HIV in the state has increased from around 49,000 in 2023-24 to nearly 83,000 in 2025-26.

Overall, around 2.6 lakh people are estimated to be living with HIV in Karnataka. (Courtesy: Brut)

The other news item comes from Kerala where the Chief Minister and Home Minister expressed shock over three teachers being arrested in the state in connection with alleged drug abuse and trafficking. (Courtesy: The Print)

Post Covid we have seen an unrest among young minds. A reel generation always looking for entertainment. They don't like being bored. This becomes a snare and very subtly unhealthy media, drugs sneak in and take over the minds and lives of youngsters. Its okay to be bored where they can engage creativity. Its good if the children relax and cultivate good hobbies that promote their growth. To counter these negative trends its good that we have the approach of "obstacle parenting". Obstacle parenting is a counter-intuitive approach where parents stop making life overly easy, choosing instead to let children face manageable struggles, experience boredom, and solve their own problems to build true resilience.

Parents should not shirk in their responsibility to educate and encourage the children to pursue healthy habits and relationships. We should raise an alarm when we see anything that's negatively affecting them and their wholesome growth. Even if its a teacher or friend, we should train our children to be focussed on learning and abstain from every relationship thats toxic and harmful in nature- whoever it be. We need to be on top of our job to rescue a generation from the societal evils spreading like wildfire.