PRAYAGRAJ: Expressing concern over the increasing instances of suicides by students preparing for various competitive exams at coaching centres in Kota, the viral IIT-Bombay Baba, Abhay Singh, said the menace could be addressed by making changes in the education system and also introducing them to spirituality to destress from societal pressure and long hours of intensive study.
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Singh from Haryana’s Jhajjar left a promising career after doing aerospace engineering from IIT-Bombay in quest for truth and wisdom.
The IITian Baba, who has taken the internet by storm at Kumbh Mela 2025 due to his unconventional journey, says, “I studied at IIT-Bombay for four years. But there was something amiss. Soon, I developed interest in arts and photography and had to teach physics at a coaching centre for one year to clear the entrance test.”
He soon discovered that spiritual pursuit was his passion and after spending harsh winters in spiritual places such as Shimla, Mussoorie, and Dharamshala, he finally committed himself to exploring and realising profound spiritual wisdom.
As TOI caught up with him at Juna Akhara in Sector 20 of Maha Kumbh on Thursday, Singh looked tired and vexed following hundreds of interviews ever since he became a sensation on social media.
Clad in a saffron robe and turban with a ‘rudraksh mala’ around his neck, Singh told TOI, “I spent a day or two with an Aghori baba performing week-long sadhna (meditations)… life changed after that.”
“My existence is unrestricted and boundless. I possess complete freedom to undertake any action, unbound by limitations or constraints,” he said.
At a time when it is difficult to get into IITs, Singh’s story has triggered a debate, both online and offline. “We need an urgent change. Education system should be student friendly, it should not be meant to harass students,” he said, adding, “Only change in education system and spirituality can prevent student suicides and depression.”
Singh is quite active on social media, with his 1.1 lakh followers on Instagram. Most of his videos on Instagram are on spirituality, resurgence and revival of humanity, future and destruction, meditation and Bhakti movement.
In one of his Instagram posts, Singh has posted a handwritten letter in English, which reads: “There were so many things I did not want to do, but they were so deep within me. So, I cut out parts of my own self. With time, the more parts I chopped, the less remained. Now, I wonder who is it that is ‘left?”
