After nearly three decades of suffering, Savithri Mundavalappil, a former student whose life was shattered by ragging passed away on Monday at the age of 45 due to cardiac arrest at Kasaragod District Hospital in Kanhangad. Her death marks the end of a journey filled with mental illness, self-harm and institutionalisation.
Savithri, the youngest daughter of a daily wage labourer, had aspired to become a breadwinner of the family, hoping to lift her family out of poverty. However, her dreams were destroyed just three days into her college life in 1996 when she became a victim of alleged relentless ragging at Nehru Arts and Science College in Kanhangad, as per a report on Manorama. However, the exact details of the ragging incident aren't known.
Yet, the trauma pushed her into a deep state of distress making her withdraw from college and social interactions entirely.
A Life Consumed By Mental Illness
As her condition deteriorated, Savithri’s family struggled to understand and provide care for her. In a tragic episode of self-harm, she gouged out her right eye using beedi-clipping scissors, a desperate act reflecting the severity of her psychological suffering, reported Mathrubhumi.
Over the years, she was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder and experienced "command hallucinations"—voices instructing her to harm herself. With limited access to psychiatric care, she spent the next 28 years moving between various rehabilitation centers, including the Snehalaya Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Centre in Manjeshwar.
Her mother, Mundavalappil Vattichi, now 73, longed to bring her daughter home but was unable to do so due to extreme financial constraints. The family lived in a fragile, tarpaulin-covered hut, and it was only in 2024-25 that government support for a proper house was approved—too late for Savithri to experience it, as per reports.
Savithri’s tragic story underscores the long-term consequences of ragging and the lack of adequate mental health support. With this, her sisters, who roll beedis for a living, are left mourning for their sister.