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.
Singh, from Haryana’s Jhajjar, left a promising career after completing aerospace engineering at IIT Bombay in search of 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 became interested 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. 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. The education system should be student-friendly; it should not be meant to harass students,” he said, adding, “Only change in the education system and spirituality can prevent student suicides and depression.”
Singh is quite active on social media, with 1.1 lakh followers on Instagram. Most of his videos on Instagram are about spirituality, the resurgence and revival of humanity, the future and destruction, meditation, and the Bhakti movement.
In one of his Instagram posts, Singh posted a handwritten letter in English: “There were so many things I did not want to do, but they were so deep within me. So, I cut out parts of myself. With time, the more parts I chopped, the less remained. Now, I wonder who is it that is left?”
