Indian Knowledge Systems, the framework IIT Mandi is currently leveraging in seeking answers to one of the most pressing concerns within India’s premier campuses: student mental health.
IITs are known for their high ranks, high packages, and research papers. But in recent years, a different reality has emerged. India’s top engineering institutions are grappling with a mental health crisis. In the last five years alone, around 65 student suicides have been reported across IITs. But the crisis goes far beyond this number. It is reflected in the stress, anxiety, mental exhaustion, and silent pressure that many students face in one of the most demanding academic settings in the country.
This issue is not limited to IIT campuses. According to NCRB data cited in Parliament, 13,089 students died by suicide in India in 2022, up from 12,526 in 2021.
It’s about the stress you can’t switch off from and the anxiety that lingers during lectures and research time.
The broader state of young people’s mental health is also concerning.
According to UNICEF India, 7.3% of youth aged 18-29 years face overall mental illness, while an NCERT study (2022) found that 11% of students reported anxiety and 14% experienced extreme emotional and mood swings.
Counseling, screening, and student support systems are now essential as the Supreme Court and the government seek ways to respond to the crisis.
In all this, IIT Mandi treads a path tied to India’s ancient traditions. If guidelines are strictly followed. Located in the Himalayas, the institute leverages Indian knowledge systems and practices such as yoga, meditation, mantra chanting, and Indian classical music to support student health in a more sustainable way.
For the past five years, IIT Mandi’s record has been one of the best in terms of lowest number of student suicides. Only one such incident was reported, reflecting the impact of the more comprehensive approach taken by the institute.
music, mind and mental health
Practices like yoga and meditation, once central to the Gurukul tradition, are now well-established on the IIT Mandi campus. The Institute treats questions of consciousness, cognition, and mental health not just as abstract philosophical concerns, but as objects of active academic research.
Lakshmidhar Behera, Director of IIT Mandi, explained this approach: “The Institute’s work on the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is rooted in reexamining a framework of knowledge with which ancient India was deeply engaged, but which modern science is only beginning to consider more seriously.”
The IKS framework here goes beyond yoga and meditation.
It also includes Indian classical music, ragas, instrumental sounds and even natural soundscapes, some of which are now incorporated into the institute’s wider learning environment.
For many students, the impact is already visible. Some people say that even a daily one-hour session can help them decompress, regain focus, and manage the mental strain of schoolwork more effectively.
To examine this more systematically, IIT Mandi also conducted an intensive study on the impact of Indian classical music on the mind. The results provided important insights into how traditional sound-based practices influence attention, emotion, and cognitive stability.
The IIT Mandi study was conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and aimed to investigate how Indian classical music affects the brain under controlled conditions.
Although listening to music while studying is common, this study approached this issue through a structured scientific framework.
The study involved 40 healthy male participants, ranging in age from 19 to 29, with an average age of 23. None had formal musical training, but all had been screened to rule out auditory, neurological, or drug-related conditions.
Each participant listened to about nine minutes of Indian classical music in a single session, and their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), a technique that captures electrical activity in the brain.
To establish a clear baseline, researchers compared brain activity during exposure to music to brain activity during quiet rest. Two ragas, Raga Darbari and Raga Jogiya, were selected for the experiment based on their different emotional profiles.
The results of this study showed measurable changes in brain activity. Raga Darbari was associated with improved concentration and a calmer state of mind, while Raga Jogiya seemed to support emotional regulation and thoughtful thinking.
Both ragas influence short-term but important neural patterns related to attention, emotion, and mind wandering, indicating a transition to a more stable cognitive state.
This study suggests that certain swaras (notes) in Indian classical music may play a role in elevating mood and stabilizing mental processes. The researchers also noted that these effects were consistent across repeated trials, including follow-up observations of female participants.
They further noted that although early studies have shown a potential supportive role for raga-based interventions for conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, such approaches have not been presented as standalone treatments.
IIT MANDI is betting on something old and indigenous
These findings suggest that music not only affects mood, but may also affect cognitive performance. And among the various forms of music, Indian ragas seem to have the strongest influence on attention and mental processing.
“Mental health has become a pandemic. We don’t know how to cure it. At IIT Mandi, we are taking a different approach through classical music, yoga, meditation and mantra chanting,” director Lakshmidhar Behera said in an interview with India Today.
Professor Behera explained how classical Indian ragas influence brain activity, saying that such music supports attention, emotional regulation and mental stability.
For Ayan Garg, 21, an engineering student majoring in microelectronics and VLSI in the School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, academic pressure is constant, but a new intervention on campus has made a difference. He says habits like yoga, meditation and music sessions help him slow down his fast-paced life.
“There are always things that need to be completed, like assignments, labs, and deadlines. These sessions give you a break in between. It helps you clear your mind and come back more focused,” he says, adding that even short breaks built around such practices are starting to reflect in how you manage stress and focus.
“It relaxes us and relieves the stress of the day,” says Garg.
Sound and frequency are attracting attention at the global level
The IIT Mandi findings did not emerge in isolation. Several other studies have also pointed to the role of raga music in improving cognitive performance and mental concentration.
A study by Karuna Nagarajan, available on ResearchGate, found that people who listened to raga music performed better on tasks that required attention than those who listened to pop music or remained silent.
It was also found that there was greater improvement in memory-related tasks after exposure to ragas.
“I believe that all arts can play a huge role in aiding mental health, but Indian classical music in particular has a philosophy of experiencing art as a cathartic practice (rasa), an improvisational and momentary nature, a therapeutic vibrational effect (raga), and a connection with natural rhythms and seasonal cycles. It depends on a variety of factors, including a deep connection. Indian classical music has the power to calm an anxious mind, relieve tension in the body, and soothe the soul,” says Dr. Srinivas Reddy, Associate Professor of South Asian Studies at Nayanta University.
On platforms like YouTube, such content continues to rack up millions of views, reflecting broader public interest in music as a tool for mental health.
Across cultures, music has long been associated with the mind, emotions, and inner balance. Certain sounds are also associated with spiritual and introspective states. Binaural beats, ambient soundscapes, and meditative music are now commonly used for relaxation and concentration.
“When I was studying music, I never recorded or wrote anything down. It was Gurmukhi, one-on-one, intimate training that fostered deep relationships, creativity, dedication and focus. It was an essential experience that engaged the mind, body and spirit. I believe that if we can foster this kind of traditional pedagogy in modern classrooms, students will definitely benefit in all aspects of their psychological growth,” Reddy added.
This raises an important question as the discussion around student mental health increases. If music can influence attention, mood, and concentration, should educational institutions that foster young minds take such practices more seriously?
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