Student suicides worry Mumbai educators

Mahesh Poddar can barely hold back tears when he talks about his daughter, Mini, who committed suicide when she was 15 years old.

"I have so many wonderful memories of her," he said, before taking a long pause.

Mini, the only child of Mahesh and Sarita Poddar, took her own life in 2001. Her parents said Mini was distraught about college admissions and had just missed out on getting into the college of her choice.

"I don't know why she took this extreme step," said Sarita Poddar.

The Poddars have recently been joined in their grief by other parents: Since the beginning of the year, some 25 students have taken their lives in Mumbai and surrounding areas, and parents, teachers and officials are struggling to understand what is behind the deaths as they try to prevent more.

India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world -- and recent studies suggest about 40 percent are adolescents.