Something truly heartbreaking happened recently in Mumbai. A young girl named Sadhana Bhosale had a big dream: she wanted to become a doctor. She was really smart and worked very hard. But one day, her dream when – and her life – were suddenly taken away.

A very sad reminder of what happens when parents put too much pressure on their children. It's about when dreams get replaced by harsh demands, and when love turns into harsh control.

Sadhana was a bright student from Maharashtra, India. She was very serious about her studies. Like many students in India, she was getting ready for the NEET exam. This is a super tough test you have to pass to get into medical colleges.

Her biggest goal was to become a doctor. She wanted to help people, but she also really wanted to make her parents proud. However, her father, who was even the principal of her school, wasn't happy with her test scores.

Sadhana was studying for NEET while always feeling stressed and hurt by her family at home. Instead of cheering her on, her father would often criticise her. It didn't matter to him that she was an excellent student in general. All he cared about was whether she could get very high scores in practice tests to get into a top medical college.

She scored a bit less in one NEET practice test. And this time, Sadhana finally stood up for herself. She was tired of the constant scolding and pressure. Sadly, in a moment of extreme anger, her father reportedly beat her with a wooden stick, right in front of other family members. The beating was so severe that it led to Sadhana's death.

A bright young girl lost her life – not to sickness, or an accident, or a stranger, but because of her own father's very high expectations. This terrible event k about many things: our society, how we raise children, and why we are so obsessed with getting good grades.

Every parent wants their child to do well. That's normal. Sadhana's father probably wanted the best for her. But somewhere along the way, he stopped seeing her as his child and started seeing her as a project – a way to achieve his own wishes. Her father often criticised her, as if saying, "I will love you only if you succeed," or "You are good enough only if you become a doctor." Sadhana's sad death happened because love became controlling, and a dream became a harsh demand.

India has a very competitive school system. Millions of children are made to believe that if they don't pass these tough exams, they are failures. Sadhana scored an amazing 92.60% in Class 10 – a fantastic result! Yet, she was still made to feel like a failure after just one lower score in a practice test. Why? Because in many homes, marks are seen as more important than a child's happiness, their mental health, or even other talents they might have. Every year, thousands of students in India feel very anxious, sad, and some even end their lives because of school stress.

Physical violence, like hitting, is easy to see. But hurting someone's feelings – constantly criticising them, calling them names, comparing them to others, or not appreciating them – is harder to spot but just as damaging.

Sadhana's story shows us how being tortured emotionally at home can be just as deadly. Her father didn't just beat her once. He had been slowly breaking her spirit for a long time with harsh words, taunts, and insults.

Sometimes, parents push their children to become doctors, engineers, or lawyers – not because the child wants it, but because the parents themselves couldn't achieve those dreams. This is very unfair. When parents try to live out their own missed dreams through their children, they are not being loving – they are being selfish.

Being a parent means supporting your child, guiding them, and accepting them for who they are. It does not mean controlling their life or punishing them for not meeting your wishes. The message about Sadhana's case ends with a strong statement: "If a parent cannot provide emotional safety, then they are not fulfilling the basic responsibility of parenthood." This might sound tough, but it's true.

It's not just one father who is at fault. Our society plays a part too

• Neighbourhood gossip: "Did your child become a doctor?
• Coaching centres: "To be the best, study 10 hours a day!
• Media: Showing only doctors and engineers as "successful.

This constant comparison and celebration of only one kind of success puts pressure not just on students, but on parents too. It becomes a race. A race where love is forgotten, and only results matter. What Can We Do Now?

• Love your children no matter what.
• Celebrate their effort, not just their scores.
• Always ask them what they truly want and what their dreams are.
• Remember: A happy child is more successful than a sad straight-A student.
• Stop comparing children.
• Value all sorts of talents – music, sports, writing, business, and more.
• Talk openly about mental health.
• Recognise emotional abuse and stand up against it.
• Spread awareness about the dangers of extreme school pressure.

Even Sadhana's father was a school principal. This shows that even educated people can sometimes be blind when it comes to raising their own children. Schools must.

• Teach parents about positive ways to raise children.
• Identify children who show signs of abuse.
• Have counsellors available to help students.
• Encourage kindness, patience, and emotional well-being.

Let Sadhana’s Story Be a Wake-Up Call, Sadhana didn’t die because she failed. She died because society failed her. Her father failed to see her pain. The world failed to protect her. Let's not forget her name. Let's not forget her smile, her dreams, or her story.

• That we will raise children with love, not pressure.
• That we will measure success by joy, not just marks.
• That we will create homes where children feel safe, accepted, and loved.

If Sadhana’s story has touched you, take a moment today to:

• Hug your child and tell them how proud you are of them.
• Call your parents and thank them if they supported your dreams. Sadhana Bhosale should have been studying for her next exam.

She should have become a doctor. But now, she is a memory – a very painful one.

Let us change the way we parent, let us change the way we decide what success really means..  

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