Hyderabad, Sept. 10 -- Every college these students attend has a counsellor. Almost none of them has seen anyone walk in.

"Yes, we have a counsellor," said Chetana, 21, a student at St Ann's College for Women. "Mostly people don't use it." At Villa Marie Degree College for Women, Samia Fathima, 19, says the same thing. "Yes, we do have a counsellor, but I haven't seen anyone use it."

In fact, Manaal, 20, from St Ann's tried reaching out to a counsellor. "I tried counselling once and was told that I need another session. But when I reached out for it, the counsellor simply did not respond."

On World Suicide Prevention Day, that gap, between what exists on paper and what is within reach, is where much of the problem sits. Telangana lost ...