I should tell you
the instance that incited this prose. Last week, there was news about late
Aman, a medical college student who had succumbed to the alleged ragging by his
seniors at college. Ragging which is supposed to be a fun upshot that will
break the ice between freshers and seniors had turned out to be a social menace
due to certain unacceptable acts committed by oblivious minds. This is not the
first case and either the last case unless we are mindful of these acts.
After finishing our
high school and arduous entrance examinations, we enter the doors of next level
of education with much hope and aspirations. People from different and far-off
places embark colleges away from home. Being from a town I was not heard of
ragging until then. It’s been the tradition that seniors will carry out the Elysian
ragging on the freshers to bring about a sense of friendship and comfort ness
with the new environment. But I see most of the times its intimidation that is
effectuated. One of my room mates during my UG course was called by seniors to
their rooms and asked to do certain things that are meaningless for people like
me who watch from outside. But it’s a lot of things at stake. Room after room,
my friend was invited with red carpet and finally came after four hours of
persistent baiting. It brought us some sort of disheartenment and we never used
to talk to them. What help are they going to offer us other than instilling the
bitterness in our impressionable minds. I always wanted to beat that guy given
a chance. It remembers me the character of Ryan in the Chetan Bhagat’s novel
“five point someone”. The situation is worse in the medical colleges where they
are subjected to sexual abuses. A friend of mine in one of the top medical
college in Tamil Nadu had been forced to get naked and do m***********. If we
are not abiding those gentle demons and not doing whatever respectful acts they
wanted us to do, we are beaten up and subjected to some physical assault as it
happened for Aman. It exposes us to the mob mentality
and violent mindset of our seniors.
Forceful
instauration (doing it for the first time) to smoking and drinking is also part
of this ennobled ragging practice. This is one of the disgusting disruptions
and many get addicted to these savaging habits that have the potential to wreck
ourselves. Ask any youth who is smoking today about “where he learnt and when
did he started it”. The unanimous answer would date back to college. There are
quite some fast learners too. These quick assimilators venture into these
habits at their school days with their susceptible teenage. On reaching the
college they got the complete freedom from home and indulge in all kinds of
illicit activities. These are the guys who turn out to be the perpetrators of ragging
and other impressive acts of smoking and drinking. They bring their character
bad to the college, make them worse, spread their tentacles on the new people
and ruin their life. The other attraction at college is the beautiful ladies
who hover around the campus with their dazzling anatomical structure. Yes, they
are graceful and seniors in an attempt to appeal to them rag a fresher asking
him to propose to those ladies and all ugly banters. Ragging is not restricted
to boy zone and girls are steadily catching up with the trend. Recent news
about a girl’s attempt to commit suicide after being hazed by four senior
ladies would provide testament to the claim.
Freshers usually
approach seniors for help on study material, books and understanding some
concepts. Students are inculcated with the logic that
seniors who rag them will help them later. Students feel that they are familiar
with their seniors only because they were ragged and thus it ensures the legacy
of ragging. Every student has a different level of emotional sensitivity and
endurance. All these have brought a greater psychological imbalance in
the minds of these young people and these feelings are oppressed inside waiting
to burst. Reaching the threshold of endurance they break down and take knee
jerk decision without any thought. I should also mention that there are really
good and aspiring seniors who offer us the great help in terms to mentoring and
guiding us through the initial college days.
Can’t we promote
alternative methods of interaction with our seniors through games, dramas, trips,
relationship building activities and have fun together? Because of this ragging
there is a big china wall built around the first year hostels and mess to fend
off from the potential threat from second year students. My question is, “Can’t
we make good friends without these walls and intimidations?” We need a greater
change in the perception of the second year students who use first year
students to vent out their frustrations and ordeal they have been subjected to.
This is a very sadistic attitude on the part of the seniors and I call these
people “Sicko” (Not all the seniors and I hope you understand whom I am talking
about). I have also heard of the college administration manhandling the seniors
who indulge in ragging and beat them up. This is not the way to bring in
discipline by invoking fear. Anti-ragging Squads or violent tormentors that are
set up with lots of people being hired and monitoring the college. Like Bats in the belfry these rogues look for students to
showcase their vigilance. Kudos. Keep up the good work and we should question
ourselves, “Are we in a college or in some prison?”
Are we going to see
this as part of the system of UG education and just ignore it to settle on its
own? I would shriek, Big “No”. What we need is great parental care and good
counseling from Psychologists and Psychiatrists. Students can’t share the
heinous ragging incidents with their parents as it is perceived to be a social
stigma and are not usually encouraged in our society. This brings in a state of
oppressed mind and they want to vent these emotions in one way or the other.
Before they could involve in some mindless act we need to step in. On the
initial days of the college parents should have frequent contact over
electronic devices and physical presence to listen to the concerns of their
buddies. You need to address these concerns upfront with proper counseling
before this could turn up into ugly proposition. Right from school days parent
need to monitor their child’s growth not only in studies but also mental and
psychological aspects as well. If they see any deviant behavior don’t just
react but create conducive atmosphere for your child to express his problem and
consult a specialist counselor to address the concerns and provide a proper
guidance and direction in life.
College has equal
part to play as parents are. Every college during induction program should come
up with a week to spread the message of ragging and sensitizing the evils of
it. Students should be made aware of the consequences of ragging to the person
subjected to and the person instigating it. The college should bring in case
studies to understand the detrimental effects of ragging. It should also
highlight the decisive action taken by the authorities. The noxious effects of
smoking and drinking should also take its berth on the agenda. Instead of
college spending on some rogues to watch out for raggers why don’t these
colleges set up a counseling centre. These centres should invite specialists
every week and make students with the dithering mind to feel comfortable to
attend and address their concerns. The seniors who had ragged should also be
subjected to counseling and monitor him for progress. When he goes unheeded the
college should take stern step against him with the suspension and possible
transfer to some other college. The college does not only have the obligation
of imparting education in terms of teaching subjects but also has a greater part
to play in shaping up the students in all respects. A well disciplined and
positive attitude on student’s mind would transform the students’ community
against ragging.
The constitution
claims ragging as unlawful activity and has devised certain punitive measures
for these offenses. With the recent incidents like Aman, People are protesting
to pass an Anti-ragging law. I would say this would become another encryption
on those rusted pages of Indian Law Book and we need to discipline ourselves to
herald a change. Let the constitutional laws be in place and we need a system
functioning at the college and school level to build up the students in a
proper way. This system is not easy to come by but the persistent effort on the
concerned multitudes will usher in a substantial positive change that shapes up
the future of our country.
P.S. Written couple of years back on the death of a medical student due to ragging
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