RAGGING – A MENACE !

                                               

The supreme court defines ragging in following words

“any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by any act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities which causes or likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear of apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such students will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student”.

It is very clear from the above definition that the apex court has taken into consideration all kinds of acts faced by a fresher or a junior while subjected to ragging by the seniors, but a very paradoxical situation is that it still persists despite of all the rules, regulations and directives of courts and authorities concerned. None could claim to have stopped it 100%

                                                                  Ragging has become a menace and a cause of fear and shock not only for a fresher but to his parents too who are sending their loved ones for pursuing higher education by investing a lot of hard earned money. Many intellectual youth have become the victims of ragging, some have suffered nervous breakdown, some left the institutes, some committed suicide and some were murdered brutally by their seniors.

 The most highlighted case in this regard took place in 1986 when a medical student of Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu was brutally murdered by his senior only because he refused to do whatever was asked to be done.

A recent example of the menace took place in Banaras Hindu University, commerce department where 3 students out of which 1 was physically challenged were subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation in the name of ragging. The dean however had to resign afterwards, but the incident very clearly comes out with the truth that universities and colleges have failed to stop the menace upto some extent. Another important agenda/point to be pondered over is the cultural degradation of the students. Such kind of an act brings into limelight the situation persisting in the homes of such students.

                                                                      According to me the parents are also no less responsible for the situation. Only those students can get into these kind of heinous practices who are not taught the moral and ethical values and who are not aware of love and affection towards others.

How can someone ragg another student even when he had to face the similar kind of situation and problems the previous year?

This shows their mindset. Either they forget the way they were treated and the pains which they suffered or they are certainly of diyonisian nature who enjoy harming others. Whatever the truth is, but the fact is that the students are being ragged continuously. Though the supreme court has issued very strict and stringent laws and guidelines to curb the menace yet a point to ponder over is –

Why do few students resort to such socially unacceptable behaviour and don’t understand the problem of their own juniors?

Have they become totally inhumane?

A serious thought to above question comes out with a fault in the existing education system as well. The present education system is intended to create intelligentsia, but they absolutely lack the moral and ethical values. No one teaches their students moral and behavioural values. There is no place for ethics in our education system. Results thus have become meaningless. Teachers also have failed to cultivate a good citizen in such students. Academic qualification alone is of no value because it does not teach the students to share the problems of others and to spread love to all.

Being decisive, I think that to stop the menace of ragging it is necessary to inculcate the importance of good character, importance of love and affection towards their juniors and fellow beings. Only then we will be successful in stopping the menace in its true sense.

It becomes important to quote the following words of great thinker which I think would arise a feeling of shame in those students who indulge themselves in such heinous practices.

If money is lost, nothing is lost.

If health is lost, something is lost.

If character is lost, everything is lost.

       

Shantanu Mishra

Sem 3^rd

B.A.M.S

University of Allahabad