What is the first thing you are told when you are set to register yourself on the rolls of that engineering college ,medical college or the dreaded Defence Academy, the parents wince and educators mince. The R word Hydra monster, its various manifestations, all the verbal rhetoric doing rounds, I thought few simple questions to ask the seers of law, logic, the luminaries who chose to chasten ( after having “fun” in their years ) the campuses.
The following shall remain sacrosanct :
1. The right to life
The term life not only includes upholding one’s right to live, sustain his dignity, integrity.
Also i must point out here we need to examine the spirit behind Ragging and not look at it incident wise.
To the honourable court i put forth the following points
A. The verdict handed out was a result of a criminal act, the honourable courts observed that the a felony had been committed with the a person imposing his whims on other based on a hierarchal arrangement and thus the status acquired. The courts rightly pointed out that this premise is skewed, and hence if students have the temerity to violate someone’s integrity then it needs to be addressed, so we go for a blanket ban, phew so if bureaucracy gives me powers to decide the fate of people in my district, i wonder whether supreme court would take cognizance of the fact that bureaucracy is causing suicides in Vidharbha, ban it as well my lord!
But its inefficiency at someone’s part!!!
Hell yes!! you don’t ban cars when someone mows down people on footpaths, or worse you dont even ban alchohol, when a drunk driver crushes urchins on roads. We dont ban arms when murders take place in our “civil” society. So if people choose to misuse powers invested ( say a bureaucrat) you don’t pull down the system.
B So does that means that Ragging as a institution is right, and some powers can be invested into college seniors, merely because they have an advantage of position and time.
This is a tough one( i spent most of my time on this, feedback needed on this point) The time invested in under graduate study varies from 3-5 yrs. After this individuals labeled as doctors, managers, engineers work in diverse fields where even human life may be entrusted upon them. Now considering by your point B: does the 4-5 semester exams give imbue in a person a sense of duty, responsibility?? gosh! why didn't they get this in schools they cleared 12 exams. Colleges were not meant to provide merely rote learning of another set of books, they are an institution that make an individual out of you, an individual ready to face all challenges of life, understand the vicissitudes of life, (yeah! this was before we allowed anyone with 10 crores in belly to open a college ) we have opened schools again, so when you are opening the wrong kinds of institutes, wrong things are bound to happen.
You are deviating from the point
Fine! People who are entrusted with lives of people are assumed to have certain conscience of their own which was certainly not in a high school product, this transformation needs more than upgradation of academic faculties of an individual, ragging is a mere abrasive meant to point out to a high school weirdo, that hey! college is not a fairly tale fella, come real joining college does not mean you have won the world or something, time to come real!
C: So its a moral duty! Bah! Humbug
I wish it were a moral duty, its a ritual sir, i admit with alas an intention to uphold what the education stands for.
D. and all this calling of lowering of eyes, what about that! making them wear formals what is that?
Sir with all due regards, i hope the shimmering black waistcoat, with the V shaped wing collar, the elaborate wig, and the statemtment of “My Lord!” is enough to soothe your appetite at your age, please allow your grandsons to have some fun as well. Why this clinging my lord!( i love it) or is your super sized stature immune to such vervbal rhetoric. Alas what gave you this stature, the society my lord! the same society that is still fraught with hierarchies, we just brought it in our colleges my lord, is that too much to ask for??
E: So what is the way out of the predicament?
Please leave it on the individual, let him experience it, tell him, that he has the right not to become a part of it, but only based on visceral observations, but deduce himself, the mark of a true individual and not a spoon fed kid! There is a need to of a regulation not a blanket ban, which mocks at the efficacy of our institutions to produce nation builders!!
I SUPPORT RAGGING IN INSTITUTIONS please sign below if you agree. Comments from both sides are invited.
I had to be succinct here! your are free to chat at length at my gmail id: mailcooltarang@gmail.com
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